Post-Graduate Work Permit

Many international students who have completed their studies in Canada from Designated learning institutes are eligible to apply for an open work permit known as the Post-graduate work permit.

This post-graduate work permit allows the students to work for a Canadian employer and gain Canadian experience with any Canadian employer. This Canadian experience may help support their application to become a permanent resident of Canada

To be eligible for a post-graduate student permit, the international student must show the following:

Be 18 or older at the time of the application
Studied full-time and continuously in Canada in a study program at least eight months long
Received a document from their respective school that confirms they completed and passed all the program requirement
Applied for work permit within 90 days of the issuing of the letter that confirms they completed and passed all the program requirement
Have a valid study permit at the time of the application

Graduated from:

A public post-secondary school, such as a college, trade/technical school or university, or CEGEP in Quebec or
A private post-secondary school that operates under the same rules as public schools (currently applies only to certain private post-secondary institutions in Quebec) or
A private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, leading to a diplôme d’études professionnelles(DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) or
A Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate degree) that is authorized by the province

You are not eligible to apply for a Post-graduate work permit if:

Studied in a program that wasless than 8 months
Studied for more than eight months but with breaks (Example, if you take a semester off)
Received any award or scholarship program funded by GAC
Took part in Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile, Canada-Chile Scholars Exchange Program or Organization of American States Fellowships Program
Studied through a distance learning programs either from abroad or within Canada
Already had a post graduate work permit following any other program of study(PGWP is once in a lifetime work permit)

The Work permit under this category may be issued for the minimum length of the international student’s study program, for a maximum of 3 years.