Post-Graduation Work Permit FAQs

The PGWP is an open work permit that authorizes the holder to work in Canada. 

• No job offer is needed to apply.
• The work permit holder may work for almost any employer and is free to change jobs. 
• There are few restrictions on the type of work that is authorized and usually none on the location of work in Canada. Restrictions related to health care and other work where public health must be protected may be removed by passing an immigration medical exam.  

A person may be eligible for a PGWP after completing an eligible post-secondary program of study, provided they also meet all other eligibility criteria as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and as outlined at the IRCC website. They can have a PGWP only once in their lifetime.

A Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of a category of work permits that promote Canadian interests “for reasons of public policy relating to the competitiveness of Canada’s academic institutions”. Reference: IRPR 205(c) (iii)

IRCC’s list of Designated Learning Institutions confirms that Carleton University offers PGWP-eligible programs. 

• All of Carleton’s degree programs can make graduates eligible for a PGWP, with no restrictions based on field of study. 
• Carleton’s certificate and diploma programs may or may not make graduates eligible, depending on IRCC’s current field of study requirements. 

Most Carleton graduates can be eligible for a PGWP, but the work permit is not guaranteed by the choice of school and program. Students should ensure they know all the eligibility criteria. 

A few important points of eligibility that students should know about and keep in mind throughout their studies. 

• PGWP-eligible study must take place in Canada.
• Doing more than 50% of a program through online study (also called distance learning) makes a graduate ineligible for a PGWP. 
  • Sometimes online study results from a student’s choice of course or course section.
  • Sometimes online study is required by the program design. Please refer to your academic department for these details. 
• Part-time study makes a graduate ineligible for a PGWP, with these exceptions: part-time student during a scheduled break period; part-time study in one final term of the program.
• Unauthorized leaves from study, or any leave of more than 150 days
• At the time they apply for the PGWP, the graduate must have proof of English or French language abilities at the required level from an IRCC-approved testing organization. Learn more about language tests at the IRCC website. 

Carleton degree program graduates can be eligible for a three-year work permit, since  IRCC can issue a three-year PGWP if the applicant has completed an undergraduate program of at least two years in length, or a Master’s degree program of at least eight months in length, or a PhD. 

Diploma and certificate programs will be subject to different PGWP rules based on program length and field of study. 

You can apply for a Post-Graduation Work permit if you have applied to graduate and subsequently see all your final grades in your audit. At that time, you may obtain both a letter confirming program completion and a transcript from Carleton Central. These are the required school documents for all PGWP applications. 

Before applying, you will also need results from an accepted English or French language test showing you have the required skill levels. Find language test details at the IRCC website.

An application for the PGWP is made online through an IRCC secure account. The process is described on the IRCC website. The GO-ISSO provides a PGWP application guide with information specifically for Carleton students.  

Required documents for all applications are one main PDF application form (IMM 5710), program completion letter, final transcript, passport and language test results. Additional documents may be needed or recommended to satisfy the immigration officer that the applicant meets all points of eligibility for the work permit.

The 90-day rule refers to study permit validity, and the 180 days is the strict eligibility period to apply for a PGWP. The starting date for both of these rules is the date on your program completion letter from Carleton.

Your study permit remains valid until its expiry date or until 90 days from the date on your program completion letter, whichever comes first. Having a valid study permit makes you eligible to apply for the PGWP within Canada, and it’s also one of the requirements if you want to start working right away after applying for the work permit.

You are eligible to apply for the PGWP within 180 days of the date on your program completion letter. But if you are beyond 90 days, you will have to apply with restoration of status (because your study permit is no longer valid) or by using the outside of Canada application process (unless you happen to already have another valid work permit).

You can check current processing times at the IRCC website. Select “Temporary Residence (visiting, studying, working)” and then “Work Permit in Canada”. The processing time published here gives you a general idea. It is not a service guarantee. 

When an in-Canada application is approved, you will receive notification in your IRCC Secure Account. This notice includes the work permit number and expiry date. The work permit will be mailed to the mailing address that you provided in your application. 

You must have valid student status up until you are confirmed as eligible to graduate. At that point you have completed your program. 

It is strongly recommended that you have a study permit whose expiry date is at least 90 days after the end of your final school term: for example July 31 if your final term is Winter.  It is IRCC’s policy to issue study permits in this way, so that students can retain valid status in Canada while they are waiting for their final marks and applying for a PGWP or some other extension of temporary resident status. 

A full 90-day window of time after program completion is useful in case your final marks are delayed. This sometimes allows enough time to re-apply after an initial PGWP application is refused.  

It is best to apply for the extension early in the final term so that you have a new study permit in hand by the time your final marks are available. It is best to have a valid study permit, rather than maintained status, at the time you apply for a PGWP.

It isn’t required. But if you don’t do an immigration medical exam, your work permit will be issued with restrictions against working in jobs where public health must be protected. A list of such jobs appears within the online PGWP application and you will answer a question about whether you want to work in one of those areas.  

If you don’t want a restricted work permit, you must do an immigration medical exam. However, if you previously did an immigration medical exam within the past five years, you may be exempt for doing a new exam under a public policy that is in place until October 2029. 

If you took an “authorized leave from study” as defined by IRCC – such as a regularly scheduled break or a Leave of Absence of no more than 150 consecutive days – you should include an explanation and documentation to prove that you are still eligible for a PGWP. 

If you were exempt from study permit conditions during your break, you may still be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work permit. Examples are: you weren’t in Canada, or you qualified for an exemption from study permit conditions. Again, you must explain and document the situation for the officer. 

If you studied part-time during an academic term that was not a regularly scheduled break or your final term, you may not be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. Under some circumstances, two final part-time terms will be allowed. 

If extraordinary circumstances beyond your control prevented you from registering or studying full-time, you may wish to apply with a request that the officer exercise their discretion in your favour. IRCC’s PGWP rules do not include exceptions for compassionate reasons, and so officers do not have a lot of personal discretion. But if you have strong reasons supported by credible documentation, you will probably wish to try.

Some PGWPs include a remark that they were issued to passport expiry. 

You can apply for the residual portion of the PGWP when you have a new passport. Your eligibility was previously assessed, so if you have met the conditions of your status in Canada, the application for another work permit to make up the remainder of the three years should be approved. 

The IRCC website says you must do this type of application on paper, because the Secure Account is not programmed for PGWP “extensions”. However, it is possible to apply online. Contact the GO-ISSO for instructions.

If you are in Canada, still within the 180-day PGWP eligibility period, and your study permit has expired or become invalid within the last 90 days, you can apply for a PGWP with restoration of student status. 

You must pay additional application fees, but you don’t need to make a separate application and you won’t get a new study permit.

First pay the fees to restore your status as a student online in the IRCC payment portal. Select “Restore your status ($246.25) and get a new study permit ($150)” to pay a total of $396.25. Get the receipt from the payment portal and add it to your online PGWP application. Additionally, you will pay the usual PGWP application fees of $255 when you submit your application in the Secure Account.  

On application form IMM 5710, you should indicate your status in Canada as “other – out of status”.

If you are outside of Canada, you can apply for a PGWP anytime during the 180-day eligibility period. This application is automatically an application for a Temporary Resident Visa or an Electronic Travel authorization in addition to the work permit.

The work permit application form is IMM 1295 which doesn’t have a PGWP option. Select “open work permit” instead. The document list and eligibility assessment criteria are the same as for applicants applying in Canada.

When the application is approved, the applicant travels to Canada and the work permit is issued after examination at the Port of Entry. 

If you have been working, you must stop. 

If you made an error or omission in your application, you can re-apply if you are still within the 180-day eligibility period. If your study permit is no longer valid, you may have to apply from outside of Canada, or with restoration of status. 

If you feel the officer made an error in their decision, then you can request reconsideration by submitting an IRCC Web Form. This is a request that the officer re-open the file and have another look in light of the error you believe you have identified. 

Since the timing to get a response and the result of the request are both uncertain, if you are within the 180-day eligibility period, it would be a good idea to re-apply while you are also seeking reconsideration. If you are beyond the 180-day eligibility period, a successful reconsideration request might be the only option for getting the PGWP. 

Several options are:

• Get admission and a new study permit for another PGWP-eligible program of study. If you study at a college or in a university certificate or diploma program, ensure the program is in an eligible field of study. 
• Check if you are eligible for another type of work permit using IRCC’s online eligibility assessment questionnaire. 
• If your ultimate goal is permanent residence in Canada, you can return home and get work experience there. Foreign work experience can make you eligible for one of Canada’s skilled worker programs.

Your valid study permit* authorizes you to work until you have notification from Carleton that you are eligible to graduate. You must limit off-campus work to 24 hours per week during this period. Once you are notified of program completion, you must stop working both on- and off-campus. 

You can work full-time immediately after you submit your PGWP application if all of the following are true:

• Your study permit authorizes off-campus work
  • You did not work more than was authorized while you were studying
  • You applied for your PGWP while your study permit was still valid * 

If eligible as explained above, you may work until you receive a decision on your PGWP application. If the work permit application is not approved, you must stop working. 

* Your study permit is valid until its expiry date, or until 90 days after the date on your program completion letter, whichever comes first. 

Show your employer all these documents:

• Carleton program completion letter and /or final transcript
• Your study permit
• Your acknowledgement of receipt from submitting your online application 
• When you receive it through your IRCC Secure Account, a copy of your IMM 0127 letter which states you are authorized to work without a work permit for a period of time.

This letter says you can work until a certain date, but in fact you may be authorized to work beyond that if you are still waiting for a decision from IRCC. You can get an updated IMM 0127 by requesting it by IRCC web form.

Once you have a PGWP, show that to your employer and also update your Social Insurance Number’s expiry date at Service Canada. 

Your visa is a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). Even if it is coded S-1 or SW-1, it remains valid for travel to Canada until its expiry date, even if you are no longer studying. 

When you arrive in Canada, you must always state the purpose of your entry. You can explain and document, should it be needed, that you recently completed school and that you have applied for your PGWP, or that you were waiting for your final grades before applying, or whatever is the case. 

Entry to Canada is always at the discretion of the Canadian Border Services officer, but it is common for international students to visit home or take a vacation for several weeks after completing school, and before starting full-time employment. In most cases, provided they have a valid eTA or TRV, they may re-enter Canada without issue. See IRCC’s answer to this question here.

If you applied for a PGWP before leaving Canada and were authorized to work thereafter, you don’t lose that authorization due to leaving Canada. 

You can apply for a new visa as a returning worker. Refer to the GO-ISSO’s TRV application guide.

Students who complete studies in the Winter or Summer terms have UHIP coverage until August 31 of the year. Students who complete their programs in the Fall term have coverage only until December 31. 

UHIP coverage may be extended for up to six months. Contact the GO-ISSO’s UHIP coordinator to request extended coverage:  UHIP@carleton.ca. The fee will be added to your Carleton Student Account.