Post-Graduation Work Permit in Canada

If you graduated from a Canadian college or university and want to stay in the country to work, you can apply for a work permit after you study.
If you graduated from a Canadian college or university, you can get a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
Requirements
In order to obtain a work permit, you must meet a number of conditions:
- be 18 years of age or older at the time of application;
- have studied in Canada on a full-time basis for at least 8 months;
- have a document from your educational institution stating that you have completed all the requirements for completion of the study program;
- graduate from one of the following institutions:
- a public institution, such as a college, a trade/technical school, a university, or a special education institution (CEGEP) in Quebec;
- a private university that operates under the same rules as public universities (only applies to some private universities in Quebec);
- a private high school or university in Quebec that offers qualification programs of 900 hours or more with a diploma in professional education (diplôme d'études professionnelles, DEP) or a certificate of professional specialization (attestation de spécialisation professionnelle, ASP);
- some private schools that can award degrees under provincial law (e.g., a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree);
- apply for a work permit within 180 days of confirming that you have completed your study;
- have a valid study permit at the time of application.
For a complete list of institutions after which a PGWP is issued, see the link.
Exceptions
You are not eligible to apply for a work permit if you
- were enrolled in a program of fewer than 8 months;
- studied not in English or French;
- studied for more than 8 months, but not all the time (for example, going on academic leave);
- participated in scholarship programs:
- The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program;
- Government of Canada Awards Program;
- Global Affairs Canada's funding program;
- Equal Opportunity Scholarship or Canada-Chile Leadership Exchange Scholarship;
- Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program;
- Organization of American States Fellowships Program;
- have completed the curriculum remotely, either from abroad or from Canada;
- have been educated at a non-Canadian college or university located in Canada;
- have already received a Pot-Graduation Work Permit.
How long is the work permit valid
The validity period depends on the length of your training program. If your program was:
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