As of November 1, 2024, all PGWP applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English of (i) CLB 7 for university graduates and (ii) CLB 5 for college graduates.
Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a PGWP of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage. Details have not been released as of yet.
You might be eligible for a 3-year temporary Work Permit after you graduate. There are strict and precise eligibility rules that you have to satisfy to. This article will go through all the eligibility requirements, but also through the application procedure.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Overview
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Eligibility
To be eligible to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), you need to:
- present your application maximum 180 days after you officially finished your program,
- have graduated from a PGWP-eligible program at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI),
- be in possession of an official school document confirming you finished your study program (degree or diploma, transcript or an official letter from your school),
- have been a full-time student on a continuous basis (see exceptions in Special Cases section below),
- If you graduated in Canada:
- have a Study Permit that has been valid within the last 180 days,
- have a valid visitor record, and
- submitted an application to extend your study permit or extend your visitor record in Canada before your Study Permit, expired and no decision has been made on your application.
- If you graduated outside Canada:
- 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,
- 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).
Institution and program eligibility:
- Public post-secondary designated learning institution, such as a college, a trade/technical institution or a university
- Minimum program length: 8 months
- Program outcome:
- an attestation of college studies (ACS)
- a diploma of college studies (DCS)
- a degree (associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate)
- a diploma or a certificate
- Quebec public secondary DLI offering vocational training programs
- Minimum program length: 900 hours
- Program outcome:
- a diploma of vocational studies (DVS)
- an attestation of vocational specialization (AVS)
- Quebec collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP)
- Minimum program length: 900 hours
- Program outcome:
- an attestation of college studies (ACS)
- a diploma of college studies (DCS)
- Quebec provincially-subsidized private post-secondary DLI or Quebec provincially subsidized private secondary DLI offering provincially subsidized vocational training programs
- Minimum program length: 900 hours
- Program outcome:
- an attestation of college studies (ACS)
- a diploma of college studies (DCS)
- Canadian private designated learning institution authorized by province to confer degrees
- Minimum program length: n/a
- Program outcome: The DLI must be authorized by the province to confer degrees including
- an associate degree
- a bachelor’s degree
- a master’s degree or
- a doctorate
Before applying to any institution, you should check if the school and program of study will make you eligible to a PGWP. You can send the school an e-mail or call them to check if their program and the school is eligible.
You can check this page to see if a school offers PGWP-eligible programs. Keep in mind that if a school offers PGWP-eligible programs, it does not mean that ALL programs they offer are PGWP-eligible.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Special Cases (Exceptions to Eligibility)
Accelerated programs
If you finish your academic program in a duration shorter than the standard length, you could qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) that extends for the entire duration of your program.
For a program of study that is supposed to be finished in 8 months, but is completed in 6 months: you might still be eligible for an 8-month PGWP.
Transfers between schools
In case of a transfer between schools, you have to keep in mind that only time studying in a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) will be taken into account. If both schools are DLIs, time spent studying in both schools will be taken into account.
Part-time study and authorized leave
You can still be eligible to apply for the PGWP if :
- You studied part-time only during the last academic session of your program of study.
- You had to stop studying or changing to part-time studies between March 2020 and the fall semester in 2020 for reasons related to COVID-19.
- You took a leave from your study program of 150 days of less and that was authorized by your Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
Overseas component of study program
If your educational program includes an international component (exchange program for example), you may qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) provided you receive academic credits from your Designated Learning Institution (DLI) for this component. The validity of the PGWP will be limited to the duration of your studies in Canada.
Flight schools
To be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) as a flight school graduate, you must meet one of the additional following requirements:
- Completing a flight training course at a DLI training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot’s license or
- Having or are in the process of getting an instructor’s rating and a job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre.
Quebec graduates of vocational and technical training programs
To be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) as a Quebec graduate of vocational and technical training programs, your program must be 900 hours or longer and lead to one of the following:
- Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) (Diploma in Vocational Studies)
- Attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) (Attestation of Vocational Specialization)
- Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) (Diploma in College Studies)
- Attestation d’études collégiales (AEC) (Attestation of College Studies)
Additionally, degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate), diplomas, and attestations must be issued by the Gouvernement du Québec.
Distance learning
Distance learning outside of Canada
Due to a temporary measure related to COVID-19, you had the opportunity to complete your entire studies online from outside of Canada between March 2020 and August 31, 2022. You may have been eligible for this temporary measure if you were outside of Canada and did not travel to Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic but were still able to attend online classes, and if you started your study program between March 2020 and August 31, 2022, or your program was already in progress in March 2020.
If the earliest date between the date (i) you started your study program or (ii) the date on your Study Permit application receipt, is:
- between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2024:
- You must complete at least 50% of your program in Canada (online or in class).
- The time spent studying online outside of Canada before August 31, 2024, will count towards the validity period of your PGWP, provided it represents less than 50% of the duration of your study program.
- September 1, 2024, or later:
- You must complete at least 50% of your program in class in Canada.
- The time spent studying outside of Canada will be deducted from the validity period of your PGWP.
Distance learning in Canada
If your courses were moved online due to the pandemic, the time you spent studying online in Canada until August 31, 2024 may be considered in calculating the validity period of your PGWP.
Master's degree graduates
If you have graduated from a master’s degree, you can be eligible for a 3-year PGWP as long as the program is 8 months minimum (and meet all other eligibility criteria).
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Ineligibility
There are some cases where you will not be eligible for the Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP):
- For inside Canada graduates – You have a study permit that expired more than 180 days before you applied.
- For outside Canada graduates – You do not have a port of entry letter of introduction that shows you have been approved for a study permit.
- You already received a PGWP.
- You studied English or French as a second language or took general interest or self-improvement courses.
- You took part in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
- You received funding from GAC.
- You took part in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile.
- You took part in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program.
- You took part in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program.
- You completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada.
- You completed the majority of your study program through distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence), except if you could only study online from outside Canada because of COVID-19 (see special cases above).
- You completed a course or program of study at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) that is not PGWP-eligible. This includes programs delivered on behalf of a PGWP-eligible DLI through a curriculum licensing agreement, except the following:
- Curriculum licensing agreements within the same province: If you began a program of study at a private college being delivered on behalf of a public college in the same province before May 15, 2024, you may be eligible for a PGWP.
- Curriculum licensing agreements between provinces: If you began a program of study at a private college being delivered on behalf of a public college in another province on or before January 31, 2023, you may be eligible for a PGWP.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Validity Period
Depending on the duration of your program of study, the duration of the Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) can be valid from eight months to three years. The permit will be valid:
- for the same duration as that of your study program, as long as it is longer than eight months and shorter than two years, or
- for three years if the study program was for at least two years or if it was a master’s degree.
You may be able to get a PGWP with a duration that combines the length of two of more programs (maximum 3 years for the PGWP), as long as each program is PGWP-eligible and at least 8 months (or 900 hours for Quebec credentials) in length.
The duration of the PGWP issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cannot exceed the validity period of your passport. Ensure that your passport is valid for the entire duration of your PGWP.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – When to Apply
You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
It is recommended to apply for the PGWP as soon as possible for two important reasons:
- To obtain maintained or implied status and work authorization during the PGWP processing:
- Your Study Permit expires on the date indicated on the permit or 90 days after the completion of your studies, whichever comes first.
- By applying for the PGWP before the expiry of your Study Permit, you can maintain your status in Canada and obtain work authorization while the PGWP is being processed.
- To have the option for a re-submission in case of refusal:
- In the event of a refusal of your initial PGWP application, you are still subject to the 180-day window following your graduation to submit a new PGWP application.
- Considering the extended processing times for the PGWP, delaying your initial application might result in a decision beyond the 180-day deadline, making you ineligible for a new PGWP application.
- Receiving an initial refusal within the 180-day window allows you to retain the option of submitting a new application if you continue to meet all PGWP requirements.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – How to Apply
As of June 21, 2024, you can no longer apply for a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) at a port of entry (airport, land or marine border) when entering Canada.
Inside Canada:
In most cases, if you want to apply for a PGWP from inside Canada, you will need to apply online.
You must have a debit/credit card to pay the fees and a camera/scanner to make electronic copies of your documents.
The two exceptions to applying online are the following:
- You have a disability that makes it difficult to apply online.
- There is a barrier that prevents you from applying online or makes applying online unreliable.
In those exceptional cases, you can apply on paper.
Outside Canada:
If you want to apply for a PGWP from outside Canada, you can apply either online or on paper. It is highly recommended to apply online, as processing times are always quicker than when applying on paper.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Working after Submission
You have the opportunity to work full-time until Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes a decision on your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) application in the following situations:
- You have or had a valid Study Permit at the time of submitting your application.
- You have completed your study program.
- You were authorized to work off-campus without holding a work permit during your studies and did not exceed the allowed number of hours.
If your PGWP application is refused, you must stop working on the day IRCC notifies you of the refusal.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Leaving Canada after Submission
If you submit your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) application and decide to leave Canada, you must ensure that you have the necessary authorizations to be granted entry to Canada again, such as a valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or a valid Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
For example, IRCC does not issue a TRV with the approval of a PGWP application within Canada. You will need to submit a separate TRV application and pay the associated fees.
Regarding the right to work upon your return to Canada after submitting a PGWP application, you can still work full-time upon your return to Canada while waiting for a decision by IRCC on your PGWP.
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Application Fees
Post-Graduation Work Permit – Processing Times
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has a target service standard of processing 80% of work permit extension applications submitted inside Canada within 120 days.
From April 2022 to March 2023, IRCC processed 30% of applications within the 120-day standard.
You can check the current average processing times for a Post-Graduate Work Permit here. You need to select “Temporary residence (visiting, studying, working)”, then “Work permit from inside Canada (initial and extension)”.
