Post-Graduation Work Permit


Post-Graduation Work Permit Update

On September 18, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced upcoming changes to the eligibility requirements for the Post-Graduation Work Permit. We will await further details from IRCC to provide more comprehensive guidance to students. For more information, please refer to the official news release .

After graduating from 香港六盒宝典开奖结果, students may apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit or PGWP. Duration and eligibility depends on the length of your program and enrollment status throughout your program.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Eligibility requirements


To be eligible for a PGWP, 香港六盒宝典开奖结果 students must meet all the following requirements: 

  • Have completed an academic program of study of 8 months or longer that led to a degree, diploma, or certificate; 

  • Have maintained their full-time studies every academic semester of their program of study except for their final semester. Students may take scheduled breaks if they are eligible, for more information, please visit our Enrolment Status and scheduled breaks page; 

    • If you need to take a semester off (less than 150 days) due to extenuating or unforeseen circumstance please contact us

  • Have completed 100% of their program of studies in Canada and more than 50% of their program was completed in person. Exceptions may apply, please visit for more information; 

  • Have a study permit that has been valid within the last 180 days. Please make sure you review the requirements on how to apply for a PGWP inside or outside of Canada on the instructions shown below. 

For more information about PGWP eligibility requirements, please visit . 

Students are recommended to address any concerns IRCC may have on their PGWP application, students may submit an explanation letter with their application addressing any issues (e.g. part-time enrolment during an academic semester). Please review the explanation letter guide for instructions on how to write one.  

Please note that the decision on your PGWP application is at the discretion of IRCC and 香港六盒宝典开奖结果 is not responsible for determining your eligibility for the post-graduation work permit or the outcome of that application. 

 Working eligibility after you graduate


As you prepare to apply for your PGWP, your working eligibility will change as follows.

EventWorking eligibility
Last day of final exam period

The date you receive either:

1) Completion Letter or,

2) An email confirming all graduation requirements are met,

whichever comes first.

Stop working
After Submitting PGWP Application

(if meeting all the eligibility requirements)

PGWP ApprovedKeep working
PGWP DeniedStop working

To maintain eligibility to work after completing your studies, students must: 

  • have a valid study permit at the time of PGWP application
  • maintained full-time enrolment status in each academic semester of their program of study
  • have completed a PGWP eligible program of study
  • be eligible to work off-campus with a study permit, and
  • did not  more than 20 hours a week during academic sessions
  • have a valid SIN

The Graduation Team will assess your application and approve your graduation application by mid-May if you are completing your program in the Winter semester, mid-September if you are completing your program in the Summer semester or mid-January if you are completing your program in the Fall semester. Once approved, you will be able to download your Program Completion Letter via your myAccount. For more information on how to check your graduation application status or how to download your program completion letter, please visit our graduation page.

Please be aware of graduation application deadlines and that delaying your graduation application will result in a delay in receiving your completion letter. We recommend not delaying your graduation application. We also host Post-Graduation Work Permit workshops every semester to help guide students through the application process. 

You have 180 days to apply for your post-graduation work permit. We advise that you calculate the 180 days from the date the final grades are due.

For applications made inside of Canada, you must have valid study permit or meet one of the other requirements of to apply for a PGWP. Please be advised that your study permit becomes invalid 90 days after you complete your studies or the date marked on the permit (whichever date comes first). You have completed your studies on the date you receive an email confirming all graduation requirements were met or on the date your completion letter is issued (whichever comes first).

For applications made outside of Canada: you do not need to hold legal status in Canada when you apply, however if you plan to come back to Canada to work before IRCC makes a decision on your application, you should apply for your PGWP before your study permit becomes invalid. Please note that you must also leave Canada before your study permit becomes invalid. You will also be required to have a valid TRV or eTA to return to Canada. 

You must submit both your completion letter and your final transcript with your application. An unofficial transcript from your myAccount should suffice. Ensure that your transcript indicates explicitly 鈥Credential Awarded鈥 somewhere above your program name on the transcript. There is no blanket date for when this information is available, as it depends on each student.

If you completed more than one program, we suggest that you attach your Letter of Acceptance for the second program as an additional document when applying for a PGWP.

If you completed more than one program and have multiple completion letters, you should submit all the completion letters you have.

The length of a PGWP will depend on the length of your program. For example, if you complete 1 x two-years program, you may be eligible for a maximum of three-year PGWP.

 

PGWP Applications Made Under Maintained Status (previously called Implied Status)


We recommend that you extend your study permit if it expires before applying for a PGWP, and apply within 6 months of your completion date. If you have applied for your study permit extension before its expiry, you are on maintained status.

Students who are under maintained status are not allowed to make an application for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) inside Canada. We recommend that students in this situation to return to their home country, submit a PGWP application outside of Canada and wait until a decision is made on their application.

You are NOT authorized to work in Canada after you submit your post-graduation work permit if your application was submitted while you were on maintained status. 

If you would like to discuss your options as maintained status applicant, please do not hesitate to contact us

EventWorking eligibility
Last day of final exam period

The date you receive either:

  1. Completion Letter or,
  2. An email confirming all graduation requirements are met, whichever comes first.
Stop working
After Submitting PGWP Application
(Under Maintained Status)
Not eligible to work
PGWP ApprovedBegin working
PGWP DeniedNot eligible to work