The application period for international students to apply for Canada Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) has been extended to six months. Earlier, the students hoping to remain in Canada after their studies were supposed to apply for the Post-Graduation Work Permit within 90 days after the final marks were issued.
Another significant change introduced in the PGWP rule is that it is no longer required for international students to have a valid study permit to apply for the work permit. According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the study permit must only have been valid “at some point” during the 180-day period for submitting the application.
The validity of the Post-Graduation Work Permit is in correspondence to the duration of the student’s academic program. As a valid study permit is no longer a requirement to apply for the work permit, the students have ample time to obtain the necessary documents without the stress of an expired permit.
Canada Post-Graduation Work Permit
Canada Post-Graduation Work Permit is an open work permit that allows international graduates of eligible Canadian Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) to work in Canada for an maximum period of three years after their studies. A major eligibility criterion to apply is that the study program pursued by the applicant must be at least eight months long. However, the applicants are not required to have a job offer at the time of application. After obtaining the work permit, international graduates can work anywhere in Canada in any occupation and change employers at any time.
Earning Canadian work experience in occupations included in the skill level A or B or skill type 0 under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) with a PGWP can help students qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian Experience Class.
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