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TL;DR:
Post-secondary international students in Canada no longer need a separate co-op work permit for required work placements like co-ops, internships and practicums, effective April 1, 2026.
IRCC will withdraw eligible pending co-op work permit applications.
Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit.
The change is part of a broader proposed regulatory package that would also extend work authorization for students awaiting permit extension decisions and graduates awaiting post-graduation work permit decisions.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced on April 9 that eligible post-secondary international students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for required student work placements, effective April 1, 2026. The department said it will withdraw eligible pending co-op work permit applications for students now covered by the rule.
Before April 1, students in programs with a co-op or work-integrated learning component generally needed both a study permit and a separate co-op work permit. That second permit is now gone for post-secondary students who meet the eligibility conditions.
What are the new eligibility conditions?
According to the updated IRCC page, post-secondary students can participate in a student work placement if they meet all of the following:
Their study permit includes conditions allowing on-campus work.
They have a letter from their designated learning institution confirming the placement is a program requirement.
They hold a valid study permit, or applied to extend it before expiry.
They are full-time students at a DLI.
Their program is at least six months long, at the post-secondary level, and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate.
The work placement totals 50% or less of the study program.
IRCC says it may request a DLI letter confirming all students in the program must complete placements to earn the credential. Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit.
The changes sit inside a broader regulatory package
The co-op change sits inside a larger package listed in IRCC's forward regulatory plan. Proposed amendments in that package would also extend work authorization to international students waiting on a study permit extension decision and to graduates waiting on a post-graduation work permit decision. Other proposed items include standardizing work rules during academic breaks and clarifying DLI requirements.
Those broader measures are still described as proposed. The co-op permit change is the only piece already in effect. IRCC says it plans to consult with provinces, territories and national education stakeholders in early spring 2026 on the wider package.
What this means for you
If you're a post-secondary student with a co-op or practicum built into your program, you no longer need to apply for a separate co-op work permit. Your study permit covers it, as long as your placement is a program requirement and totals 50% or less of your studies.If you already applied for a co-op work permit and it's pending, IRCC says they will withdraw it on your behalf, so you don’t need to cancel it yourself.
There are two letters you’ll need to get from your school's international student office before you start:
The first confirms your specific placement is a requirement of your program. That one establishes your eligibility. Have it ready before the placement begins.
The second, which IRCC may request separately, confirms that every student in your program must complete a placement to graduate. Your school has it. You may never need it, but if IRCC asks and you're scrambling, the placement is already in progress.
