Post Graduate Work Permit: Work in Canada

ByArindam Mallick

Introduction

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 642,480 international students studied in Canada across different levels in 2019. The number will only increase in the coming years. A majority of these students are interested in obtaining Canadian work experience after their education.

The Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) is a program that allows students to work in Canada for a specific period of time after their graduation.

What is the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program all about?

The Post Graduate Work Permit program is very popular with students across the world and is considered an easy way to obtain a full-time job in the country, and later migrate. Anyone who has graduated from a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) in Canada can opt for this program. Such work permits are called Open Work Permits and let the individual work for any employer of their choice for a pre-designated period of time.

Most of the other Canadian work permits require a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to be eligible to work in Canada. Since these students graduate from a DLI, this requirement is eased for the students, making it easy to obtain a work permit.

This Post Graduate Work Permit allows you to gain work experience in National Occupational Class (NOC) skill type 0 or skill level A or B, with the employer of your choice.

With this work permit, you can choose any one of the below types of work to gain experience.

  • Part-time
  • Full-time
  • Self-employment

Things to keep in mind about the PGWP program

  1. You can apply for the Post Graduate Work Permit program only once in your lifetime. Therefore, if you plan to study in Canada in the future, it would make sense to apply after your most extended study period.
  2. Make sure the institution you choose to study from is a Designated Learning Institute.
  3. Your passport must be valid for the entire period of the work permit.

How to apply for PGWP?

Students must be applying for a PGWP within 180 days of receiving their official transcript or letter stating they have completed all the requisites for the course and that the course is marked complete.

The student will be able to apply from Canada if their study permit is still valid. If not, the student must travel back and apply from overseas.

You must give the name and length of the program you have attended while applying for a work permit. Copies of the degree/diploma, your transcript, and an official letter from the school all need to be included.

You can apply online for the Post Graduate Work Permit program with the right documents and information. Bunchberry Immigration has helped foreign students who have graduated from Canada successfully apply for their work permits. You can get in touch with us to know the procedure end-to-end.

Special policy for online study during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced students to learn from home, disrupting the traditional educational system. As a result, IRCC has made temporary changes to its rules regarding online study during the pandemic. Here are some of the excerpts of the changes.

This temporary change is eligible for students enrolled in programs that were in progress as of March 2020 or for students who did their educational programs between Spring 2020 and Summer 2022.

Distance learning and the COVID-19 pandemic

In general cases, distance learning periods will not be considered while applying for a PGWP. According to the older rules, 50% of the course should have been done in person in a Canadian DLI. Due to the pandemic, this rule has been slightly modified. You may be able to apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit even if you have done your course 100% online from any of the DLIs.

This means that the time you spent outside Canada studying until the 31st of August 2022, will still be accounted for while offering you a PG work permit.

Eligible universities and colleges

The IRCC had made clear conditions on the types of universities and colleges that are eligible for the PGWP program. It would be to your benefit to check the status of your school before joining a course.

Eligible Institutions

  1. Should be a public post-secondary institution in Canada, including colleges, technical schools, universities, and CEGEPs.
  2. Should be a private institute in Canada that has the right to offer degrees and diplomas.
  3. Should be a public or a private post-secondary institution in Quebec that leads to a diploma of vocational studies or an attestation of vocational specialization, with course lengths longer than 900 hours.

Some institutes may be DLIs when the student applies for a course but may lose its designation halfway through. In such cases, the student will still be eligible for a Post Graduate Work Permit if they transfer to another DLI and finish the course.

Work permit duration

Usually, a Post Graduate Work Permit may be valid for anywhere from eight months to three years. You are not eligible for a PGWP if your course duration was less than eight months.

If your course was between eight months and two years, you may get a PGWP for the same length as the study program. For courses that are two years or more, you may get a PGWP valid for three years. The work permit duration will depend on individual cases.

Some students go for accelerated study courses. For example, if a course was originally designed for one year, the student may complete it in eight months of time. If so, the PGWP is offered for the actual period of the course – one year.

Some Canadian courses may have overseas components to them. In such cases, the student studies some part of the course outside the country. If so, the work permit duration is given only for the time period the student was in Canada.

How soon can one start working after applying for a Post Graduate Work Permit?

If you have a valid student permit and have applied for a Post Graduate Work Permit, you may be able to start working right after submitting the application. You don’t have to wait for the PGWP decision.

In case the work permit is granted, the individual can continue to work and, if not, must quit working and immediately leave Canada.

If IRCC has not responded back with a decision on the PGWP for more than 120 days, the person can request continuous proof of authorization online and continue working.

Takeaways

The Post Graduate Work Permit is definitely one of the easiest ways to work in Canada after a degree. The work experience you gain in the country immediately after studying is considered precious for your future career.

If you are an international student in Canada and want to explore the possibilities of getting a PGWP, then do get in touch with Bunchberry Immigration. We will help you through the process and increase your chances of working in Canada right after graduation.