Beginning on 15th February 2024, international students studying Master’s courses under 24 months qualify for a three-year post-graduation work permit (PGWP).
Before this date, the duration of an allocated Post Graduation Work Permit was related to the duration of a course of study. Hence, in the identification that Master’s students are set to execute well in Canada’s labor market, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has selected to extend the qualification for these students to obtain longer work permits.
The duration of allocated post-graduation work permits for students in courses of study other than at the Master’s level will align with the duration of study courses to a maximum of three years.
Students in courses at Post Graduation Work Permit qualified assigned learning institutions are the only institutions in Canada endorsed to approve international students that are at least 24 24-months in duration are as well prepared for a longer, three-year Post Graduation Work Permit.
In the coming weeks, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will also improve laws for spousal work permits for international students at the undergraduate level. This implies that only spouses of students at the Master’s and post-graduate levels will be qualified to obtain a spousal work permit. This change will not affect spousal open work permits for the partner or common-law partners of Canadian nationals or permanent residents.
The Post-graduation Work Permit Qualification Measures
To be qualified for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, international students are required to:
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- Have concluded studies in an educational, professional, or occupational internship course at least eight months long and a qualified designated learning institution.
- Have studied in a course that resulted in a certificate, diploma, or degree
- Possessed full-time student status in Canada during every educational year of the course or courses of studies concluded, which must be demonstrated on the Post Graduation Work Permit application with specific exemptions permitted.
- Have obtained a transcript and an official letter from a qualified designated learning institution verifying that the candidate has satisfied the conditions to conclude their course of study, which must be attached to the Post Graduation Work Permit application.
- Have concluded studies from a public post-secondary school, which include:
- University
- College
- CEGEP for Quebec residents
- Trade or technical institution
- Private schools in Canada can grant degrees under provincial rules. For instance, Associate, Doctorate, Master’s, or Bachelor’s degree; however, only if the student was registered in a study course that results in a degree as endorsed by the region.
- Private secondary or post-secondary institution in Quebec that provides eligible courses of 900 hours or longer and leads to the issuance of a diplome d’etudes professionnelles (DEP) or an Attestation de specialization professionnelle (ASP)
- Private post-secondary institutions in Quebec that function under the same laws as public institutions in Quebec.
Any of these academic organizations is required to be a designated learning institution.
Note:In September 2024, students going to a course that makes use of a curriculum licensing structure, which is a process where a private college has been certified to provide the curriculum of an associated public institution, will no longer be qualified to make an application for a Post Graduation Work Permit.
