Work Permit after finishing studies

After finishing an approved Canadian post-secondary programme, international students may apply for a Post-Graduation Work permit (PGWP).

If you have a PGWP, you are free to work for any employer you choose in Canada. After that, you can use this record of professional employment to help support your application for Canadian permanent residence.

The Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of the tools Canada uses to entice and keep overseas students and immigrants. The PGWP is valid for a maximum of three years (the precise number of years a person has a PGWP will vary depending on how long their Canadian educational programme was). An open work permit known as the PGWP enables foreign graduates to work for any Canadian firm without a job offer.

Eligibility requirements for PGWP

International students who wish to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit must possess the following:

completed a minimum eight-month-long academic, vocational, or professional training programme at a qualifying Designated Learning Institution (DLI) List.
Any course of study must result in a degree, diploma, or certificate.
held full-time enrollment in the programme or programmes of study they completed and listed in their post-graduation work permit application throughout each academic session while residing in Canada;
a transcript and an official letter verifying completion of the applicant's programme of study were received from the qualified DLI; the transcript and the official letter had to be submitted with the post-graduation work permit application.
a graduate of a public post-secondary institution, such as a college, trade school, or technical school
Graduate from private secondary or post-secondary institution that provides qualifying programmes with 900 hours or more of instruction that lead to the awarding of a DEP or an ASP. In Quebec, it is a private post-secondary institution that follows the same rules as the state's public schools.

Validity of PGWP

For eight months to three years, a PGWP is valid. Your program's length at a Canadian DLI will decide the exact length. The IRCC makes the following suggestions on its website:

Finished program in eight months: Ineligible for a PGWP
Program that was finished between eight months and less than two years ago: The validity term of the PGWP coincides with the length of your academic programme.
Two-year or longer programme has been completed : PGWP is valid for three years
Completed multiple programmes: As long as your Canadian educational programmes are DLI qualifying and each last for more than eight months, you might be able to combine them to qualify for a PGWP. The lengths mentioned will match the complete duration of the PGWP.

Deadline for PGWP applications

The Post-Graduation Work Permit application must be submitted within 180 days of receiving a transcript and an official letter from the eligible DLI attesting that all conditions for programme completion have been satisfied.

Candidates have two choices if the study permission is scheduled to expire before the results are in:

Obtain a visitor record to extend your stay in Canada, or depart the country and obtain the PGWP.

What are supporting documents for PGWP application

Program officers may ask for extra papers, but two crucial ones must be included with the application: a letter attesting to the applicant's completion of their programme of study and an official transcript issued by their DLI.

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Work Permit after finishing studies

Eligibility requirements for PGWP

Validity of PGWP

Deadline for PGWP applications

Information Centre

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