Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
If eligible, you may be issued a 3-year work permit following graduation
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You might be eligible for a 3-year temporary Work Permit after you graduate. There are strict and precise eligibility rules that you have to satisfy to. This article will go through all the eligibility requirements, but also through the application procedure.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible to a Post-Graduation Work Permit, you need to:
Before applying to any institution, you should check if the school and program of study will make you eligible to a Post-Graduate Work Permit. You can send the school an e-mail or call them to check if their program and the school is eligible.
There are some exceptions and special cases to the eligibility requirements above:
- be 18 years or older when you apply,
- have continuously studied full-time,
- have studied in a program at least eight months long,
- have a document from your school (transcript, official letter,....) that confirms you completed all your program requirements,
- apply within 90 days of when it was confirmed that you completed your program,
- have a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit, and
- have graduated from a:
- public post-secondary school, such as a college, trade/technical school or university, or CEGEP in Quebec, or
- private post-secondary school that operates under the same rules as public schools (only applies for Quebec), or
- 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
- Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate degree), only if you are to be awarded one of those degrees.
Before applying to any institution, you should check if the school and program of study will make you eligible to a Post-Graduate Work Permit. You can send the school an e-mail or call them to check if their program and the school is eligible.
There are some exceptions and special cases to the eligibility requirements above:
Accelerated programs
If you were enrolled in a study program that is normally eight months long but you finished in six months, you may be eligible.
Transfers between schools
- If you transferred between Designated Learning Institutions, the combined length of your studies must have been at least eight months to be eligible.
- If you transfer from a school that is not a Designated Learning Institution to one that is, only the time studying at the Designated Learning Institution will be counted.
Part-time study
You can still be eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit if you studied part-time only during your last academic session.
Graduates from vocational or professional training programs in Quebec
Quebec graduates of vocational and professional training programs must meet the following conditions:
Institutions:
You must have graduated from a recognized:
Degrees, diplomas and certificates:
To be eligible, degrees, diplomas and certificates must be issued by the government of Quebec. These include:
Beside the documents required for the Post-Graduate Work Permit, you will need to provide an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program (in hours or months) and the program code.
Institutions:
You must have graduated from a recognized:
- public secondary school,
- private secondary school, or a
- private post-secondary school.
Degrees, diplomas and certificates:
To be eligible, degrees, diplomas and certificates must be issued by the government of Quebec. These include:
- From public or private secondary schools:
- Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) (Diploma in Vocational Studies), or
- Attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) (Attestation of Vocational Specialization)
- From private post-secondary schools:
- Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) (Diploma in College Studies), or
- Attestation d’études collégiales (AEC) (Attestation of College Studies)
Beside the documents required for the Post-Graduate Work Permit, you will need to provide an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program (in hours or months) and the program code.
Flight Instructors
To be eligible, a flight instructor must:
- have completed a flight training course at a Canadian 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 flight training centre.
However, there are some cases where you will not be eligible for a Post-Graduate Work Permit:
Non-Eligibilty List
- You studied in a program that was less than eight months long (except Accelerated Programs above),
- You studied for more than eight months but not continuously (except part-time last semester above),
- You completed a study program by distance learning either from abroad or from within Canada,
- You already had a post-graduation work permit following any other program of study,
- You took part in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC),
- You took part in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by GAC,
- You had funding from GAC,
- You took part in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile,
- You took part in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program, or
- You took part in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
Validity
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Depending on the length of your study program, the duration of the Post-Graduation Work Permit can be valid from eight months to three years. If your program was:
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How to Apply
You can apply either online or on paper:
- If you apply online, you will have to pay the fees online ($255) and print, fill and scan your forms and supporting documents before uploading them on the system. Find out if you are eligible and apply online.
- If you apply on paper, you will have to fill the required forms, annex your supporting documents and fee payment receipt, and send your application by mail to this address.
We would recommend you to apply online, as processing times are always quicker than when applying on paper.
Forms and Supporting Documents
In regards to forms to fill and supporting documents to provide, we invite you to check our dedicated guide on the matter.
Fee Payment
When applying to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, you must pay a $100.00 Open Work Permit Holder fee in addition to the $155.00 work permit processing fee. If you are applying on paper, you can pay your fees ($255) online here.
Processing Times
A Post-Graduate Work Permit application is processed within approximately 60 days if online, and 100 days if on paper.
You can check the processing times here. You need to select "Visiting, studying, working temporarily", then "Work Permit Extension (new employer)".
You can check the processing times here. You need to select "Visiting, studying, working temporarily", then "Work Permit Extension (new employer)".
