Post Graduate Work Permit Canada — Being one of the most immigration friendly countries in the world, Canada pulls international students from all over the world who wish to stay back in Canada after finishing their studies there. The booming job market, strong economy, high standard of living, quality education and beautiful landscape all around are some of the key reasons why students want to settle in Canada after study. And, post graduate work permit, Canada, is one of the ways to get the opportunity to move towards permanent residency in Canada.
I-765 we have covered the details about post graduate work permit (Canada). The details include information about visa rules an international student needs to follow in order to acquire post graduate work permit in Canada.
Highlighted below are types of work permits the students can obtain in order to work post study in Canada.
Types of work permits in Canada
Post-graduation work permit (PGWP)
Graduate from a designated learning institution* (DLI) of Canada
Application fee CAD 255
Processing time: 97 days (online), 108 days (paper)
Maximum validity of 3 years
2. Open work permit
A work permit which is not job-specific and allows candidates to work for any employer in Canada
Processing time of visa application depends on the condition the applicant applies under
3. Employer-specific work permit
It allows candidates to work for a specific employer for a specified duration of time.
Processing of application takes up to 5 weeks
* Designated Learning Institution (DLI) is an educational institution in Canada approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students.
If you wish to know about the cost of living in Canada for international students, click here.
Now that we have a basic knowledge of Canadian work permits, let’s read in detail about the Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP) that most of the Indian students opt for after finishing their studies in Canada.
Post Graduate Work Permit (Canada) — Eligibility & Validity of the Work Permit
In order to get a post graduate work permit (Canada), the candidates must have graduated from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). Though not all DLIs make the students eligible for PGWP, students must make sure before joining the institute that they will be eligible for post graduate work permit after graduating from it. Highlighted below are some important facts that can help international students in obtaining a post graduate work permit in Canada.
The international students pursuing higher education in Canada need to know that they must apply for the post graduate work permit within 180 days of getting the final marks from their school if they wish to stay longer in Canada. Also, their study permit should be valid during these 180 days.
To be eligible for PGWP, the students must have maintained full-time status as a student in Canada and the study program should lead to a degree, diploma or certificate.
As for the validity of PGWP, it depends on the length of the student’s study program. If the duration of the study program is less than 8 months, the students are not eligible for PGWP. If the course duration is of more than 8 months but less than 2 years, the students may be granted a post graduate work permit for up to the same length as the study program. In case, the duration of the candidate’s study program is of 2 years or more, the PGWP may be granted for a period of 3 years.
If the student has completed more than one course in Canada, he/she may get a PGWP that combines the length of each course provided the courses are PGWP-eligible and are of at least 8 months long.