A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) allows you to remain in Canada and work full-time after you complete a certificate, diploma, or degree program that is at least 8 months in length.
You don’t need a job offer to apply and can work anywhere in Canada in any occupation. Certain jobs also require a medical exam, such as those involving work with children or in healthcare settings. You are not allowed to work in jobs at risk of exploitation.
A PGWP is a practical way to advance your career goals and gain Canadian work experience after completing your studies at UBC. To some students who are interested in applying for Canadian permanent residency, it provides a great opportunity as a pathway to prepare you for certain permanent resident programs.
PGWP can only be applied once in your lifetime. If you are unsure if you will stay or return to Canada after your studies, you may consider applying for the PGWP in case your plans change, since you will lose the opportunity to apply after 180 days. Or, you may ask for advice from an International Student Advisor. You do not need to live in Canada or hold a job at all times to keep the work permit valid.
To be eligible for a PGWP, generally, you must meet all of the following requirements:
In normal circumstances, online courses completed outside Canada do not count towards the length of your PGWP.
You’re still eligible for the PGWP in any of the following situations:
Find full eligibility details on the Government of Canada website.
If you are not eligible for the PGWP, learn about your options after completing your studies at UBC.
If you took time away from studies or studied part-time, draft a letter of explanation and gather supporting documents then consult International Student Advising before submitting your application. Officers will make the final decision.
The length of the work permit ranges from 8 months to 3 years based on the official length of your full-time program, not the amount of time spent completing program requirements.
|
Official length of the program you completed |
PGWP length you’re eligible for |
|---|---|
|
Between 8 months and 2 years |
You are eligible for a PGWP that matches the official length of your program. |
|
2 years or more |
You are eligible for a 3-year PGWP. |
|
16 months or more in a graduate program |
You are eligible for a 3-year PGWP. |
It is also possible to combine the lengths of two PGWP eligible programs if you complete your second program within 2 years after completing your first program. For example, you can combine a 4-year undergraduate degree, then a 1-year graduate degree within 2 years and be eligible for a 3-year PGWP.
If your program has a flexible time frame, such as 12 to 24 months, or is an intensive program, draft a letter of explanation and contact International Student Advising for support.
Since your PGWP cannot be issued past the expiry date of your passport, you should apply for a new passport well in advance so that you can receive it before you apply for the PGWP.
If you are unable to get a new passport before you must apply for the PGWP, you might get a shorter PGWP than you are eligible for. The PGWP is only available once in a lifetime. However, in this circumstance, you can apply to get the remaining time of your PGWP due to your passport’s expiry date. When you first apply for the PGWP, include a letter of explanation about your passport and request that your PGWP has a condition or remark added about your passport expiry.
After you receive your new passport, apply for the remaining time of your PGWP with a paper application before your permit expires.
PGWPs are issued only once in a lifetime. If you have plans to continue studying in Canada, you may wish to apply after you have completed your second program to make full use of your work permit. If each program is eligible for the PGWP, you can apply based on the length of both programs, so long as you complete the second program within 2 years after completing your first program.
If you are waiting for a letter of acceptance for your next program, be sure to apply for a new status in Canada before your study permit expires. If you need assistance with your timeline, contact International Student Advising for support. If you extend your study permit before it becomes invalid, you may be eligible to maintain status between programs as well as work off-campus full-time between programs for up to 150 days.
You can only apply after your Letter of Completion is available, which confirms that you have completed all program requirements. The date your Letter of Completion first becomes available is different from the date of your degree conferral and graduation ceremony.
Your study permit validity and time frame to apply for the PGWP are based on when your Letter of Completion first becomes available, not your degree conferral or graduation ceremony.
Depending on your faculty or program, you may need to first apply for graduation and submit a request for your letter, or it may be issued automatically.
Usually, your Letter of Completion will be available shortly after completing your last program requirement, such as receiving your final grade or submitting your thesis. For example, if you finish your last exam in April, you might expect your Letter of Completion at the beginning of May.
Typically, you can access it in the Student Services Centre in “Program Completion Letter” under Grades and Records. A letter stating you will complete your requirements is not sufficient. The letter must state you have completed all program requirements. Some programs or faculties send your Letter of Completion by email.
If you’re not sure when your Letter of Completion will first become available or how to obtain one, contact an Academic Advisor or your Graduate Program Staff.
You cannot work after the day your letter of completion becomes available until you have submitted your application for a PGWP and meet the requirements to work. See below for details.
After you have completed your program requirements, be sure to check every day to see if your Letter of Completion stating you have completed all program requirements has become available. Save a copy when you first access it.
If you have not been checking for your letter of completion and your degree has been conferred, your letter of completion might have been available before the degree conferral date indicated on the letter. Check with an Academic Advisor from your faculty to confirm when your letter of completion would have first become available.
You do not need to wait for a “final” transcript showing your degree is conferred. Your transcript should include your final grades for your PGWP application. A PDF transcript is acceptable.
You may only apply for the PGWP within a certain time period.
Study permits become automatically invalid in one of two ways, whichever comes first:
To maintain status in Canada, you must submit your application before 11:59 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not local time, on the day your study permit becomes invalid and within 90 days after your letter of completion becomes available.
If your study permit expires before your Letter of Completion will become available, or within the 90 days after your letter first becomes available but you won’t have enough time to apply for your PGWP before it expires, apply to extend your study permit for an additional 90-day bridging period. Apply well in advance, ideally about 4 to 5 months before your study permit expires, depending on processing times. Include a letter of explanation stating you are extending your study permit to apply for the PGWP.
Having a valid study permit at the time of application is one of the requirements to be eligible to work full-time after submitting your PGWP application online within 90 days of completion.
Your study permit automatically becomes invalid 90 days after your Letter of Completion first becomes available, even if the expiry date on your study permit is several months later.
If you are in Canada and do not apply for the PGWP within 90 days of your Letter of Completion becoming available with a valid study permit, you must take action before the 90-day period is over or before your study permit expires (whichever comes first), otherwise you will be out of status.
You must complete one of the following:
You must submit your application for the PGWP within 180 days after your Letter of Completion first becomes available before 11:59pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not local time, on your 180th day, whether you apply from inside or outside of Canada.
If you apply after the first 90 days of your letter of completion becoming available or after your study permit expires (whichever comes first), you will not be eligible to work until you’ve received the PGWP and might need to leave and re-enter Canada to get it. Contact International Student Advising for assistance.
If you apply in Canada, your study permit must have been valid within the 180-day period before you apply for the work permit, which could mean your timeline to apply for the PGWP may be sooner than the 180-day period after receiving your Letter of Completion if your study permit expired earlier.
If you haven’t submitted an immigration application, or you did not leave Canada before your study permit became invalid, contact International Student Advising for support on restoring your status.
If you are eligible to work in your final term, you can continue working up to 20 hours per week off campus (or more during the temporary off-campus work policy) and/or full time on campus until your Letter of Completion becomes available.
If you are finishing your studies with a co-op term, once your work term is over, you can only work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week off-campus (or more during the temporary off-campus work policy) until your Letter of Completion becomes available.
You’re no longer eligible to work starting from the day after your Letter of Completion first becomes available. You must stop working until further action is taken.
If you are working after finishing your last program requirement, such as your last final exam, it is important that you check whether or not your letter becomes available every day to avoid working after it has been issued. You can work until and including the first day your Letter of Completion first becomes available. If you are accessing your letter in your Student Service Centre (SSC), save a copy of the PDF letter when it first becomes available.
You must stop working immediately the day after your Letter of Completion first becomes available unless one of the following applies:
If you’ve worked more than one day after your Letter of Completion became available but before you’ve applied for the PGWP, contact International Student Advising for assistance.
After submitting your PGWP application online, you may immediately begin working full-time while your application is being processed if all of the following are true at the time you submit your application:
If you apply while you are on maintained status for your study permit extension, you will not be able to work in Canada until you receive a valid PGWP. Alternatively, you could wait for your study permit to be processed before applying for the PGWP. Then you would be able to work after submitting your application if you meet the above criteria, as long as you still apply within 90 days after receiving your letter of completion.
To avoid a gap in work eligibility between receiving your Letter of Completion and applying for the PGWP, prepare your PGWP application in advance so that you can apply as soon as your letter becomes available. You can work continuously if you apply the same day or the day after your Letter of Completion first becomes available.
If you plan to work in a job which requires a medical exam, you cannot start working in that position until you’ve received your work permit with correct conditions. However, if you meet the above criteria, you can work in other jobs which don’t require a medical exam while you are waiting for your work permit.
After you apply for the PGWP online, you will automatically receive two PDFs from IRCC in your online account. One letter confirms when IRCC received your application. The other is an interim proof of work letter, which has an expiry date based on IRCC’s service standard processing time. If your application takes longer, your eligibility to work is not based on this letter—if you met the requirements to work at the time of application, you can work until a decision is made. It is possible to send IRCC a webform request for an updated letter if it expires soon.
You can show your employer this IRCC page and IRCC’s instructions for officers.
Be sure to extend your dependent’s documents before they expire. There are additional criteria you must meet before you can apply for or extend your spouse/common-law partner’s work permit while on a PGWP. Namely, you must have a job which is considered a high skilled position (TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3). There is a temporary policy in place from January 2023 for two years which expands the requirement to all skill levels and also allows working-aged children to obtain a work permit. Contact International Student Advising for support.
Learn about documentation for your family.
There are different applications and processes to apply for the PGWP from inside or outside Canada. You must be physically in Canada to submit an in Canada application, even if you apply online.
If you travel before or after applying for the PGWP, you’ll need to make sure you have a valid TRV or eTA to travel to Canada.
You can do one of the following:
If you meet the requirements above, you can work full-time after submitting your PGWP application online. Contact International Student Advising for assistance if you encounter some challenges.
So long as you apply before your study permit becomes invalid and within 90 days after your Letter of Completion becomes available, you'll be able to remain in Canada on maintained status until a decision is made on your PGWP.
If your study permit expires after you apply, you can still stay and work in Canada if you met the above requirements to work at the time of your application. Make sure to request an MSP extension while you are waiting for your PGWP, since your MSP expires on the same date your study permit expires.
You can continue to use the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) you’ve received as a student until the expiry date, even if you’ve finished studies. If your TRV will expire soon, you will need to wait until your PGWP is approved, then submit a separate application for a TRV, since TRVs are not issued automatically when you apply for a work permit inside Canada. In general, it is best to get your new TRV before leaving Canada but this will depend on your circumstances.
Be sure to review our step-by-step PGWP tutorial to prepare your application.
Complete the Canvas application review course to go over required documents, learn how to fill out the form, avoid common mistakes, and be ready to submit your application.
You may use the Canadian mailing address of a trusted friend in your application. It must be a friend who does not live in UBC student housing since mail may be returned. Once your work permit is received, ask a friend to send you a digital copy and mail the original to you. If you apply while inside Canada, note that your work permit start date will typically be the same day it is approved and will be mailed to the Canadian address included on the application form.
If you’ve met the above requirements to work after applying, you can work while waiting for your PGWP after returning, even if your study permit has expired. Review scenarios when you return to Canada.
If your TRV expires before you plan to return, you can apply for a TRV online from outside of Canada with a digital copy of your work permit once your PGWP is approved. Review our step-by-step TRV tutorial, then review the TRV from outside of Canada guide since your application will be slightly different. Be sure to upload any additional documents required by your visa office in the ‘Client Information’ section—select your country under the "apply on paper" section then see the visa office instructions PDF. Note that processing times for a TRV outside of Canada may be very long and could delay your return to Canada.
You can apply for a PGWP online from outside of Canada within 180 days after your letter of completion first became available, even if the following is true:
Review our step-by-step PGWP tutorial, the Canvas application review course, then review the IRCC work permit outside of Canada guide since your application will be slightly different. Be sure to include any additional documents required by your visa office in the “Client Information” section. After selecting “online”, select your country, then see the visa office requirements PDF, if available. If you have not previously provided biometrics, you will need to provide them when applying from outside of Canada. If you have been in a designated country for more than 6 months, or intend to work in certain jobs, you will need a medical exam.
If you require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), it will be issued automatically after your PGWP application has been approved since it is an outside-of-Canada application.
After you receive your PGWP approval (letter of introduction), your letter will indicate the date by which you need to travel to Canada, which is typically the length of the PGWP for which you are eligible. Once you travel to Canada and present your letter of introduction for your work permit to the officer on arrival in Canada, your work permit should be issued for the full length of PGWP for which you are eligible.
If your contact information changes after submitting your application, be sure to update it via IRCC’s webform.
If your study permit expires after you apply and you are on maintained status, you must take action on your health insurance.
If you did not get the full length of your PGWP due to your passport’s expiry date, see the section above for details.
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