Step 3 of 5
Prepare for your post-graduation work permit
The post-graduation work permit is the bridge between studying and the skilled Canadian experience that PR is built on. You get one in your lifetime, there is a hard 180-day deadline, and several of the conditions were decided back when you enrolled.
The deadline
180 days from confirmation that you completed your programme
The clock starts when you receive confirmation of completion — typically your final transcript or completion letter — not on convocation day. You must also have held a valid study permit at some point during those 180 days.
Source: PGWP eligibility — canada.ca · checked
Language results take one to two weeks to arrive and the 180 days do not pause while you wait. Book the test before you graduate, not after.
Language
Since November 1, 2024, a PGWP application needs a language result. The level depends on what you studied, and it is measured on each of the four abilities — your weakest one decides.
| What you completed | Minimum level, all four abilities |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree | CLB / NCLC 7 |
| Other university programme | CLB / NCLC 7 |
| College or polytechnic programme | CLB / NCLC 5 |
Your test must be less than two years old when you apply. Convert your scores to CLB →
Field of study
Applies only if you applied for your study permit on or after November 1, 2024
If so, and you completed a college programme or a non-bachelor university programme, your field of study must appear on IRCC's eligible list. Bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates are exempt from this requirement entirely.
If your study permit application predates November 1, 2024, the requirement does not apply to you at all.
Source: PGWP eligibility — canada.ca · checked
Ask your registrar for your programme's CIP code and check it against the published list. Programme names vary between institutions; the CIP code is what IRCC matches on.
The institution trap
This is the requirement that ends the most plans, because it was decided the day you enrolled.
Curriculum licensing / public-private partnership programmes
Where a private college delivers a public college's curriculum under licence, PGWP eligibility depends on when you began the programme:
- Same-province partnerships: if you began after May 15, 2024, you are not eligible.
- Interprovincial partnerships: if you began after February 1, 2023, you are not eligible.
Private career colleges outside these arrangements are generally not PGWP-eligible at all. A private degree-granting institution is eligible only for the specific provincially authorised degree programme.
Source: PGWP eligibility — canada.ca · checked
Get your programme's arrangement and start date in writing from the college. "We're a public college partner" is a marketing sentence, not a status. The dates above are the test.
The rest of the conditions
- At least 8 months of programme length — or 900 hours for Quebec programmes.
- Full-time status every term, except your final one. An authorised leave is the exception, and you need the institution's approval letter to prove it.
- Not more than 50% of the programme completed online from outside Canada.
- One PGWP per lifetime. A second credential does not produce a second permit.
How long a permit you get
| Programme | Permit length |
|---|---|
| 8 months to under 2 years | Usually matches your programme length |
| 2 years or longer | 3 years |
| Master's degree, at least 8 months | 3 years |
Your passport caps it. A permit is only issued for the period your passport is valid. If your passport expires in a year, you get a year — even if you qualified for three. Renew the passport before you apply, then apply.
Run your situation through the PGWP checker →