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Post Graduate Work Permit

First of all Congratulations on completing one of the major milestones in your life by completing your studies. Now if you have graduated from an eligible Canadian designated learning institute (DLI) and want to stay in Canada temporarily to work, you would be eligible for post-graduate work permit (PGWP).

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The validity of your post-graduation work permit (PGWP) is determined by the length of your study program in Canada.

  • If your program was less than 8 months in duration, you are not eligible for a PGWP.

  • If your program was at least 8 months but less than 2 years, you may be eligible for a PGWP that is valid for the same length of time as your study program. For example, if you completed a 9-month program, you may be granted a work permit valid for up to 9 months.

  • If your program was 2 years or more in duration, you may be eligible for a PGWP valid for 3 years.

  • If you have completed more than one program of study, you may be able to get a PGWP that combines the length of each program, provided that each program is PGWP eligible and at least 8 months in length.

 

It is important to note that you are not eligible for a PGWP if you have already had one after completing an earlier program of study.

Eligibility

You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from within Canada, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements, such as:

  • must confirm that you attended and completed your program, and

  • provide the name and length of your program by submitting your degree or diploma, transcript, or an official letter from your school.

  • one of the below criteria is applicable to you:

    • have a valid study permit or was valid within the last 180 days​, 

    • have a valid visitor record,

    • have submitted an application to extend or change your study permit before it expired and a decision has not yet been made

    • have submitted an application to change your status to a visitor before your study permit expired and no decision has been made on your application

  • have completed a study program at a designated learning institution that was at least 8 months long, led to a degree, diploma, or certificate,

  • maintained full-time student status in Canada during each semester of your program.

    • If you had to stop studying or switch to part-time studies between March 2020 and the fall semester of 2020 due to COVID-19, you may still be eligible for a PGWP.

  • must have graduated from a public post-secondary institution, a private post-secondary institution in Quebec, a private or public secondary or post-secondary institution in Quebec that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer that lead to a diploma of vocational studies (DVS) or an attestation of vocational specialization (AVS), or a Canadian private institution authorized to award degrees under provincial law (for example, an Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree) if you are enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province.

 

​NOTE: not all programs of study offered by private institutions may qualify for PGWP.

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If your study permit expires before you receive your marks, you have two options:

  1. apply for a visitor record to extend your stay in Canada

  2. leave the country and apply for your PGWP.

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If you choose to stay in Canada and let your permit expire, you will need to apply to restore your status as a student in order to apply for your PGWP, which will require additional fees.

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