
Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
International students can apply for a post-graduation work permit for 1-3 years based on their study time in Canada after graduation. This is an open work visa. International students can work for any employer or self-employed. For those who have studied in Canada for more than 8 months and less than 2 years, the time given on the work permit after graduation is generally the same as the duration of the study program, but a 3-year work permit can be obtained after graduation from a 2-year (or more) project. Studying vocational training courses in Quebec for 1,800 hours corresponds to a 3-year work permit. A three-year work permit can be obtained after graduating from a master’s and doctoral program that has been taught continuously for 16 months. You can get a 3-year work permit for two 1-year projects. The two projects can be independent of each other, but the second degree must be obtained within 2 years after the end of the first project.
Requirement:
- Graduated from a public (or qualified private) post-secondary institution with a recognized course of 8 months or more
- Have completed all courses and obtained a graduation confirmation letter or graduation certificate issued by the school
- The graduation work permit application time has been extended from 90 days after graduation to 180 days
- If the course includes part of distance learning, the duration of the distance part cannot be more than half of the whole course
- Except for the last semester, applicant must maintain a full-time study status for each semester (a transcript is required upon applying for a work permit)