After you graduate from your program of studies, you may be able to work temporarily or even live permanently in Canada.
After you graduate from your program of studies, you may be able to work temporarily or even live permanently in Canada.
About the process
You may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you graduated from a designated learning institution (DLI) and want to stay in Canada temporarily to work.
Not all DLIs make you eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
How long is a post-graduation work permit valid?
How long your PGWP is valid for depends on the length of your study program. If your program was:
- less than 8 months
- you aren’t eligible for a PGWP
- more than 8 months but less than 2 years
- your PGWP may be valid for up to the same length as your study program (for example, if you completed a 9-month program, a work permit may be issued for up to 9 months)
- 2 years or more
- a PGWP may be issued for 3 years
If you completed more than one program, you may be able to get a PGWP that combines the length of each program. For this, 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.
Who can apply
Eligibility
You have 180 days after your school issues your final marks to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).
To be eligible, your study permit must have been valid at some point during these 180 days.
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 (except your final semester, which can be part-time, or if you took a leave from studies)
graduated from a:
public post-secondary school, such as a college, trade/technical school, university, or CEGEP (in Quebec), or
private post-secondary school (in Quebec) that operates under the same rules as public schools in Quebec, or
private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, that leads to a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP), or
Canadian private school that can award degrees under provincial law (for example, Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree) but only if you’re enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province
If your passport expires before your PGWP should
Make sure your passport is valid for the entire length of time you should be eligible for. If your passport expires earlier:
we’ll only issue you a PGWP that’s valid until your passport expires
we’ll tell you if you need to extend it to get the full validity
You can only extend a PGWP if we tell you to. If this happens, you have to apply on paper to extend your PGWP so that it’ll be valid for the full length it should be.
You aren’t eligible for a PGWP if you:
already received a post-graduation work permit
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 (GAC)
had funding from GAC
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 majority of a study program by distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence)
completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada
Special cases
If you’re in any of these groups, you may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
Accelerated programs
If you complete your study program in less time than the normal length of the program, you may be eligible for a PGWP valid for the full length of your program. For example, if you complete a 1 year study program in 8 months, you may be able to get a PGWP valid for 1 year.
Distance learning
If distance learning makes up less than 50% of your study program, you may be eligible for a PGWP. The length of the PGWP would match the length of your program, including both in-class and distance courses. Any distance courses completed outside Canada won’t be included in the length of the PGWP.
If distance learning makes up more than 50% of your study program, you aren’t eligible for a PGWP.
Leave from studies
You may not be eligible for a PGWP if:
you take an unauthorized leave from your study program, and
we find you didn’t meet the conditions of your study permit by taking this leave.
There are a few cases where you may be able to take an authorized leave of up to 150 days from your study program and still meet the conditions of your study permit. If your leave is authorized, you may still be eligible for a PGWP. Find out what counts as an authorized leave from your studies.
Transfers between schools
If you transferred between designated learning institutions (DLIs), the combined length of your studies must be at least 8 months to be eligible.
If you transferred from a school that is not a DLI to one that is, only the time studying at the DLI will be counted. The length of the time spent at the DLI must be at least 8 months to be eligible.
Canadian study programs with an overseas component
If your study program has an overseas component, you may be eligible for a PGWP as long as you earn a credit from a Canadian school for it. The PGWP will only be valid for the length of the time you studied in Canada.
Flight school graduates
To be eligible for a PGWP, a flight school graduate must meet all the eligibility above, and one of the following:
have completed a flight training course at a DLI training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot’s license or
have or be in the process of getting an instructor’s rating and a job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre.
Graduates of certain Quebec schools
Quebec graduates of vocational and professional training programs must meet these conditions:
Institution
You must have graduated from a recognized:
public secondary school
private secondary school or a
private post-secondary school.
Learn about recognized schools in Quebec.
Degrees, diplomas and certificates
To be eligible, degrees, diplomas and certificates must be issued by the Quebec government. These include:
From public or private secondary schools
Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) (Diploma in Vocational Studies)
Attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) (Attestation of Vocational Specialization)
From private post-secondary schools
Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) (Diploma in College Studies)
Attestation d’études collégiales (AEC) (Attestation of College Studies)
Program length
The program you attended and completed must have been full-time, and for at least eight months if you completed diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) or attestation d’études collégiales (AEC). If you completed a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) it must be at least 900 hours.
Supporting documents
You must include these documents with your PGWP application:
the certificate or official document that confirms you completed your program, or official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school
an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program (in hours or months) and the program code
How to apply
You can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from inside Canada or overseas, as long as you meet the eligibility.
You have up to 180 days after you receive confirmation from your school that you’ve completed your study program to apply for a work permit. This confirmation could be a degree, diploma, transcript or official letter from your school.
If you plan on staying in Canada and your study permit will expire before you apply for a PGWP, you should change your status to a visitor. You have up to 90 days after your study permit expires to restore your status or you’ll have to leave the country.
Get your documents ready
Before you can apply for a PGWP, you’ll need:
- an official letter from your school that confirms you’ve completed your study program
- an official transcript, or a copy of your transcript from your school’s website
We may request other documents once we receive your application.
You need to give your biometrics
In most cases, you now need to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) after you apply. Find out where biometrics fits in the application process.
You can apply for a PGWP online or on paper.
If you need to extend or change the conditions on your PGWP
You must apply on paper if you’re extending or changing the conditions on your PGWP. You can only extend your PGWP if your passport expired earlier than your PGWP validity should have been. You may need to change the conditions on your PGWP if you need to provide an additional document, like a medical exam, after you already applied.
You can only extend a PGWP if we tell you to.
Why you should apply online
- No courier fees or mail delivery time – we get your application instantly.
- Online applications may be processed more quickly.
- Avoid processing delays. Incomplete applications are returned to you. Applying online helps ensure your application is complete before you submit it.
- If we need to ask for more documents, you can quickly submit them online.
- You don’t need to submit your passport until we ask for it.
- Get updates on the status of your application directly in your online account.
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