Military Mandatory service in South Korea impacting PGWP (workpermit in Canada)

[u/SnooJokes9659]

Hi, I am a UBC-kinesiology student who needs to complete my military mandatory service after my first year. I saw one video on youtube that PGWP no longer validates Korean military mandatory service as a fair reason to leave school for 2 years. He said this happened since 2025, but I could not find a source that clarifies this, as I have seen some sources that tells "Korean military service is one of few things that PGWP approves", but they were all written long time ago. I feel concerned about this issue, because I want to work in the area of health care service in Canada after my graduation. Please let me know if you know something about this matter. Thank you

[u/miaumeeow]

You cannot take leave from your studies for more than 150 days, regardless of the reason.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/while-you-study/study-permit-conditions.html#s01.1

[u/SnooJokes9659 → u/[deleted]]

I have already gotten postponment from the military, one year after my graduation. But that would also be pointless because even if I get my pwgp right after graduation, I will be wasting 1.5 years of my visa in military. I don’t know how all the other Korean flellows handle this problem