HISTORICAL CONTEXT: this thread is about the rule change announced in January 2024, under which graduates of public-private partnership (PPP / curriculum-licensing) college programs starting from the September 2024 intake would no longer be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. Verify the current policy on IRCC's site, as PGWP rules have continued to change.
A student had paid first-semester fees (about $9,580) for a September 2024 Business Analytics intake at a Lambton campus in Mississauga, then learned the campus might not qualify for PGWP under the new rules, and asked about refunds.
What members clarified:
- The PPP distinction is what matters. Public colleges themselves remained PGWP-eligible. What lost eligibility were private colleges delivering a public college's curriculum under partnership (e.g., private 'associated' campuses in the Toronto area operating under a public college's name).
- Same brand name does not mean same eligibility. A college can be public at its main campus while its satellite metro campuses are run through private partners. Members went back and forth on exactly this - 'Lambton is public' vs 'the Mississauga campus is a partnership campus' - which is precisely why you cannot rely on the brand name.
- Confirm in writing with the college and check IRCC's designated learning institution details before paying fees. Members repeatedly told the student to confirm with the college or an immigration expert rather than rely on group consensus.
- On refunds: the college's published administrative/withdrawal fee schedule governs; the student had paid far more than the listed non-refundable amount, and members could not promise a full refund - that is a contract question with the college.