A Post-graduate Work Permit will allow you to temporarily have a job in Canada after you finish your studies. Not all Designated Learning Institutions have this benefit, so you must consider this when choosing where to study if you also wish to gain Canadian work experience. According to the Canadian Government, the estimated processing time of a PGWP is about 127 days. After finishing your study program’s final marks, you will have up to 180 days to apply for this work permit.

The extension of a PGWP usually depends on the previous duration of your study program and the expiry date of your passport:

• If your study program were between eight months and two years, the Canadian Government would grant you a PGWP for the program’s exact duration.
• If you studied for two years or more, the Canadian Government could give you up to a three-year PGWP.
• If you completed more than one short program (less than eight months each one) in DLI with PGWP benefit, and they both add up to a period longer than eight months, you can be granted a Post-graduate Work Permit with a duration that combines both (or more) study programs.
• The duration of a granted PGWP will also depend on the expiry date of your passport. If it expires before the estimated period for your PGWP, the Canadian government will shorten the permit until the passport expiry date or will ask you to extend your identification document.

If you still haven’t chosen where you wish to study, you can check our Partnered Institutions, which most offer a Post-graduate Work Permit benefit.

If you already know which Designated Learning Institution you wish to study at but are unsure if they offer a PGWP benefit, you can check the Canadian Government’s DLI list that details this information.

There are also other criteria that the government of Canada will consider to grant you a Post-graduate Work Permit, such as:

• If your study permit is still valid or if you have a proper visitor record.
• If you submitted your application before the 180 days established.
• If the study program you did, led to a degree, diploma or certificate.
• If you kept a full-time status as a student during the active semester periods (except the final, which can be part-time) of your study program.

You can’t apply for a PGWP if you’re:

• In Canada, studying French or English as a second language.
• In Canada, studying general interest or self-improvement courses.
• Taking a program that has less than an eight-month duration.
• Participating in the Government of Canada Awards Program funded by Global Affairs Canada.
• Getting funding from Global Affairs Canada. (If you have a Study in Canada scholarship, you’re still eligible)
• Studying with an Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile.
• Participating in the Canada-China Scholars’ Exchanges Program.
• Participating in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program.
• Completing the majority of a study program by distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence)
• Completing a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada.
• You were already granted a PGWP from a prior study program.