Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)
Work permits issued under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allow international students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Students may work in Canada for up to three years after graduation.
ELIGIBILITY: Inside Canada graduates
- 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 Institutes 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 doesn’t 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 PhD 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.
WHO'S NOT ELIGIBLE? (INSIDE CANADA GRADUATES)
- Have a study permit that expired more than 180 days before you applied
- Have received your 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're still eligible for a PGWP.
- Got the Equal Opportunity scholarship, Canada-Chile
- Participated in the Canada-China Scholar's 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
Eligibility: Outside Canada Graduates
You can apply for a PGWP from outside Canada as long as you’re eligible and you’ve been approved for a study permit. You don’t have to have held a valid study permit at any point during your online studies from outside Canada.
You have up to 180 days to apply for PGWP after you get your
- Degree or diploma
- Transcript or
- 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.
- Completed a study program
- At a Designated Learning Institutes 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 doesn’t 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 PhD 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 IRCC received your study permit applicationcounts towards the length of your PGWP.
Who's not eligible? (Outside Canada Graduates)
- Only received first stage approval, but don’t have a final decision on your application
- You must have a port of entry letter letter of introduction that shows you’ve been approved for a study permit.
- Have received your PGWP
- Studied English or French as a second language
- Took general interest or self-improvement courses
- Participated in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program funded by Global Affairs Canada
- Had funding from Global Affairs Canada
- Note: If you got a Study in Canada Scholarship, you're 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
You can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from inside Canada or from another country, as long as you’re eligible.
In most cases, you must apply online. You must apply on paper if you’re extending or changing the conditions of your PGWP. You can only extend your PGWP if your passport expired before your PGWP’s validity period.
FEE AND PROCESSING TIME
Fees: $255 CAD
Processing time:
- Online: 123 days
- Paper: 123 days
