International graduates in Canada are losing their right to work—and, in some cases, their legal status—after their post-graduation work permit (PGWP) applications were refused for missing language test results that were not clearly requested in the federal online application portal.
Han Xu, who recently completed a PhD in education at Queen’s University, says she carefully followed every step of the Immigration Department’s online application process. Aware of the new language proficiency requirement, she had already taken an English test months before submitting her PGWP application in May.
But nowhere in the portal was she prompted to upload her CELPIP test results.
“So it came as a shock in October when I was refused,” Xu said. “It may sound stupid, but I trusted the system. I’ve done my own study permit and visa applications many times over the years.”
Xu is among a growing number of international graduates whose PGWP applications have been rejected in recent months for failing to upload proof of language proficiency—despite the portal not explicitly asking for it. The refusals have forced many to stop working immediately and risk removal from Canada.
Immigration lawyers say the problem has become more visible this fall due to long processing times. Applications submitted inside Canada are now taking more than 210 days to process, meaning many applicants only learned months later that their files were deemed incomplete.
“There’s no reminder or alert in the system telling you where to upload the language scores,” Xu said. “It should not allow you to submit an application if a required document is missing.”
Only after her refusal did Xu discover that instructions on uploading test results were buried on a separate Immigration Department webpage—one not linked from the application portal itself.
Calls for ministerial intervention
An online petition is now urging Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab to intervene and reinstate refused applications.
Vancouver immigration lawyer Will Tao said the department has cited “technical limitations” for not adding a dedicated upload field in the portal. But he questions why a simple notice could not have been placed directly in the application system.
“That information only appeared in a separate policy document that required a lot of digging to find,” Tao said. “Now people are getting refused en masse for not uploading a document the system didn’t ask for.”
Following media inquiries, Tao noted that officials later added upload instructions to several webpages—but still not to the application portal itself.
Hundreds of refusals recorded
The Immigration Department says it has received about 162,000 PGWP applications since the language requirement took effect in late 2024. As of September, 815 applications had been refused due to missing documents, which may include language test results.
In a statement, the department said language requirements and alerts are highlighted on its website and in updated instruction guides, adding: “Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete and accurate application.”
The issue comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government seeks to reduce the number of temporary residents to five per cent of Canada’s population by the end of 2027, down from the current 6.8 per cent. International students and PGWP holders make up a significant share of that group.
Tao said the lack of fixes to the actual portal raises concerns.
“This may be part of how the government is controlling temporary resident numbers,” he said. “But it’s something that needs to be addressed transparently.”
‘Financially draining and stressful’
Teerthkumar Patel, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Windsor with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, had his PGWP refused in October. He immediately quit his job in the auto sector and has since spent nearly $2,000 on legal help to file a reconsideration, restore his status and reapply.
“There are no timelines,” Patel said. “It might take weeks or months. I have emergency savings, but this is financially draining and stressful.”
Xu, meanwhile, has stopped her university research work and joined several online groups of students facing similar refusals. She said some applicants were later contacted by officers and allowed to upload their test results—while others were not.
“It feels random and arbitrary,” she said.
With her savings running low and housing uncertain, Xu says she is weighing whether she will have to leave Canada.
“This refusal is now on my record,” she said. “It will affect future visa applications and even travel to other countries. That’s what’s most frightening.”