Stay and work in Canada under Post-Graduation Work Permit

If you graduated from a designated learning institution (DLI) and want to stay in Canada temporarily to work, you may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

Just only students graduate from a DLI may be eligible for a PGWP.

1. Inside Canada graduates

Stay and work in Canada under Post-Graduation Work Permit

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’re 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. 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 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.

Eligibility requirements to apply Post-Graduation Work Permit

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 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.

Exceptions to the eligibility requirements

You aren’t 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’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)
  • completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada

2. Outside Canada graduates

You can apply for a PGWP from outside Canada

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 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 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

Eligibility requirements to apply for Post-Graduation Work Permit

You can apply for a PGWP if you

  • were enrolled in a program that was in progress in March 2020 or
  • started 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 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 we 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’ve 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’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

3. If your course included online studies, how to count toward a PGWP?

Studies outside Canada

All of the time you spent studying online at a PGWP-eligible DLI from outside Canada between March 2020 and August 31, 2022, counts toward the length of a PGWP.

Until August 31, 2023, if you’re completing 2 study programs, you can finish 100% of your studies online from outside Canada if

  • the programs were ongoing in March 2020 or started between March 2020 and August 31, 2022
  • both study programs are with a PGWP-eligible DLI and are completed within 2 years
  • each program meets all PGWP eligibility requirements and is at least 8 months long

The following time won’t count toward the length of a PGWP:

  • time spent studying outside of Canada after August 31, 2023
  • time spent studying before you applied for a study permit

Studies inside Canada

Until August 31, 2023, the time you spend studying online from within Canada still counts toward the length of your PGWP.

Starting September 1, 2023, you must complete 50% of your program in-class in Canada.

4. The validity of your PGWP

The validity of your PGWP depends on the length of your study program

The validity of your PGWP depends on the length of your study program.

  • You aren’t eligible for a PGWP, if your program was less than 8 months
  • If your program was at least 8 months, but less than 2 years

You may be given a PGWP that’s valid for up to the same length as your study program.

  • If you completed a 9-month program, you may get a work permit for up to 9 months
  • If your program was 2 years or more, you may be given a PGWP that’s valid for 3 years
  • If you completed more than 1 program, you may be able to get a PGWP that combines the length of each program.

Each of the programs you completed must be

  • PGWP-eligible and
  • at least 8 months in length

You can’t get a PGWP if you already had one after completing an earlier program of study.

The validity of your passport:

Make sure your passport is valid for the entire length of time you should be eligible for. If your passport expires earlier

  • your PGWP may valid until your passport expires
  • you should extend your passport to get the full validity

You can also extend your PGWP so that it’ll be valid for the full length it should be.

If your PGWP has expired or will expire soon, you may be eligible for an open work permit of up to 18 months under a new public policy. 

5. Government fees and Processing time

Government fees:

  • Apply online for a PGWP: $255 CAN
  • Restoration of student status and PGWP: $605 CAN

Processing time:

  • Online: 169 days
  • Paper: 83 days 

Processing times might vary based on:

  • Type of application submitted;
  • Volume of applications received;
  • How easily to verify information;
  • How well and how quickly you respond to any requests or concerns;
  • Whether the application is complete.

6. Spouses or common-law partners

If your application is approved for a post-graduation work permit, your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit

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