Post-Graduation Work Permit Cheat Sheet

To be eligible for the PGWP, you must have completed a program that is at least 8 months in duration and have maintained continuous, full-time student status in every semester with the exception of your final semester.

• For undergraduate and non-thesis students, full-time means attempting a minimum of 12 credits per semester.
• Thesis students are considered to be full-time regardless of the number of credits they take per semester.

NOTE: If you did not maintain a full-time status in every semester of your program, with the exception of your final semester, contact ISS for assistance in submitting your application.

The deadline to submit your application is 180 days from the date you receive official confirmation of program completion OR 180 days from the date your study permit expires – whichever date comes first.

You will receive an official confirmation of program completion the date that the degree granted remark appears on your transcript (which usually occurs the day after Senate Steering Committee meets) OR the date you are issued a Post-Graduation Work Permit letter from Service Point - whichever comes first.

• The day after Senate meets is the day you are deemed to have received official confirmation of program completion. As of that day, you can download a Proof of Graduation Letter from your Minerva account (Minerva: Student Menu > Student Records > Letters-Proof of Enrolment > Proof of Enrolment/Graduation).

If you have requested a Post-Graduation Work Permit Letter from Service Point, it will be emailed directly to you.

• The date of issue of your letter is the day you are deemed to have received official confirmation of program completion. 

If you have been full-time in every semester of your program with the exception of your final semester and your study permit is valid, you can continue to work as per the on and off-campus work regulations until the day you receive official confirmation of program completion. Once you receive official confirmation of program completion, you must stop working.

You may resume working only after you either:

• have submitted an online PGWP application and are eligible to work while an online application is processing, or;
• have obtained your PGWP.

You can work while your application is processing if all of the following apply:

• You applied from inside Canada;
• You held a valid SP at the time you submitted your application;
• You were a full-time student in every semester (with the exception of your final semester; and
• You were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and you didn’t work more hours than you were allowed to.

If you do not meet all the requirements above, you cannot work while your application is processing – even if you receive an Acknowledgment of Receipt letter from Immigration Canada that says you can. You can only begin to work once your PGWP application has been approved.

• You can apply online from inside Canada, and if eligible, work while your application is processing; or
• You can apply from outside of Canada, and can only work in Canada once you have obtained your PGWP; or
• You can apply at a Port of Entry (POE) upon arrival to Canada – if eligible to do so. You must have all required documents with you. If you are “flagpoling”, you will need to show proof of your valid immigration status in Canada (e.g., a valid study permit or visitor record, or a copy of your pending study permit extension or visitor record application). You should also bring proof that you are able to support yourself in Canada while you look for work (e.g. recent bank statements, job offer, etc.).

If you are inside Canada on maintained status and wish to apply for your PGWP before your new study permit is issued, you must submit an application for your PGWP from outside Canada. Contact us for more information.

If you are inside Canada as a visitor and wish to apply for your PGWP, you must submit an application for your PGWP as if you were outside Canada. Contact us for more information.

If the type of job you plan on doing will bring you into close contact with “vulnerable people”, you may need to undergo a medical exam by a panel physician - even if you are not prompted to do so when submitting your PGWP application. Consult the Immigration Canada website for more details.