Canadian immigration, Post-Graduation work permit program

One of the best ways to gain Canadian work experience after you finish your studies in Canada is to apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.

A work permit obtained under this program cannot be valid for longer than the student’s study program, and is limited to a maximum of three years. What this means is that if you graduate from a four-year degree program, for example, you are only eligible for a three-year work permit.

Am I eligible?

To be able to apply for a work permit under Post Graduation Work Permit Program, you will be required to meet a series of requirements, including:

• Having studied full-time in Canada and having completed a program of study that lasted at least eight months.
• Having graduated from:
  • A public post-secondary institution, such as a college, trade/technical school, university or CEGEP (in Québec), or
  • A private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, and receives at least 50% of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Québec qualify), or
  • A Canadian private institution authorised by provincial statute to confer degrees, but only if you are enrolled in one of the programs of study leading to a degree as authorised by the province and not in all programs of study offered by the private institution.
• Applying for a work permit within 90 days of receiving written confirmation (for example, a transcript or an official letter)
• Having completed and passed the program of study and received a notification that you are eligible to obtain your degree, diploma or certificate.
• Having a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit

When am I ineligible?

If you study in Canada for less than eight months, you are not eligible for this program. If you study for less than two years but more than eight months, you may get a work permit for a period no longer than the length of time you studied (for example, a nine month permit might be granted if you studied for nine months). If your course took two years or more to complete, you may be issued with a work permit for three years.

Additionally, you are not eligible for a work permit under this program if you:

• Participate in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)
• Participate in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by DFAIT
• Receive funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• Participate in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
• Participate in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program
• Participate in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
• Participate in a distance learning program either from abroad or from within Canada, or
• Have previously been issued a Post-Graduation Work Permit following any other program of study

How do I apply?

To apply, you must start by obtaining the Post Graduation Work Permit application kit, completing all the necessary application forms and attaching the required documents. The kit contains all the instructions and the address where you must send your application.

Remember that you must apply for a work permit within 90 days of receiving written confirmation that you have met the requirements of your academic program.