A temporary public policy lets a delegated officer lift one condition in paragraph 188(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations for a foreign national who holds a valid work permit — the requirement that the course be completed within the period for stay that was authorized upon entry into Canada — so that person may study without a study permit for a course of six months or less.
It lifts that one condition and nothing else: the six-month cap in paragraph 188(1)(c) stays, and the permission is measured against the validity of the work permit instead of the stay authorized on entry. The Minister signed it at Ottawa on 5 August 2026, and it comes into effect 30 days after that signature, from 4 September 2026.
What is actually new about study without a study permit
Paragraph 188(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations lets any foreign national study in Canada without a study permit if two things are true at once:
- the course or program of studies is six months or less; and
- it will be completed within the period for their stay authorized upon entry into Canada.
The second half is the part that bites. It measures the course against the stay you were given at the border. A course that ends after that window falls outside the paragraph. The new policy removes that condition, and only that condition, for anyone who holds a valid work permit, and ties the permission to the work permit instead. The six-month cap stays exactly where it was.
What the new policy says
The policy is short. It lets an officer waive one requirement for anyone who holds a valid work permit. The power to do that comes from section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which the policy cites as its authority. Its terms:
- Who is eligible: a foreign national who holds a valid work permit. That is the only eligibility condition the policy states.
- What is allowed: study without a study permit for a course of six months or less.
- What is exempted: the requirement in paragraph 188(1)(c) that the course be completed within the period for stay that was authorized upon entry into Canada. That single requirement, and nothing else.
- How long it lasts: until the work permit expires, or until the policy expires or is revoked, whichever comes first.
- Everything else still applies: if you qualify, every other eligibility and admissibility rule still applies to you.
The policy expires on 31 December 2027. It may be revoked at any time, without prior notice. Officers decide: the policy lets a delegated officer grant the exemption, it does not grant it automatically.
What the policy says its purpose is
The policy states its own purpose, and it is worth reading in full rather than through the headline. It describes letting workers already in Canada upgrade their skills, obtain new credentials or professional licensing, and move into higher-skilled occupations. It describes supporting labour market needs, including shortages in key sectors such as healthcare. And it describes strengthening pathways to permanent residence.
That is the policy’s account of what it is for. It is not a grant of anything. In particular, the reference to permanent residence pathways describes an aim; the policy gives you no entitlement to permanent residence.
The base rule and the new policy, side by side
| Point | Paragraph 188(1)(c) on its own | With the new policy, for a valid work permit holder |
|---|---|---|
| Cap on the length of the course | Six months or less | Six months or less — unchanged |
| Course completed within the period for stay authorized upon entry | Required | A delegated officer may exempt you from this condition |
| What the permission is measured against | The stay authorized on entry | The validity of the work permit |
| How long the exemption lasts | — | Until the work permit expires, or until the policy expires or is revoked, whichever comes first |
| Who it reaches | Any foreign national — this route stays open to everyone | Only a foreign national who holds a valid work permit |
How it compares with the 2023 policy
This is not the first policy of its kind. A public policy with the same title ran from 27 June 2023 to 27 June 2026, and its page is now archived. Compared with the one that expired in June, the new one is wider on who it reaches and narrower on what it gives.
Wider on who. The previous policy had a cut-off: it reached people whose work permit application had been received by IRCC on or before 7 June 2023, or who had applied to renew under section 201 by that same date and were authorized to work under paragraph 186(u). Anyone who applied after that date fell outside it. The new policy sets no cut-off on the application date at all. Any valid work permit qualifies.
Narrower on what. The previous policy set aside all four of paragraphs 188(1)(a) to (d) at once, the whole set of requirements for studying without a study permit, and it set no duration cap of its own. The new policy removes one requirement and holds study to six months or less.
| Point | Previous policy (archived) | New policy |
|---|---|---|
| Signed | 30 May 2023, by the Hon. Sean Fraser | 5 August 2026, by the Hon. Lena Metlege Diab |
| In effect from | 27 June 2023 | 4 September 2026 — 30 days after signature |
| Expires | 27 June 2026 (expired) | 31 December 2027 |
| Who qualified | A work permit holder whose application was received by IRCC on or before 7 June 2023; or someone who applied to renew under section 201 on or before that date and was authorized to work under paragraph 186(u) | A foreign national who holds a valid work permit, with no cut-off date |
| What was exempted | All four of paragraphs 188(1)(a) to (d), at once | Only the condition inside paragraph 188(1)(c) that the course be completed within the period for stay authorized upon entry |
| Duration cap in the policy itself | None | Six months or less |
| When the exemption ended | On refusal of the renewal application, on expiry of the work permit, or on expiry or revocation of the policy | On expiry of the work permit, or on expiry or revocation of the policy |
| Revocation without prior notice | Possible | Possible |
There was a gap
The previous policy expired on 27 June 2026. The Minister signed the new one on 5 August 2026, and it comes into effect 30 days after that signature. Between the old expiry and the new effective date, no public policy of this kind was in force, and paragraph 188(1)(c) applied on its own terms, with both of its conditions.
What this policy does not do
- It does not cover study longer than six months. A longer program takes you outside this policy and outside paragraph 188(1)(c); for a work permit holder that means a study permit.
- It does not help visitors or study permit holders. The stated condition is holding a valid work permit. Visitors are not shut out of short study altogether: paragraph 188(1)(c) still applies to them on its own terms, including the very condition this policy lifts.
- It does not help you if you are waiting on a first work permit. You must already hold a valid permit; applying for one is not enough. If you do not have one, you apply for a work permit first. Changing status is a separate process of its own, as with moving from a visitor visa to a work permit.
- It does not create or extend a work permit, and it does not extend status. The exemption runs with your work permit and ends the day that permit expires.
- It grants nothing about permanent residence. The policy describes strengthening pathways to permanent residence as one of its purposes. That says what the policy is meant to achieve. It gives you nothing towards permanent residence.
- It does not remove any other requirement. All other eligibility and admissibility requirements continue to apply.
Questions and answers
Can I take a course longer than six months without a study permit?
No. The six-month limit in paragraph 188(1)(c) is untouched. The policy allows a course of six months or less, and nothing longer.
My work permit expires before my course ends. What happens?
The exemption applies until the work permit expires, or until the policy expires or is revoked, whichever comes first. It does not continue past the expiry of the permit. Do not rely on it for the period after that date.
I am a visitor, or waiting for my first work permit. Does this reach me?
No. The only condition the policy names is holding a valid work permit. That said, paragraph 188(1)(c) still applies to you on its own terms, with both of its conditions, including the one this policy lifts for work permit holders.
Does this open a path to permanent residence?
No. The policy creates no entitlement to permanent residence. It describes strengthening pathways to permanent residence as one of its purposes, and that is a statement of aim, not a grant.
Do I need to apply for anything?
No — there is no form and no separate application. If you hold a valid work permit and your course runs six months or less, those two conditions are the whole of it, and you can enrol. The policy sets no process beyond that. The decision in any individual case still rests with IRCC and its delegated officers, so keep proof that your work permit was valid and evidence of the course length.
I studied under the old policy. Does the new one carry that over?
The two are separate instruments. The previous policy expired on 27 June 2026. The new one stands on its own terms: a valid work permit, a course of six months or less, and the single exemption inside paragraph 188(1)(c).
How long can I rely on this?
The policy expires on 31 December 2027. It may also be revoked at any time, without prior notice. So the expiry date is not a promise. The policy can end before it, and the previous policy said the same thing before it ran to its own expiry.
Does this stop me applying for a study permit if I want one?
No. The policy adds an exemption; it closes no other route. Subsection 188(2) makes the point explicitly: a foreign national may apply for a study permit before entering Canada, even for a course of six months or less. The policy adds an exemption; it closes no other route. For anything longer, a study permit is the route.
In short
The regulation already let anyone take a course of six months or less without a study permit, as long as it finished inside the stay they were given at the border. If you hold a valid work permit, that second condition no longer applies to you, and the permission runs with your work permit instead. The cap on length has not moved. The new policy reaches more people than the 2023 one, and exempts less. It takes effect 30 days after the Minister signed it on 5 August 2026. It expires on 31 December 2027, sooner if it is revoked.
Sources
- Temporary public policy to allow foreign nationals with valid work permits to study without a study permit — IRCC, signed 5 August 2026, page details date 9 September 2026.
- Temporary public policy to allow foreign nationals with valid work permits to study without a study permit (ARCHIVED) — IRCC, signed 30 May 2023, in effect 27 June 2023 to 27 June 2026.
- Section 188, Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations — Justice Laws Website, current to 21 June 2026, last amended 12 June 2026.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and it describes published official rules rather than any individual case. Hadi Imani is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, licence R522575, practising in Toronto; that licence covers Canadian immigration only.
