Work permit after studying in Canada
With a graduate work permit or post-study work permit (PGWP) in Canada, which is a type of self-employed work permit, individuals who have studied at a Canadian licensed educational institution (DLI) can work in a variety of occupations (ranging from Job 0, A or B) to work full-time or part-time. After gaining at least one year of full-time work experience in Canada, these people can apply for permanent residence through the Canadian Work Experience Immigration Program (CEC) in the Express Entry system.
With a Graduate Work Permit (PGWP), job applicants are exempt from obtaining a Certificate of No Adverse Impact on the Labor Market (LMIA). Graduates can apply for a graduate work permit up to 180 days after completing their studies.
Application conditions for graduate work permit ( PGWP )
Graduates of authorized institutions can apply for a graduate work permit if they meet one of the following conditions.
- Their study permit is still valid.
- Before the expiration of the study permit, apply for a temporary residence card (visitor record) and change your residence status from student to visitor and wait for graduation. It is worth mentioning that during the waiting period, these people are not allowed to start working and they have to wait until they receive the graduate work permit.
- Before the expiration of the study permit, change their residence status to visitor or renew their study visa and have an implied status in terms of the type of residence in Canada.
Starting to work before receiving a graduate work permit ( PGWP )
People who apply for a graduate work permit before the expiration of their study permit, if they meet all the following conditions, are allowed to start working before receiving the work permit.
- At the time of applying for a work permit, graduates must have a valid study permit.
- have completed their course of study.
- have working conditions outside the educational institution (off campus).
4) They have not worked more than the allowed hours.
Expiration of study permit
If the study permit expires (past its validity period), one of these two things must be done.
- He returned to his country and from there applied for the work permit of the graduates.
- He took action to get the residence status (restoration) again as a student. At the same time, you should apply for a graduate work permit.
Validity period of graduate work permit ( PGWP )
The validity period of the graduate work permit depends on the duration of study and is between 8 months and a maximum of 3 years. The validity period cannot exceed the validity period of the passport. If the validity date of the passport expires, it is necessary to apply again to obtain a work permit for graduates.
Usually, when the duration of study is between 8 months and less than 2 years, the validity period of the work permit of graduates will be equal to the duration of education, and if the duration of study is more than 2 years, the validity period of the work permit of graduates will be 3 years.
Distance Learning
Under normal circumstances, distance learning or online students in Canada or outside of Canada are not eligible for a student work permit. If less than 50% of the courses are distance learning or online, you can apply for a work permit for the graduates, in which case the validity period is equal to the entire study period. However, if the distance or online education department is outside of Canada, this period is not included in determining the validity of the graduate’s work permit.
If the training course has a part that is completed outside of Canada, the student is eligible to receive a graduate work permit, but the time spent outside Canada is not included in determining the validity of the graduate work permit.
Spouse’s work permit
The spouse of a person who has a graduate work permit (PGWP) can apply for an open work permit.
