IRCC adds PGWP language field after 302,000 applications — Cic News
cic news: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is developing a dedicated field for language test results on its post-graduation work permit application site. Lena Diab’s office said the change is part of broader IT improvements at the department, after some international graduates were confused by the current portal.
IRCC received more than 302,000 PGWP applications between November 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025, and rejected 945 for language-related reasons during that period. For applicants, the immediate issue is simple: language test results still have to be uploaded the way IRCC currently asks, even though the portal change is being built.
Lena Diab’s office
The department introduced language test requirements for PGWP applications in November 2024, and the rule applies to applicants after November 1, 2024, regardless of level of study. Applicants must submit results from an officially designated language test in English or French with their initial application, and those results remain valid for two years from the testing date.
Until the new field exists, IRCC says international students seeking a PGWP need to upload language test results under the Client Information section of their online account. Only one file can be saved there. If applicants upload multiple files, only the most recent one remains in the application, so IRCC recommends combining multiple documents into a single file before uploading.
Client Information section
The portal change follows a gap between the rule and the application system. IRCC said the government did not update the portal earlier because of system limitations, and applicants appear to have missed the requirement in large numbers. Many believed language test results were not required and left them out of their applications.
That left some applicants with a straightforward option and others with a harder one. IRCC says missing documents can be added through its web form after submission, but the path forward is more complex for applications that have already been rejected.
IRCC portal field
No date has been shared for when the new dedicated field will be ready. For now, students applying for a PGWP need to follow the current upload instructions exactly, because the department’s new field is still being developed and the existing process remains in place.
