Important factors often overlooked by applicants for post-graduation work permits

Post-graduation work permit (PGWP) applicants can increase their chances of success by keeping in mind key provisions in the instructions that immigration officers use to assess their applications.

Even if they're already familiar with PGWP eligibility criteria, applicants can benefit from learning often-overlooked nuances gleaned from internal IRCC documentation on PGWP processing, which reveals what many Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers are trained to consider when assessing these applications.

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Key factors for PGWP approval

1) You may be able to apply sooner

IRCC’s online materials clearly state that the timeline to apply for a PGWP is up to 180 days after you receive written confirmation that you completed your program.

What internal documents reveal, however, is that “written confirmation” can include items like a degree/diploma, transcript, or official letter—the practical goal is that the document clearly anchors your completion/eligibility date.

This means that graduates may be able to benefit from applying for their PGWP earlier that they may have expected.

2) Your study permit may be set to expire earlier than you thought

To be eligible for a PGWP, your study permit must have been valid at some point during the 180 days after you completed your program and before you applied.

A candidate may overlook the fact that their study permit will expire on the expiry date (shown on the study permit itself) or 90 days after they've completed your studies—whichever comes first.

Since it's always preferable to apply for a new permit well in the advance of the expiry of your existing permit (IRCC recommends at least 30 days), it's important to keep in mind exactly when your study permit will be expiring, and to realize that it may be a different date than that printed on your permit.

3) It can be easy to select the wrong school by mistake

Graduating from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) doesn’t automatically make you eligible for a PGWP—your school and program must be PGWP-eligible.

A lesser-known detail here is that eligibility checks may rely on the exact campus/program identifier on the DLI list, not just the school’s brand name—which can affect outcomes in partnership/affiliate scenarios.

Entering the wrong DLI code and name can unnecessarily complicate your application and potentially even jeopardize your chances at a PGWP.

To ensure that you avoid these mistakes, make sure that you are declaring the most accurate and specific name and code for the school you attended by eliminating other potential options.

Factors that can cause a DLI to show up multiple times on the eligible institutions list include:

• Having multiple operating campuses; or
• Registering certain colleges as separate entities, particularly where they are joint ventures with other schools.

4) It's helpful to clearly highlight any exceptions to full-time status

You must have maintained full-time status each semester of your studies, with a common exception allowing a break in your final semester, to maintain PGWP eligibility.

“Leave from studies” is a frequent problem area—an unauthorized leave can make you ineligible, while an authorized leave (up to specific limits) needs proof from the DLI.

Decision-makers may treat certain situations (for example, repeating a final term, strike/natural disaster disruptions) differently if the record makes it easy to see what happened and why.

If there have been any gaps in your full-time enrollment, consider including in your application a short explanation along with supporting school documentation.

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5) Officers are looking for adequate proof; multiple factors can be proven by a single document

You must upload proof that you completed your studies (degree/diploma, official letter, transcript) and proof that you were enrolled full-time (typically an official transcript) with your PGWP application.

Internal documentation suggests that the immigration department will use these same documents to determine whether you:

• completed the program;
• met the full-time enrollment rules (or had authorized exceptions); and
• meet any in-Canada / distance-learning constraints that apply to your timeline.

If one document already proves everything needed, submitting both a transcript and a completion letter may not always be necessary—internal documents suggest that clarity matters more than volume.

IRCC may request more supporting documents after submission, and you should be sure to respond to any requests for additional documentation to the best of your ability.

6) Accelerated programs may count for longer

Your program must be at least 8 months (or 900 hours for certain Quebec programs) and lead to an eligible credential for you to be eligible for a PGWP.

It should be noted, however, that if you finished faster than normal (i.e., under an accelerated program), you may still be eligible for a PGWP valid for the full normal length of the program.

7) Be mindful of any time spent outside Canada

Distance-learning rules depend on timelines (“lock-in” dates) to determine eligibility in cases where they are applicable.

In general, there are requirements around completing at least 50% of your study program in Canada to be PGWP eligible.

Time spent studying online from outside Canada may be deducted from PGWP length (depending on dates).

IRCC internal documentation also lists a clear ineligibility trigger: completing over 50% of your program via distance learning can make you ineligible, unless subject to specific COVID-related exceptions, which expired in August of 2023.

Even if you remain eligible, time spent studying outside Canada may be treated as not countable toward PGWP duration in internal length calculations, meaning this time can cut your work authorization short.

8) Supporting documents can shorten your work authorization

Officers may not issue you a permit beyond the validity of your travel document.

If you apply for your PGWP when your passport is set to expire earlier than the date to which your PGWP could be issued, you'll be issued a PGWP only up to your passport expiry date.

The issuance of a permit can also be shortened on the basis of biometrics validity, and internal processing may set an end date as biometrics expiry minus one day.

If possible, before applying for your PGWP, ensure that all your supporting documents will be valid for the full length of the PGWP you are applying for.

If you apply with expiring documents and are issued a shorter PGWP than that for which you were eligible on the basis of your study program, you'll have to first renew your passport or other supporting documents, and then apply for a PGWP extension on paper.

9) Mind the language requirements for your program

Since November 1, 2024, PGWP applicants must meet minimum language proficiency requirements.

They must do so by taking an official exam with an approved test provider, and must upload their results in the “Client Information” section of the online portal.

The test results must be less than 2 years old.

The minimum level of language proficiency you need to meet depends on your program type.

For the majority of college programs and non-university programs, the minimum language proficiency is CLB/NCLC 5 across all four abilities (listening, speaking, reading, writing).

For university programs and for college bachelor's programs, it is CLB/NCLC 7.

10) Meet field-of-study requirements (if applicable)

The field-of-study requirement came into effect based on the date you applied for your initial study permit.

Graduates who submitted their initial study permit applications on or after November 1, 2024, must meet the field of study requirements, unless exempt.

Graduates of university and college bachelor's programs, university master's programs, and university doctoral programs are exempt from field-of-study requirements.

Graduates of all other programs must meet field of study requirements, meaning that to be PGWP eligible, they must have graduated from a program on the government's approved list, which is aligned with labour market shortages in the fields of agriculture and agrifood, education, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, and transportation.

You can meet the field of study program by having graduated from a program that was on the government's approved list

• At the time of your initial study permit application—unless you have since changed programs, in which case the program you've graduated from must have been on the approved list at the time you submitted the first study permit application for the program from which you've graduated; or
• At the time you apply for your PGWP.

11) You can only apply to extend a PGWP under special circumstances

The PGWP is a once-in-a-lifetime work permit.

If you've already been issued a PGWP, you cannot obtain another, even if you complete another study program, nor can you apply to extend your existing PGWP if it was originally issued to the maximum length for which you were eligible on the basis of the study program from which you graduated.

Submitting a second PGWP application to dispute a prior decision often leads to refusal.

Instead of treating the second PGWP as a separate application, IRCC instead treats it as an application for a correction, which typically relies on reconsideration/correction channels or a remainder issuance scenario (passport/biometrics shortening).

If your PGWP is set to expire and you wish to remain in Canada as a foreign worker, you'll need to seek a work permit through another channel.

If you've applied for permanent residence through an eligible program and are in Canada on a valid PGWP, you can apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP).

If you have yet to apply for PR, you can seek a work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) with the support of an employer with a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

To see more of your options for work status outside of a PGWP, read our dedicated article.

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