Post-Graduation Work Permit

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• Work part-time
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Post-graduation work permit validity

IRCC issues a post-graduation work permit based on the length of your study program, from a minimum of 8 months up to 3 years.

IRCC determines the work permit duration based on your study program length in Canada. You must support this with documents. Scheduled breaks (such as winter and summer breaks) count toward the total length of your post-graduation work permit.

The duration of the post-graduation work permit

The legality time of the post-graduation work permit might not go further than the candidate’s passport legitimacy date. If your passport expires before your work permit period ends, an officer will record this in the Global Case Management System. The post-graduation work permit candidate then must submit an application for a work permit extension upon the renewal of their passport to obtain the full legitimacy of their post-graduation work permit.

IRCC can only extend a post-graduation work permit if passport expiry prevented it from issuing the full duration at the time of application.

Accelerated studies

If a student concludes their studies in less time than the usual length of the program (that is, they have accelerated their studies), the post-graduation work permit must be evaluated on the length of the program of study.

For instance, if the student is enrolled in a program of study that is usually 1 year, but the student fulfills the obligations for the program of study within 8 months, they may be qualified for a post-graduation work permit that is valid for 1 year.

Distance learning

Distance learning can be deemed as online learning. Students who completed a program of study entirely by distance learning (outside or within Canada) are not qualified for a post-graduation work permit.

These are the guidelines in assessing a candidate’s post-graduation work permit admissibility when the candidate has taken distance learning in Canada at a qualified DLI:

• If more than 50% of your courses are distance learning, IRCC classifies the program as a distance-learning program. In this case, you do not qualify for a PGWPP.
• If you complete less than 50% of your program’s courses by distance learning, you may qualify for a post-graduation work permit. The permit length is based on your full program length, as confirmed by the DLI, combining both in-class and distance-learning credits.

Making an application

You must apply for a work permit within 180 days of receiving written confirmation of program completion. This confirmation can be an official letter or transcript from your institution. The 180-day window starts on the day your final marks are released or the day you receive written confirmation of graduation — whichever comes first. You must provide evidence of the date you received your transcript..

The candidate can submit an application for a post-graduation work permit from inside Canada if their study permit is still legitimate. If your study permit has expired and you wish to stay in Canada, apply for visitor status before it ends.

Previous international studentswho switch to visitor status before their study permit expires can still apply for a PGWPP. This applies while they await their graduation notification..

Work authorization after submitting a post-graduation work permit application

Graduates who apply for a PGWPP before their study permit expires may continue working under their study permit conditions. They can do so while awaiting a decision on their work permit application. if all of the following apply:

• They are or were the holders of a legitimate study permit at the time of the post-graduation work permit application.
• You complete the program of study.
• They meet the off-campus work requirements — they were a full-time student enrolled at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational, or professional training program of at least 6 months that led to a degree, diploma, or certificate.
• If they did not exceed the permissible hours of work

Candidates must stop working as soon as IRCC denies their work permit application.

Spouses and common-law partners of post-graduation work permit holders

Spouses and common-law partners of post-graduation work permit holders could be qualified to apply for an open work permit

Qualified institutions

You must prove that you completed your program at a qualified Canadian designated learning institution (DLI):

• A public post-secondary institution, such as
  • A college
  • A trade or technical school
  • A university
  • CEGEP (in Quebec)
• A private post-secondary institution that works under the same rules and regulations as public institutions in Quebec
• A private secondary or post-secondary institution in Quebec presenting succeeding programs of 900 hours or longer leading to
  • A diploma of vocational studies (DVS)
  • An attestation of vocational specialization (AVS)
• A Canadian private institution that a provincial decree authorizes to confer degrees (associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral) — but only if you enrol in a degree-granting program. However only if the province approves the program and the student enrols in it which might not comprise all programs of a study presented by the private institution

Eligible candidates of Post-Graduation Work Permit Program in Canada

Candidates who have graduated from Quebec vocational institutions with a DVS or AVS should satisfy all of the subsequent conditions:

• That they are 18 years or older at the moment of the application.
• A completed a full-time vocational or professional training program at an eligible institution in Quebec.
• They should have been in a program of study that was a minimum of 900 hours (comparable to 8 months).
• They should have presented an official letter from the institution summarizing the length of the program of study (in hours or months) to expedite the administering and issuance of the post-graduation work permit and to guarantee the precise length of work authorization.
• They should contain one of the subsequent in the work permit application:
  • The credential
  • An official attestation of program completion
  • An official transcript from a Quebec school board or private institution recognized by the MEES in support of the work permit application

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