It is for international students who have completed a Canadian post-secondary program.
The Postgraduation Work Permit is an open permit that allows students to work for any Canadian employer and any Canadian employer. This permits international student graduates to work in Canada for up three years.
The PGWP provides international graduates with work experience in Canada. This is a significant advantage for those who wish to apply for Canadian immigration. To be eligible for a Canadian permanent residence program, a PGWP holder must have at least one year of work experience in a National Occupation Classification code (0, A, or B).
What are the eligibility requirements for PGWP?
International students must possess the following:
- Completing a minimum of eight months in a program for academic, vocational, or professional training at a Designated Learning Institution(DLI).
- We completed a study program leading to a diploma, certificate, or degree.
- They were granted full-time student status in Canada for every academic session during the program of study. This was included in their post-graduation work permit application.
- A transcript was obtained, and an official letter from DLI confirms that the applicant met all requirements for their program of study.
A student must have graduated from the following:
- A public institution of higher education, such as
- A college
- A technical or trade school
- a university
- CEGEP (in Quebec)
- A private school that offers post-secondary education in Quebec. It operates under the same rules and regulations as Quebec’s public schools.
- A private secondary school or post-secondary school in Quebec offers qualified programs of at least 900 hours and results in issuing a diploma de professions (DEP) or an attestation Professionnelle (ASP). (Note: This will not be in effect beginning September 2023)
Canadian private schools are authorized to award degrees under provincial law.
What is the validity of a PGWP?
Depending on the length of students’ studies, a PGWP is valid for eight to three years. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides these guidelines on its website.
- Completed program under eight months: Not eligible for a PGWP
- Programs completed between 8 and 2 years. The PGWP is valid for the same length as your program. For example, a 10-month program will give you a 10-month PGWP.
- Programs completed for more than two years: PGWP will still be valid for three years
- Completion of more than one program: It is possible to combine your Canadian education programs into a PGWP, provided that they are DLI-eligible and last at least eight months. The lengths listed above will be the total length of your PGWP.
The student must apply for PGWP within 180-days or six months of receiving a transcript and an official letter from DLI confirming that they have fulfilled all requirements.
Studying abroad and eligibility for a PGWP
During the coronavirus pandemic, IRCC created a policy that allowed students to finish their Canadian studies abroad while still being eligible for a PGWP upon arrival in Canada. To be eligible for this policy, a student must:
- Register at a DLI
- You have started or plan to start a program in the spring of 2020 or summer of 2022, or it was in progress as of March 2020.
- You will need a study permit to start your program.
- All other PGWP criteria must be met.
Permanent Residence for International Residents
Express Entry allows the Canadian government to use the Comprehensive Rankings System (CRS), which evaluates each candidate according to their human capital. Canada considers age, education, and work experience. Every two weeks, Express Entry draws are held by the Canadian government. These draws provide permanent residence invitations for those with the highest CRS scores. Express Entry gives candidates extra points if they have Canadian education or work experience.
The Canadian Experiment Class (CEC) grants many international students permanent residence status. To be eligible for permanent residence through CEC, students must have at least 1,560 hours of work experience in Canada. Many Provincial Nominee programs are open to international graduates.
A student who has studied in Quebec may be eligible to apply for immigration under the Quebec Experience Program. International students and those with Quebec work experience can apply for the PEQ to receive a Quebec Selection Certificate. This is a mandatory step toward permanent residence.
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