You have studied in Canada, and maybe you even have Canadian work experience. Now, you would like to live here permanently. The IRCC has options for you to become a permanent resident!

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows students who have graduated from eligible Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) to obtain an open work permit to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Skilled Canadian work experience in National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill level A or B that is gained through the PGWPP helps graduates qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian experience class within Express Entry.

Eligibility criteria

• Inside Canada graduates

Changes to the post-graduation work permit Starting September 1, 2023, eligibility criteria will change for certain programs at
some designated learning institutions (DLIs) in Quebec.

Before you enrol, make sure you check the Details page for your DLI in the list of DLIs by province or territory

You can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from inside Canada as long as you are eligible.

You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a PGWP. When you apply, you must confirm the following:

• that you attended and completed your program
• the name of your program and
• the length of your program

You can confirm these by submitting any of the following:

• your degree or diploma
• your transcript or
• an official letter from your school

To be eligible, your study permit must have been valid at some point during these 180 days.

Do not let your status expire while you wait for your marks

If your study permit will expire before you get your marks, you have two options. You can

• apply for a visitor record to stay in Canada longer or
• leave Canada and apply for your PGWP

If you stay in Canada and let your permit expire, you must apply to restore your status as a student to apply for your PGWP. To restore your status, you must pay additional fees.

You can apply for a PGWP if

• your study permit has been valid within the last 180 days
• you have a valid visitor record
• you submitted an application to extend your study permit before it expired and no decision has been made on your application
• you submitted an application to change your status to visitor before your study permit expired and no decision has been made on your application

You must also have

• completed a study program
  • at a designated learning institution
  • that was at least 8 months long and
  • that led to a degree, diploma or certificate
• maintained full-time status as a student in Canada during each semester of your study program
  • This does not include your final semester, which can be part-time, or if you took an approved leave from your studies.
  • If you had to stop studying or change to part-time studies between March 2020 and the fall semester in 2020 because of reasons related to COVID-19, you may still be eligible for a PGWP.
• graduated from one of the following:
  • a public post-secondary institution, such as a college, trade/technical institution, university or CEGEP (in Quebec)
  • a private post-secondary institution in Quebec that operates under the same rules as public institutions in Quebec
  • a private or public secondary or post-secondary institution (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, that leads to a diploma of vocational studies (DVS), or an attestation of vocational specialization (AVS);
    • An AVS can be less than 900 hours if combined with a DVS.
  • a Canadian private institution that is authorized to award degrees under provincial law (for example, an Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. degree), but only if you’re enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province, which may not include all programs of study offered by the private institution.

Exceptions to the eligibility requirements

• You are not eligible for a PGWP if you
• have a study permit that expired more than 180 days before you applied
• already received a PGWP
• studied English or French as a second language
• took general interest or self-improvement courses
• participated in the Government of Canada Awards Program funded by Global Affairs Canada
• had received funding from Global Affairs Canada
  • Note: If you got a Study in Canada scholarship, you are still eligible for a PGWP
• got the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
• participated in the Canada-China Scholars’ Exchanges Program
• participated in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
• completed the major part of a study program through distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence)
• completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada 

Outside Canada graduates

You can apply for a PGWP from outside Canada as long as you are eligible and you have been approved for a study permit. You do not have to have held a valid study permit at any point during your online studies from outside Canada.

You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a PGWP.

When you apply, you must confirm the following:

• that you attended and completed your program
• the name of your program and
• the length of your program

You can confirm these by submitting any of the following:

• your degree or diploma
• your transcript or
• an official letter from your school

You can apply for a PGWP if you

• were enrolled in a program that was in progress in March 2020 or
• started or will start a program between spring 2020 and summer 2022 and
  • you have a study permit or
  • you’ve been approved for a study permit or
  • you applied for a study permit before starting your study program
    • Your study permit must eventually be approved.

and you

• completed a study program
  • at a designated learning institution
  • that was at least 8 months long and
  • which led to a degree, diploma or certificate
• maintained full-time status as a student during each semester of your study program
  • This does not include your final semester, which can be part-time, or if you took an approved leave from your studies.
  • If you had to stop studying or change to part-time studies between March 2020 and the fall semester in 2020 because of reasons related to COVID-19, you may still be eligible for a PGWP.

• graduated from one of the following:
  • a public post-secondary institution, such as a college, trade/technical institution, university or CEGEP (in Quebec)
  • a private post-secondary institution in Quebec that operates under the same rules as public institutions in Quebec
  • a private or public secondary or post-secondary institution (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, that leads to a diploma of vocational studies (DVS), or an attestation of vocational specialization (AVS);
    • An AVS can be less than 900 hours if combined with a DVS.
  • a Canadian private institution that is authorized to award degrees under provincial law (for example, an Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. degree), but only if you’re enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province, which may not include all programs of study offered by the private institution.

Only the time you spent studying outside Canada after the IRCC received your study permit application counts towards the length of your PGWP.

Exceptions to the eligibility requirements 

You aren’t eligible for a PGWP if you

• only received first-stage approval, but don’t have a final decision on your application
  • You must have a port of entry letter of introduction that shows you have been approved for a study permit.

already received a PGWP

• studied English or French as a second language
• took general interest or self-improvement courses
• participated in the Government of Canada Awards Program funded by Global Affairs Canada
• had funding from Global Affairs Canada
  • Note: If you got a Study in Canada scholarship, you are still eligible for a PGWP.
• got the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
• participated in the Canada-China Scholars’ Exchanges Program
• participated in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
• completed the major part of a study program through distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence)
  • Note: You may still be eligible for a PGWP if you could only study online from outside Canada because of COVID-19.
• completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada

How to apply for a post-graduation work permit

You can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from inside

Canada or from another country, as long as you are eligible.

You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a PGWP.

When you apply, you must confirm the following:

• that you attended and completed your program
• the name of your program and
• the length of your program

You can confirm these by submitting any of the following:

• your degree or diploma
• your transcript or
• an official letter from your school

If your study permit will expire before you get your marks, you have 2 options. You can

• apply for a visitor record to stay in Canada longer or
• leave Canada and apply for your PGWP

If your study permit expires before you apply

If you do not change your status to visitor and your study permit expires, you have up to 90 days after your study permit expires to apply for a PGWP and restore your status as a student.

Who can get a work permit as the spouse or common-law partner of a student?

Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit if you:

• have a valid study permit
• are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) and
• are a full-time student at one of these types of schools:
  • a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
  • a private college-level school in Quebec
  • a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate degree) 

Other types of work permits

If you are not eligible for a PGWP, you may still be able to work in Canada after you graduate.

Find out if you are eligible for another type of permit

 For More Information Click Here