Hundreds of International Graduates Protest in Calgary After Canada Refuses Work Permits

• Hundreds of international graduates took to the streets of Calgary, Canada, protesting the rejection of their post-graduation work permits
• Some protesters began a hunger strike, saying they followed the rules, completed their studies and spent thousands on tuition fees
• Around 1,500 graduates are believed to be affected, with many demanding a fair review of their applications

Hundreds of international graduates have been staging round-the-clock protests in Calgary, Canada, after their post-graduation work permit applications were refused. The video, shared on 30 July 2026 by @Judaeda3, shows demonstrators holding handwritten signs roadside, some wearing safety vests, with a handful of protesters taking the drastic step of going on hunger strike.

One protester, speaking directly to camera, put it plainly:

"We came here after paying a huge amount of fees and taxes. If there is any kind of confusion, they might listen to us and reconsider." Instead of work permits, they received refusal letters.

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Why the work permits were refused

Canada's immigration authority, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has not introduced a blanket ban on international graduate work permits. The refusals are targeted at graduates from specific programmes classified as non-credit or general interest courses, which have long been ineligible for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs). Portage College in Calgary, where many of the affected students studied, told those involved to retain key documents including study permits, transcripts, and IRCC refusal letters, and to seek advice from authorised immigration professionals.

Canadian Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab stated that PGWP eligibility rules have not fundamentally changed, describing the wave of refusals as the result of a clarification rather than a new restriction. Students, however, argue the rules were poorly communicated after they had already paid tuition and completed their programmes, leaving around 1,500 graduates in limbo.

IRCC has also reminded international students that working without authorisation, even part-time, can lead to serious immigration consequences, including inadmissibility findings.

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Watch the Calgary protest footage below:

How South Africans reacted

The video sparked strong opinions on the X page, with many South Africans drawing comparisons to immigration tensions closer to home:

@RegMatsuka said:

"This is the same problem we are having in SA. People come with visit and study visas and demand citizenship or work permits after expiration of their original entry visas. This migration and international law cooperation amongst countries is at risk due to this abuse."

@Thelion89 wrote:

"They are armed with good education and can go back to rebuild their countries. What's wrong with South Asians and West Africans? They never want to go home."

@Lwae88 added:

"Hunger strike? As in like if people do not agree with me they'd threaten me by not eating. Oh man, I would make a bad politician because I do not see why you not eating is my problem."

More on immigration tensions

• Briefly News recently reported on a Zimbabwean man's online rant about rising crime back home, blaming fellow citizens who returned after facing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
• A foreign salon owner in Pietermaritzburg was filmed being forced out of her own business, leaving South Africans deeply disturbed.
• The bodies of Nothabo Zandile Tshuma and her two daughters are being repatriated to Zimbabwe for burial.

Source: Briefly News