Post Graduate Work Permit
Post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) are open work permits given to international students who graduate from a Canadian program of study. PGWPs allow the holder to work for any employer, for as many hours they wish, anywhere in Canada.
PGWPs are valid for between eight months to three years and are a great way to obtain valuable Canadian work experience. Once an applicant has work experience in Canada, it opens a lot of opportunities to obtain Canadian permanent residence.
Who is it for?
Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are for international students who have graduated from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI). PGWPs are open work permits, meaning that they grant foreign nationals the freedom to work for any employer, anywhere in Canada.
Unlike most Canadian work permits, the PGWP does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). PGWPs enable eligible graduates to gain valuable Canadian work experience. With enough work experience in Canada, many foreign nationals become eligible for Canada’s permanent residency programs, including one of the following pathways:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP)
- Quebec Immigration Programs
Who is eligible for PGWP?
In order to be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), a foreign national must be at least 18 years old and have studied full-time in Canada in a program of at least 8 months. The study program must have been completed at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in one of the following types of programs listed below. As well, in order to apply for the work permit, a foreign national must apply within 180 days of the completion of their study program.
If an applicant is applying from within Canada, they must have valid status at the time of application. If their study permit has expired or will expire they may apply for status as a visitor before applying for the PGWP. However, applicants who apply for a PGWP prior to the expiration of their study permit are eligible to begin working full time immediately, while their application is processing. Applicants may apply for a PGWP from overseas.
Eligible Levels Of Study:
Faqs
A PGWP can take anywhere from 80 to 180 days to process. While waiting for your PGWP, you are free to work in Canada provided you applied prior to the expiry date of your student permit.
You have 180 days to apply for your PGWP from the date you completed all the requirements of your program of study.
If you leave Canada after your studies have been completed, you can now apply for a PGWP from overseas. Previously post-graduate work permit applications needed to be submitted exclusively from within Canada. If a PGWP application is submitted from outside of Canada, additional documentation may be requested depending on the visa office that will process the application.
There is nothing about a PGWP that prevents you from applying for another work permit later. You are free to apply for both an LMIA or LMIA exempt permit if you are eligible but it might be worth considering applying for Canadian permanent residence given you already have Canadian work experience.
International graduates who apply for a PGWP before the expiry of their study permit are able to begin legally working in Canada. These candidates do not need to hold a Canadian work permit while they await a decision on their application for a PGWP. If your student permit has expired, you may be eligible to restore your status and apply, provided you have only been out of status for less than 90 days.
You can only apply for a PGWP once. If you are planning on taking another program of study that is a continuation of your first program, or you are considering taking a longer degree program in Canada, you might want to apply for your PGWP strategically. Applying after the longest period of study will grant you a PGWP with longer validity, to a maximum of three years.
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