Post-graduation work permit (PGWP)

The post-graduation work permit lets students who have graduated from eligible designated learning institutions gain Canadian work experience. Graduating from a designated learning institution does not make you eligible automatically. You must meet every requirement below.

IRCC says you must meet all the eligibility requirements, including:

• Your program was at least 8 months long (or 900 hours for Quebec programs) at a PGWP-eligible institution.
• You studied full time in each semester. Part-time study is allowed in your final semester.
• You apply within 180 days of getting confirmation that you completed your program.
• Your study permit was valid at some point during those 180 days.

You cannot get a PGWP if you have already received one. You are also not eligible if you received Global Affairs Canada funding or a scholarship that requires you to return to your home country after you graduate.

Most applicants must provide language test results, in English or French, in all four abilities. The minimum level depends on your program:

• Bachelor, master, doctoral or other university programs: CLB 7.
• College, polytechnic or other non-university programs: CLB 5.

Applications submitted before 1 November 2024 do not need to meet this requirement, and flight school graduates are exempt.

Graduates of bachelor, master or doctoral degrees have no field of study requirement. For graduates of other university, college, polytechnic or non-university programs, you must have studied in an eligible field if you submitted your study permit application on or after 1 November 2024. This rule does not apply to earlier study permit applications. Check the IRCC list of eligible fields against your program before you apply.

IRCC lists several kinds of study that are not eligible:

• Programs at institutions that are not PGWP-eligible.
• Non-credit programs, except flight school.
• English or French as a second language programs.
• General interest or self-improvement courses.
• Programs with more than 50 percent distance learning.
• Programs at non-Canadian institutions located in Canada.

Programs delivered through curriculum licensing agreements are generally not eligible, with exceptions that depend on when the program began. For distance learning, studying online from outside Canada after 31 August 2024 does not count toward your PGWP, and time you study outside Canada is deducted from the length of the permit.

The length depends on your program and on your passport expiry date, whichever comes first:

• Master programs of at least 8 months can lead to a 3 year PGWP, since 15 February 2024. This does not apply to certificate or diploma programs.
• Other programs of at least 8 months but under 2 years can lead to a permit up to the same length as the program.
• Programs of 2 years or more can lead to a 3 year permit.

If you studied more than one eligible program, you may be able to combine their lengths. A PGWP is valid only for time you studied in Canada.

IRCC says the post-graduation work permit costs CAD $155, and you must also pay the CAD $100 open work permit holder fee, which makes CAD $255. If you need to give biometrics, that is a separate fee of CAD $85 per person on the IRCC fee list.

• Confirm your program and institution are eligible, and that you meet the language and field of study rules.
• Wait for confirmation that you completed your program, and note the date.
• Apply within 180 days.
• Include your language test results and the documents on your IRCC checklist.
• Check the IRCC page for the latest rules on the day you apply.