All about Post Graduate Work Permit in Canada

December 5, 2021

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A PGWP allows students to work and live in Canada after completing a degree course, diploma or certificate with a minimum duration of 8 months. It allows them to work full-time.

The validity of PGWPs usually ranges between 8 months to 3 years. It is a reliable option for international graduate degree holders from a Canadian university to gain work experience. This way, it opens up the window of opportunities and empowers them to progress in their professional career. Also, with requisite work experience under their belt, international graduates from a Canadian university can apply for Canadian permanent residence and receive points for their Canadian work experience.

Who can apply for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP)?

One needs to meet a few criteria for eligibility to apply for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP). The first and the foremost condition for it is that one should be at least 18 years old. Another important criterion for the eligibility of a candidate is the completion of a full-time degree program in Canada for a minimum of 8 months. Candidates must ensure that they complete the degree course from a designated education institution (DLI) eligible for PGWP granting.

In addition, students who wish to apply for a PGWP must consider applying within 180 days from the day of completing their degree program. It is a key requirement for the approval of a post-graduate work permit application.

Candidates can start working immediately after applying for a PGWP. They can start working full-time while their application goes through processing for the final approval. An individual can work full-time while waiting for a decision on their post-graduation work permit application if, at the time of application submission, they had a valid study permit, completed their program of study, were eligible to work off-campus without a permit, and did not work off-campus more than 20 hours a week during academic sessions.

In Canada, the levels of study given below are accepted for the approval of PGWP.

● If you are pursuing a degree under a study program in a Canadian private school, make sure it approved and authorised by the authorities to award degrees under provincial law. It will make you eligible to apply for a PGWP.

● Students of any technical/trade school or a college or CEGEP or university based in Quebec can apply for a PGWP.

● Students from both private and public secondary schools in Quebec can apply for a PGWP.

● Students in Quebec who belong to either private sedentary or post-secondary schools that provide compatible programs for a minimum of 900 hours can apply for a PGWP. However, only those students are eligible who belong to the institutions that are listed for it.

What is the maximum and minimum duration for obtaining a post study work permit?

The processing of a PGWP application for graduates in Canada can take up to 180 days.

By applying for a work permit within the validity period of your study permit, you can continue working until the time the processing of your application concludes. Apply 180 days before the date of the conclusion of your approved study program to meet this condition.

The method to apply for a PGWP from another country has changed in the last few years. If you leave Canada after the conclusion of your study program, you can apply for a PGWP in Canada from another country. However, in such a situation, you may need to submit additional documents. The visa centre will decide the kind of documents you will need to submit for this purpose.

Can you request another work permit after obtaining your PGWP?

Obtaining a PGWP enables an individual to engage in full-time employment in Canada. After having gained the requisite work experience, you might want to apply for a Canadian permanent residence.

With work experience in Canada, you can explore exciting possibilities. Sufficient work experience in Canada allows you to apply for immigration programs as given below.

● Canadian Experience Class

● Provincial Nominee Programs

● Federal Skilled Worker Program

Does a PGWP application facilitate your immigration to Canada?

A PGWP facilitates an international student’s application for permanent residence in the country. It is a coveted prospect for international students in Canada. 

Generally, international students who complete their program in Canada can achieve permanent residence status through gaining work experience while they are on a PGWP (considering they have met all the eligibility). The work experience gained while on a PGWP can give you points to increase your comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score. The requisite educational qualification and work experience makes one a strong contender for gaining the status of permanent residence in Canada through one of the economic immigration streams.

Final thoughts

To sum up, a PGWP is a legal document for students who study in Canadian universities to work and live in the country. You can take up employment after submitting your application and keep working while it is in the course of processing. As regards the nature of employment that you can take, it doesn’t have to be related to your program of study. You can take up any form of employment.

Now that you know everything about a PGWP application apply for it to begin your professional career in Canada and also obtain permanent residence status in the country.

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