Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) in Canada for Indian Students

The PGWP allows international students graduating from a participating post-secondary college/university to gain Canadian work experience. In the long run, Canadian work experience gained through PGWP helps international graduates qualify for PR (permanent residence) in Canada through Express Entry. In this article, students can learn everything about the Post Study Work Visa Canada.

What is PGWP Canada? Post-Graduation Work Permit is a type of work permit that allows international students to work in Canada for a specific period. The condition is, that they must have completed their studies at a Designated Learning Institution. The IRCC approve the application for a Post Graduate Work Permit in Canada for international students.

Recently, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada changed the PGWP eligibility. The new rules will be implemented from 1 November 2024. There is no change in eligibility if you have submitted your application before this date. In this article, we are going to tell you all about PGWP Canada including eligibility, latest updates, application deadlines and more.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Canada

Post Graduate Work Permit in Canada or PGWP Canda or Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows international students, who graduated from designated learning institutions (DLIs) in Canada, to get a valid open work permit and gain work experience in Canada. Moreover, skilled Canadian work experience, in National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill type A or B gained through the PGWPP, helps graduates become eligible for permanent residence in Canada. Students who gain Canadian work experience qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian experience class within Express Entry.

Getting a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP Canada) while studying in Canada depends a lot on your course and its duration. A work permit under the PGWP is usually issued for the length of the study program. The maximum length of the PGWP in Canada is of three years. It means that if your post-graduate course’s duration is of two years, you may get a three-year PGWP visa. A post-graduation work permit cannot be valid for longer than the student’s study program. The course duration must be a minimum of eight months to get post graduate work permit in Canada.

Graduating from a DLI does not mean that you are automatically eligible to get a PGWP. After getting your final marks (or notification of programme completion), a candidate has 180 days to apply for a PGWP. Also, make sure your study permit does not expire before you get your final marks.

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Latest Updates for PGWP Canada

IRCC announced the CIP code of 966 different PG programs including some of the trending courses in Canada. CIP stands for Classification of Instructional Programs. This code is used to identify post-secondary courses according to the field of study in Canada. It is important to pursue a course which is linked to the job profile which is facing a workforce shortage for a long time. 

IRCC released a CIP code of 966 eligible programs divided into agriculture and agri-food, healthcare science, technology, engineering, mathematics, trade, and transport. To get a PGWP, you need to pick a course among them.

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PGWP Canada Eligibility Criteria

It is important to meet the required eligibility criteria for PGWP Canada. Below, we have mentioned point-wise requirements to apply for a Post Study Work Permit Canada. These requirements were announced by IRCC and will be implemented from 01 November 2024:

If You are Inside Canada, You are Eligible If:

• You have up to 180 days, from the date of completion of your course, to apply for a PGWP Canada. Keep in mind, your canada student visa must be valid during these 180 days.
• At the time of PGWP application, you need to confirm that you completed your program along with name of your program and duration.
• A copy of your degree or diploma or an official letter from your university.
• It is important that you complete your study program from a Designated Learning Institution.
• Your in-person classes were changed to online mode
• Your program has in-person and online modes.
• Your studies were put on hold, or you had to study part-time, during the winter, spring or summer 2020 semesters.
• Please note that in order to be eligible for PGWP Canada, you must be enrolled in a full-time course as of Fall 2020 semester.

If You are Outside Canada, You are Eligible If:

• You have to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP Canada) within 180 days of completing your program. In your application, you must submit your degree/diploma/ transcript/ official letter from your college.
• Time, spent studying online, between March 2020 and August 31, 2022 will count towards the length of your PGWP.
• 100% of your two online academic will count for PGWP Canada, until August 31, 2023, if the course was in progress in March 2020 or it started between March 2020 and August 31, 2022. These two academic programmes must be from a PGWP-eligible DLI and must be at least 8 months in duration.
• Important: Any amount of time, after August 31, 2023, spent outside Canada, will not count towards your PGWP duration.
• You must have a study permit.
• Your institute must be a designated learning institution (DLI).
• Your program must be of at least 8 months in duration and must lead to a degree/diploma/certificate.
• You must have a full-time student status

New Eligibility for PGWP Canada

The new PGWP Canada eligibility criteria is mentioned below:

Language Proficiency: English and French are the two most spoken languages in Canada. Applicant must be proficient in any of these two languages.

Source: IRCC Canada

Note: CELPIP, PTE Core, IELTS, TEF Canada and TCF Canada scores will be accepted by IRCC to prove English language proficiency for PGWP Canada. Students can submit their score, if the score is not older than 2 years.

Field of Study: The second change announced by IRCC about PGWP Canada eligibility is field of study program. To get a Post Graduate Work Permit in Canada, you must graduate from a program which is linked to a profession with long time work force shortage. IRCC divided these courses into 5 different categories:

1. Agriculture and Agri-food
2. Healthcare
3. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM Courses)
4. Trade
5. Transport

How to Apply for PGWP Canada

Here is the step by step guide to apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit Canada:

• You will be provided 180 days after your graduation to apply for PGWP Canada.
• Visit the official website of IRCC to 
• You need to have a degree, diploma, official letter from your academic institution, or an official transcript. (Keep scanned copy of all these documents)
• For PGWP Canada, a fee of CAD 255 is charged (CAD 155 is the base fee, and CAD 100 is the 'Open Work Permit Holder' fee)
• If you wish to restore your student status and PGWP, you will have to pay CAD 379 (Restore your status ($229) and a get a new study permit ($150)).
• PGWP processing time for online applications is 141 days.
• PGWP processing time for paper-based applications is 34 days.

Duration of Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) Canada

If the official length of your program of study is:

• Less than eight months: you are not eligible for the PGWP program
• Less than two years but more than eight months: you will get a work permit for a period equal to your course duration
• Two years or more: you will be granted a work permit for three years
• If you complete more than 1 academic program, then you may get a PGWP whose duration is the combined length of each program. However, both programs must of at least 8 months in duration and you must not have obtained a PGWP on the basis of the first program

Can I get PR after 2 years work permit in Canada?

One needs to have at least 12 months of full-time or an equal amount of part-time skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before one applies. Moreover, one must meet or exceed language levels (CLB 7 for TEER Category 0 or 1 occupations and CLB 5 for NOC TEER Category 2 or 3 occupations) for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level.

Once you obtain a PGWP, there is no need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). LMIA shows that a foreign worker is required to fill the vacant job position. An employer is supposed to apply for an LMIA. However, if you have obtained a PGWP, there is no need for an LMIA. This allows you to gain a work experience in Canada, which will help you obtain a Canada PR through Express Entry (Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program), PNP, etc.

It is advised that students check 

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