Study permit to Post-Graduation Work Permit: the student route and the bridge to Canadian experience

Eligibility requirements

• Study permit: a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution, which post-secondary institutions must validate with IRCC; a provincial or territorial attestation letter in most cases (a Quebec Acceptance Certificate for Quebec); proof of funds for living expenses, which for applications on or after 1 September 2026 is CAD 23,448 per year for a single applicant outside Quebec, plus tuition and transport; and satisfying the officer that the applicant will leave at the end of the stay.
• PGWP programme: graduation from a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution after a programme of at least eight months (900 hours in Quebec) studied full-time, with part-time allowed only in the final semester. Programmes delivered by a private college under licence from a public college are generally excluded for programmes begun after 15 May 2024.
• PGWP language: for applications on or after 1 November 2024, CLB 7 in all four abilities for university graduates (bachelor's, master's, doctoral and other university programmes) and CLB 5 for college, polytechnic and other non-university graduates.
• PGWP field of study: bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates are exempt. Other graduates whose study permit application was submitted on or after 1 November 2024 must have studied in an eligible field linked to long-term shortage occupations, identified by six-digit CIP code. Eligibility is tested at the study permit or PGWP application date.
• PGWP timing: apply within 180 days of confirmation of completion, with a study permit that was valid at some point in those 180 days. A person may receive only one PGWP in a lifetime.
• Exclusions: English or French as a second language, general-interest courses, non-credit programmes, programmes more than 50% by distance learning, and institutions in Canada that are not Canadian.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• The validated letter of acceptance and the provincial or territorial attestation letter (or CAQ for Quebec), obtained after accepting the offer and paying tuition in part or full where the province requires it.
• Proof of funds at the current IRCC figure for the applicant and any accompanying family members, plus first-year tuition and transport, with provenance for recent deposits.
• A letter of explanation setting out the study plan and the applicant's understanding of the conditions of a study permit.
• Passport, photographs, and where required a medical examination and police certificates.
• For the PGWP, the official transcript and completion letter from the institution, approved language test results, and the study permit showing validity during the 180-day window.
• For the Canadian Experience Class later, employment letters, pay records and tax slips distinguishing post-graduation work from any work during studies.

How to apply

1. 01

   Choose the programme with the PGWP in mind

   Check that the institution and the specific programme are PGWP-eligible, that the level sets the language requirement the student can meet, and, for non-degree programmes, that the CIP code is on the eligible-field list at the time of the study permit application.

2. 02

   Secure acceptance and the attestation letter

   Accept the offer and pay the deposit the province requires to obtain the attestation letter. Quebec uses the CAQ. Timelines for attestation letters vary by province and affect the intake the student can meet.

3. 03

   Apply for the study permit

   File with the acceptance, attestation letter, funds and explanation. Officers assess genuineness and the intention to leave; a study plan unconnected to the applicant's background invites refusal.

4. 04

   Study full-time and keep status

   Maintain full-time enrolment each semester, observe the work limits attached to the permit, and extend the permit before expiry if the programme runs longer than planned.

5. 05

   Apply for the PGWP within 180 days

   Take the language test early. File from inside Canada where possible; a student whose permit expires before marks are issued may apply for a visitor record, or leave and apply from outside. A lapsed permit requires restoration first.

6. 06

   Build the bridge to permanent residence

   Work in a TEER 0 to 3 occupation for the equivalent of one year (1,560 hours) within three years, then assess the Canadian Experience Class and any provincial stream. From 3 November 2026, Canadian experience in high-wage occupations earns additional Labour Market Integration points.

After approval & family planning

• A spouse or partner of a student may apply for an open work permit only where the student is in a master's programme of 16 months or longer, a doctoral programme or a listed professional programme; spouses of other students are no longer eligible under the January 2025 changes. Minor children may attend school.
• A PGWP is an open work permit; the graduate may work for any employer, but the Canadian Experience Class excludes self-employment and work performed during full-time study.
• The PGWP cannot be extended beyond the passport's validity or renewed after it ends; sequencing the permanent-residence application, or a bridging open work permit once an application is in process, is the usual next step.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. A development programme for successors may place a participant in Canadian graduate study before a managerial role with a qualifying affiliate; where the participant later holds such a role for a year, the transfer and Express Entry routes may be assessed. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• Planning should run backwards from the Canadian Experience Class: programme level, language score and the post-graduation occupation determine whether the route ends in permanent residence or in a return home.
• Proof-of-funds figures, attestation-letter procedures and institution eligibility changed repeatedly between 2024 and 2026; verify each at the point of application.