Post Study Work

Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) Canada

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows international students who have graduated from Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) to get a valid open job permit and gain work experience in Canada. Furthermore, skilled Canadian job experience earned through the PGWPP in National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill type A or B helps graduates become eligible for permanent residence in Canada. Students who earn Canadian work experience qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian experience class within Express Entry.

Obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP Canada) while studying in Canada is highly dependent on your course and its duration. Usually, a work permit under the PGWP is provided for the duration of the study program. In Canada, the maximum length of the PGWP is three years. This means that if your post-graduate degree lasts two years, you may be eligible for a three-year PGWP visa. A post-graduation work permit is only valid for the duration of the student’s studies program. To obtain a postgraduate work permit in Canada, the course must last at least eight months.

You are not automatically eligible for a PGWP after graduating from a DLI. A candidate has 180 days after receiving their final grades (or notification of program completion) to apply for a PGWP. Also, make sure your study permit does not expire before you receive your final grades.

The PGWP provides international students who have graduated from a participating post-secondary college or university with the opportunity to earn Canadian work experience. In the long run, PGWP job experience in Canada helps international graduates apply for PR (permanent residency) in Canada via Express Entry.

Eligibility Criteria for PGWP Canada

If you are inside Canada, you are eligible if:

• You have up to 180 days from the date of course completion to apply for a PGWP Canada. You need to prove this with the help of your degree/diploma/transcript/official letter from the school. Furthermore, your Canada student visa must be valid for the entire 180-day period.
• You’re in-person classes were changed to online mode
• Your program has in-person and online modes, both.
• Your studies were put on hold, or you had to study part-time, during the winter, spring or summer 2020 semesters.
• Please note that in order to be eligible for PGWP Canada, you must be enrolled in a full-time course as of Fall 2020 semester.

If you are outside Canada, you are eligible if:

• Within 180 days of finishing your study, you must apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP Canada). You must submit your degree/diploma/transcript/official letter from your college in your application.
• You must have been enrolled in a program that was in progress in March 2020, or that was started or will start between spring 2020 and summer 2022.
• You must have a study permit.
• Your institute must be a designated learning institution (DLI).
• Your program must be of at least 8 months in duration and must lead to a degree/diploma/certificate.
• You must have a full-time student status

Latest Update for PGWP Canada:

Students must note the following updates about the Post Graduate Work Permit Canada with respect to some academic programmes offered at some DLIs in Quebec:

• If your program is finished before September 1st, 2023, and you apply for a PGWP Canada within 6 months of completion, your PGWP application will be considered under the current criteria.
• If you begin your academic program after September 1, 2023, you will be able to apply for PGWP Canada only if that program is eligible after September 1, 2023.
• If you are currently enrolled in a program that will no longer be eligible for PGWP Canada after September 1st, 2023, your time spent studying in that program before September 1st, 2023, might be counted for your PGWP calculation.

Application Details:

Following are the details of application details for PGWP Canada:

• A fee of CAD 255 is charged (CAD 155 is the base fee, and CAD 100 is ‘Open Work Permit Holder’ fee)
• If you wish to restore your student status and PGWP, you will have to pay CAD 605
• The processing time for online applications is 166 days
• The processing time for paper-based applications is 60 days

Duration of Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) Canada:

If the official length of your program of study is:

• Less than eight months: you are not eligible for the PGWP program
• Less than two years but more than eight months: you will get a work permit for a period equal to your course duration
• Two years or more: you will be granted a work permit for three years
• if you complete more than one academic program, you may be eligible for a PGWP with a duration equal to the total length of all programs. However, both programs must be at least 8 months long, and you must not have received a PGWP based on the first program.

Changes Introduced by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada:

Temporary changes are made for the following groups of students:

• Those who were enrolled in PGWP-eligible programmes and these programmes were in progress in March 2020
• Those who started their PGWP-eligible programs between March 2020 and 31 August 2022

Note: Those who enrolled themselves after 31 August 2022, are covered under the ambit of these changes.

The following are the changes:

Note: Students must note the following points:

• These programmes must be eligible for PGWP Canada,
• Any time spent outside of Canada after 31 August 2023, will be deducted from the length of the PGWP.

Can I get PR after 2 years work permit in Canada?

In the three years before application, one must have at least 12 months of full-time or an equal amount of part-time skilled job experience in Canada. Furthermore, for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level, one must fulfil or surpass language levels (CLB 7 for TEER Category 0 or 1 occupations and CLB 5 for NOC TEER Category 2 or 3 occupations).

PGWP Canada FAQs

• Q. Will accelerated studies affect the duration of post graduate work permit in Canada?
  Students must note that the post study work visa in Canada is assessed on the basis of the length of the programme. For instance, if your programme is of 1 year in duration, but you have completed it in an accelerated mode in 9 months; in such a scenario, you may be eligible for a post study work visa that is valid for 1 year. Hence, even if you are completing your programme in accelerated mode, your PGWP application will be assessed based on the original length of the programme.
• Q. Am I eligible for a work permit after study in Canada if I have done my course in distance learning mode?
  Students who complete their programmes in distance learning mode are not eligible for a post study work permit in Canada. If you have completed more than 50% of your course by distance learning, you will not be eligible for a post graduate work permit in Canada. However, if your course has a distance learning component, which is less than 50% of the total course duration/ credits, then you may be eligible for a PGWP Canada. However, the validity of a post-graduate work permit will be based on the duration of the programme and credits earned in the distance and regular modes.
• Q. What is the application fee for post graduate work permit in Canada?
  In order to apply for PGWP Canada, students need to pay CAD 255 as an application fee. Moreover, if they wish to restore their student status and apply for PGWP, they need to pay CAD 605.
• Q. What is the processing time for PGWP Canada?
  Processing time for PGWP Canada is 166 days in the case of online applications and 60 days in the case of paper-based applications.
• Q. What is the validity of post study work visa in Canada?
  Length of PGWP Canada depends on the length of your academic programme. Your programme must be of at least 8 months in duration. Students must note the following points:
• If your programme is between 8 months and 2 years, then PGWP will be valid for a duration that will be equal to the duration of the programme.
• If your programme is of 2 years or more in duration, then PGWP may be valid for 3 years.
• If you have completed more than 1 programme, then both of them must be eligible for PGWP and must be at least 8 months in length. In such a scenario, the lengths of the programmes can be combined.