Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

After finishing their post-secondary education in Canada, an international student becomes eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. It is an open work permit, and it allows the holder to work for any employer in any job with little or no restrictions. A post-graduation work permit allows an eligible international student to work without confirmation of a job offer or a positive Labor Market Impact Assessment.

An international student becomes eligible to get a post-graduation work permit immediately after they finish their study program. It is vital for a person looking to obtain PGWP to choose a school or program wisely to ensure they qualify for the permit after graduation.

Eligibility criteria

An international student can only qualify for a post-graduation work permit if:

• Their study mode was full-time for at least 240 days (8 months) preceding the finishing of their studies in Canada.
• Graduated from:

• CEGEP, college or university (a public post-secondary Designated Learning Institution)
• A post-secondary learning institution that is private but receives half of its financial funding from the Canadian government and operates under the same regulations as public DLIs
• The private academic institution with the full authorization by territorial or provincial laws to confer degrees
• Have finished and excelled in their studies, and their school has notified them in writing that they can now pick their diploma, degree, or certificate.
• They apply for a post-graduate work permit while still having a valid permit to be in Canada. You can’t apply for a post-graduation work permit if you have lost your status; otherwise, you need to apply for restoration of your status before requesting a PGWP.

If you’re a potential post-graduation work permit applicant, you must note that:

• A study program that makes you eligible for the permit is one lasting for at least two years. If your course is a more than two-year study program, it qualifies you for a 3-year work permit. However, if you are pursuing a course that lasts for more than eight months but less than two years, you may still qualify for an open work permit that is valid for the duration of your study. in case you’re a foreign student who has completed a one-year diploma or degree program in Canada from an institution with proper accreditation within two years of completing a previous diploma or degree from an equally accredited post-secondary DLI, you may be eligible for a 3-year OWP.
• Although an international student must have been on a full-time study program in at least eight months preceding the application for PGWP, there may be some exceptions. If the full-time study is the only requirement that the applicant did not meet, the person can still qualify for the open work permit under some special circumstances. For example, if there are only two courses are remaining for the applicant to finish their studies, for a person whose previous mode of study was full time, the person may still qualify for a PGWP.

Not all study programs or learning institutions are eligible for a Post-graduation work permit. Thus, an international student looking to work in Canada needs to choose a school or study course that allows such work.

Besides, it would be best to ensure your student visa application is successful before choosing a PGWP eligible school or course in Canada. If your Visa application is refused, you won’t enter Canada. Contact us for help with preparing and submitting an application for a student visa to ensure you enter Canada legally and pursue your academic and career dreams.

You can click here to determine whether your designated learning institution (DLI) offers programs that will qualify you for a PGWP.