Canadian immigration program
Post-Graduation Work Permit
The Post-Graduation Work Permit lets eligible graduates of designated Canadian institutions work in Canada after their studies. Eligibility depends on the program of study, the institution and timing rules that IRCC revises periodically. The requirements below are quoted from the current IRCC guidance and link back to it.
Sources on this page last verified Jul 17, 2026.
Eligibility criteria
The requirements below are drawn directly from the governing regulation and IRCC program guidance for Post-Graduation Work Permit. Each is anchored to the verbatim source text, not a paraphrase, so you can read the rule as it is written and follow it to the official page.
“You have **up to 180 days** after you graduate to apply for a PGWP.”
“you apply for your PGWP within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program of study”
“In most cases, you should pay a biometrics fee **when you submit your application**.”
“proof that you’ve completed your studies”
“proof that you've completed your studies”
“Graduates of certain designated learning institutions are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).”
“Your proof must be from a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution (DLI) and program”
“for graduates who apply for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024, proof that you graduated in an eligible field of study (if applicable)”
“**Make sure you pay both the open work permit holder fee and the work permit fee.**”
“you must have graduated in an eligible field of study”
“you must graduate in an eligible field of study”
“You completed a flight training course at a DLI training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot's license”
“You have or are getting an instructor's rating and have a job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre”
“you maintained full-time status as a student in Canada during each semester of your study program”
“proof that you were enrolled in full-time studies for a program that was 8 months or longer”
“for applications submitted on or after November 1, 2024, proof of language ability (if applicable)”
“You **must include this proof** with your application if it’s a requirement for your [study program](/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation/eligibility.html#education-level).”
“You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas”
“You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 5 in French in all 4 language areas”
“If you apply on or after November 1, 2024, you **must** provide proof of English or French language skills.”
“Your test results must be **less than 2 years old** when you submit your application.”
“you completed a program of study at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution that was at least 8 months long (or 900 hours for Quebec programs)”
“If you don’t change your status to visitor and your study permit expires, you have **up to 90 days** after your study permit expires to apply for a PGWP and restore your status as a student.”
“To restore your status as a student, you must - apply online for your PGWP and pay the correct fee ($255), **and** - pay the fee to restore your status as a student ($396.25)”
“your study permit was valid at some point during the 180 days after you completed your program of study”
“If you want to work in an occupational setting that requires a medical exam, you also need to complete an upfront medical exam.”
“proof of upfront medical exam (if applicable)”
“Your study permit must be **valid (not expired) at the time** you submit your application to be eligible to work in Canada while awaiting a decision on your PGWP application.”
Documents and eligibility gates
Every requirement below is quoted verbatim from the official source and linked back to it. Navisa reads and cites the governing text rather than restating a document name from memory. This is a reference summary, not immigration advice, and it does not replace review by a licensed RCIC.
Eligibility gate
“PGWP requires completion of an eligible Canadian program of study.”
Eligibility gatecollege_polytechnic_non_university
“You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 5 in French in all 4 language areas”
Eligibility gatebachelor_master_doctoral_degree
“You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas”
Eligibility gate
“If you apply on or after November 1, 2024, you **must** provide proof of English or French language skills.”
Eligibility gateflight_school
“You completed a flight training course at a DLI training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot's license”
Eligibility gatecollege_polytechnic_non_university
“you must have graduated in an eligible field of study”
Eligibility gate
“for graduates who apply for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024, proof that you graduated in an eligible field of study (if applicable)”
Eligibility gatepgwp
“Graduates of certain designated learning institutions are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).”
Eligibility gate
“In most cases, you should pay a biometrics fee **when you submit your application**.”
Eligibility gate
“**Make sure you pay both the open work permit holder fee and the work permit fee.**”
Eligibility gate
“for applications submitted on or after November 1, 2024, proof of language ability (if applicable)”
Eligibility gate
“If you want to work in an occupational setting that requires a medical exam, you also need to complete an upfront medical exam.”
Eligibility gate
“proof that you've completed your studies”
Eligibility gate
“Your proof must be from a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution (DLI) and program”
Eligibility gateflight_school
“You have or are getting an instructor's rating and have a job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre”
Eligibility gate
“you apply for your PGWP within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program of study”
Eligibility gate
“Your test results must be **less than 2 years old** when you submit your application.”
Eligibility gate
“proof that you were enrolled in full-time studies for a program that was 8 months or longer”
Eligibility gate
“you completed a program of study at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution that was at least 8 months long (or 900 hours for Quebec programs)”
Eligibility gate
“To restore your status as a student, you must - apply online for your PGWP and pay the correct fee ($255), **and** - pay the fee to restore your status as a student ($396.25)”
Eligibility gate
“Your study permit must be **valid (not expired) at the time** you submit your application to be eligible to work in Canada while awaiting a decision on your PGWP application.”
Eligibility gate
“If you don’t change your status to visitor and your study permit expires, you have **up to 90 days** after your study permit expires to apply for a PGWP and restore your status as a student.”
Eligibility gate
“you maintained full-time status as a student in Canada during each semester of your study program”
Eligibility gate
“your study permit was valid at some point during the 180 days after you completed your program of study”
Required document
“1 photo meeting the visa photo specifications”
Required document
“If the applicant took a period of leave that was authorized by their DLI at any time during their studies, they must include, with their application, documentation that proves the leave was authorized by the DLI.”
Required document
“proof that your DLI authorized the leave”
Required document
“You must pay the biometrics fee when you submit your application. Otherwise you may experience delays.”
Required documentflight_school
“Canadian commercial pilot’s license”
Required documentquebec_schools
“the certificate or official document that confirms that you completed your program or an official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school”
Required document
“confirmation that you completed your program of study”
Required documentpgwp
“certificate or official document that confirms that you completed your program”
Required document
“an official letter from the applicant’s DLI confirming that they have met the requirements to complete their program of study”
Required document
“To work in Canada after you graduate, you need a work permit. Graduates of certain designated learning institutions are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).”
Required document
“an education credential from the DLI”
Required documentpgwp_completion
“a degree, diploma or certificate from a credit-earning program”
Required documentpgwp
“an official transcript or a copy of your transcript from your school’s website”
Required document
“Study program requirements include both - proof of language skills - field of study requirements (if applicable)”
Required documentpgwp
“you must include proof that you graduated in an eligible field of study”
Required document
“if applicable, evidence that the applicant has completed a program in an eligible field of study”
Required document
“If you're required to provide proof that you graduated from an eligible field of study, you must upload it in the "Client information" section of your account.”
Required documentflight_school
“job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre”
Required document
“evidence that the applicant was enrolled in full-time studies in a program of study that was 8 months or longer, which will generally be their list of classes and marks in the form of an official transcript issued by their DLI or a transcript copy from their DLI’s website”
Required document
“upload a document with your results from the language averaging tool and an explanation of why you weren’t able to complete all sections of your language test in the “client information” section of your application”
Required document
“for PGWP applications submitted on or after November 1, 2024 (unless exempt), evidence demonstrating that they meet the minimum language level in the CLB in English or the NCLC in French for each of the 4 language skill areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking), as per the eligibility requirements”
Required document
“proof of language skills”
Required documentpgwp_language
“you must provide proof of English or French language skills”
Required document
“Language test results provided as proof of language proficiency must be: from an IRCC-approved test; less than 2 years old on the date of PGWP application”
Required document
“You must get a medical exam within 90 days of your arrival. You will need a chest X-ray and blood test.”
Required document
“proof of a medical exam”
Required document
“an official transcript issued by their DLI”
Required document
“a photocopy of your passport or travel document”
Required document
“Depending on your situation, you may need to pay third parties for: police certificates”
Required document
“When you apply for your PGWP, you need one of the following to prove you’ve completed your studies: - a degree, diploma or certificate from a credit-earning program (except flight school programs) - A credit-earning program gives official credits toward a degree, diploma or certificate at a college or university. - an official letter from your school - an official transcript or a copy of your transcript from your school’s website”
Required document
“If you have to meet a field of study requirement for your study program , you must include proof that you graduated in an [eligible field of study](/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation/eligibility/field-of-study.html) when submitting your PGWP application.”
Required document
“When you apply for your PGWP, you must prove that you were enrolled in full-time studies. You can prove this by submitting - an official transcript issued by your DLI - a copy of your official transcript from your DLI’s website”
Required document
“If you apply on or after November 1, 2024, you **must** provide proof of English or French language skills.”
Required document
“proof that you've completed your studies”
Required document
“for graduates who apply for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024, proof that you graduated in an eligible field of study (if applicable)”
Required document
“proof that you were enrolled in full-time studies for a program that was 8 months or longer”
Required document
“for applications submitted on or after November 1, 2024, proof of language ability (if applicable)”
Required document
“proof of upfront medical exam (if applicable)”
Required documentquebec_vocational_graduates
“They have submitted an official letter from the institution outlining the duration of the program of study (in hours or months) to facilitate the processing and issuance of the PGWP and to confirm the duration of the work authorization.”
Required documentquebec_schools
“the certificate or official document that confirms that you completed your program”
Required documentquebec_vocational_graduates
“They include one of the following in the work permit application: the credential; an official attestation of program completion; an official transcript from a Quebec school board or private institution recognized by the MEES in support of the work permit application.”
Required documentquebec_schools
“an official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school”
Required documentquebec_schools
“an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program and the program code”
Required documentpgwp
“official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school”
Required document
“you must pay the fees to restore your status as a student online and attach a copy of the receipt to your PGWP online application”
Required documentpgwp_completion
“an official letter from your school”
Required documentquebec_schools
“an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program and the program code, and either the certificate or official document that confirms that you completed your program or an official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school”
Required documentpgwp
“your study permit was valid at some point during the 180 days after you completed your program of study”
Required document
“a transcript copy from their DLI’s website”
Required document
“If you want to work in an occupational setting that requires a medical exam, you also need to complete an upfront medical exam.”
Recent policy changes affecting this program
Tracked changes Navisa has tagged to this program, dated and cited to their official source.
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