Maple News reports that thousands of hopeful international graduates were left disappointed after the English-speaking International Graduate stream for permanent residency in Canada reached its 40,000-application cap just 25 hours after launching on May 6.
This stream was one of six special pathways introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to help up to 90,000 international graduates and essential workers transition to permanent residence. Among these, the English-speaking International Graduate stream sparked the most interest, filling its quota quickly due to the high volume of eligible applicants across Canada.
Many were unable to apply in time, citing reasons such as delays in receiving English language test results (like IELTS or CELPIP), payment system glitches during application launch days, or unemployment at the time of submission due to timing mismatches with new job start dates. Despite this disappointment, experts and observers say there’s still reason for optimism.
IRCC is now reviewing the 40,000 submitted applications, a process that will likely result in some rejections for not meeting eligibility criteria. In the past, IRCC has filled such gaps by inviting more applicants. A similar precedent was seen during the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), where declined or unsubmitted invitations resulted in new rounds of invitation to meet targets.
Additionally, some applicants may have applied under multiple streams—both as graduates and essential workers—paying double the fees. In such cases, IRCC may opt to process their application under one of the essential worker streams, which have received considerably fewer applications. Doing so would preserve slots in the graduate stream that could potentially be opened up again.
While IRCC has not officially confirmed plans to reopen the graduate stream or increase the intake, history suggests flexibility remains possible. International graduates who missed out should stay informed and prepared, as future opportunities could arise if application rejections create room within the stream’s cap.
Maple News encourages applicants to continue monitoring updates from IRCC and consider alternative permanent residency routes while maintaining eligibility requirements in order.
Canada’s immigration system often surprises, and for international graduates, another door may open yet.