Post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) are open work permits given to international students who graduate from a Canadian Study Program. PGWPs allow the holder to work for any employer, for as many hours they wish, anywhere in Canada.
PGWP’s are valid for between eight months to three years and are a great way to obtain valuable Canadian work experience. Once an applicant has work experience in Canada, it opens a lot of opportunities to obtain Canadian permanent residence.
Unlike most Canadian work permits, the PGWP does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). PGWPs enable eligible graduates to gain valuable Canadian work experience. With enough work experience in Canada, many foreign nationals become eligible for Canada’s permanent residency programs, including one of the following pathways:
If you want to extend your stay in Canada as an open work permit (stay in Canada longer), you need to qualify first.
To qualify applicants must:
Foreign nationals who are looking to work in Canada are most likely to obtain a closed work permit with or without Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This is also called and referred as Employer-specific Work Permit.
Canadian Work Permit, or a Work Visa, is issued to eligible overseas individuals to work in the country for a specific period of time.
Applicants need to apply for a Work Visa only after getting a job offer or an employment contract from a Canadian employer. The employer must obtain from ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment), which gives them permission to recruit foreign skilled workers for occupations that cannot be filled in by citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
This work permit allows you to work according to the conditions on your work permit, which include:
