Who can apply

You aren’t eligible for a PGWP if you

• already received a PGWP
• studied English or French as a second language
• took general interest or self-improvement courses
• received funding or a scholarship from GAC that requires you to return to your home country after graduation
• completed over 50% of your study program through distance learning (online courses, e-learning or correspondence)
  • Note: You may still be eligible for a PGWP if you could only study online from outside Canada because of COVID-19.
• completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada
• completed a course or program of study at a DLI that is not PGWP-eligible
  • This includes programs delivered on behalf of a PGWP-eligible DLI through a curriculum licensing agreement (also known as public-private partnerships, or P3s). Check the exceptions below.

If you complete your study program in less time than the normal length of the program, you may be eligible for a PGWP that is valid for the full length of your program.

For example, if you complete a 1-year study program in 8 months, you may be able to get a PGWP valid for 1 year.

Distance learning from outside of Canada

You can complete up to 100% of your studies online from outside Canada between March 2020 and August 31, 2022, because of a temporary COVID-19 policy. This temporary policy was in place until August 31, 2022.

You’re eligible for this temporary policy if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You’re enrolled in a PGWP-eligible program.
• You were outside Canada and did not travel to Canada because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but were still able to take online courses.
• You began a program of study between March 2020 and August 31, 2022, or your program was already in progress in March 2020.
• You have a study permit or approval for a study permit, or you applied for a study permit for which you are eventually approved prior to starting your program.
  • You can count the time you spent studying after you submitted your initial study permit application, even if it’s refused, as long as you submit another application that is eventually approved before you finish your study program.
• You meet all other PGWP eligibility criteria.

This temporary policy changed as of September 1, 2022.

To find out if these changes apply to you and how, check the date

• that you started your program of study
• on the study permit application receipt that we sent you

Whichever date comes first is the lock-in date that applies to you. Next, check the rules for distance learning for your lock-in date.

What doesn’t count toward the length of your PGWP

You can’t count the following time toward the length of a PGWP:

• time spent studying online from outside Canada after August 31, 2024
• time spent studying before you applied for a study permit

Distance learning from inside Canada

If your courses were moved online due to the pandemic, the time you spent studying online from within Canada until August 31, 2024 , still counts toward the length of your PGWP.

The temporary policy change for in-Canada students studying online ended on August 31, 2024.

These agreements allow students to graduate from a program that was delivered by a private career college on behalf of a public PGWP-eligible institution. These programs are not PGWP-eligible in most cases (check exceptions below).

You may not be eligible for a PGWP if

• you take an unauthorized leave from your study program and
• we find that you didn’t meet the conditions of your study permit by taking this leave

There are a few cases where you may be able to take an authorized leave of up to 150 days from your study program and still meet the conditions of your study permit. You need to provide proof that your DLI authorized the leave when you apply for a PGWP.

Find out what counts as an authorized leave from your studies.

If you transferred between designated learning institutions (DLIs)

The length of your studies must be at least 8 months for you to be eligible.

If you transferred from a non-DLI to a DLI

Only the time you spent studying at the DLI will be counted. You must spend at least 8 months at the DLI to be eligible for a PGWP.

If your study program has an overseas component, you may be eligible for a PGWP as long as you earn a credit from a Canadian school for it. The PGWP will only be valid for the length of the time you studied in Canada.

When you apply for a PGWP, you must include

• an official letter from the school that confirms the length of the study program and the program code, and either
  • the certificate or official document that confirms that you completed your program or
  • an official transcript from a Quebec school board or recognized private school

Language requirement:

You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas.

Find out what your language level is based on your language test results.

Program length requirement:

If you’re attending a DLI in Quebec, your program must be 900 hours or longer.

If you’re attending a DLI in Canada but outside of Quebec, your program must be 8 months or longer.

Field of study requirement:

There are no field of study requirements for university graduates with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree.

Language requirement:

You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas.

Find out what your language level is based on your language test results.

Program length requirement:

If you’re attending a DLI in Quebec, your program must be 900 hours or longer.

If you’re attending a DLI in Canada but outside of Quebec, your program must be 8 months or longer.

Field of study requirement:

If you submitted your study permit application before November 1, 2024, there are no field of study requirements.

If you submitted your study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, you must have graduated in an eligible field of study.

Language requirement:

You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 5 in French in all 4 language areas.

Find out what your language level is based on your language test results.

Program length requirement:

If you’re attending a DLI in Quebec, your program must be 900 hours or longer.

If you’re attending a DLI in Canada but outside of Quebec, your program must be 8 months or longer.

Field of study requirement:

If you submitted your study permit application before November 1, 2024, there are no field of study requirements.

If you submitted your study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, you must have graduated in an eligible field of study.

If you graduated from a flight school, you must also meet one of the following requirements:

• You completed a flight training course at a DLI training centre and now have a Canadian commercial pilot’s license or
• You have or are in the process of getting an instructor’s rating and a job offer as a flight instructor from a DLI flight training centre

Language requirement:

There are no language requirements for graduates from a PGWP eligible flight school.

Program length requirement:

Your program must be either:

• 8 months or longer, or
• 900 hours or longer

Field of study requirement:

There are no field of study requirements for flight school graduates.

You’re eligible to apply if you meet all other eligibility requirements and are a graduate living in Canada.

Don’t let your status expire while you wait for your marks

If your study permit will expire before you get your marks, you have 2 options. You can either

• apply for a visitor record to stay in Canada longer or
• leave Canada and apply for your PGWP

If you stay in Canada and let your permit expire, you must apply to restore your status as a student to apply for your PGWP. To restore your status, you must pay additional fees.

To apply for a PGWP as a graduate outside of Canada, you must meet all other eligible requirements and the following requirements:

• You have a valid study permit
• You were enrolled in a program that was in progress in March 2020 or
• You started a program between spring 2020 and summer 2022 and
  • you have a study permit
  • you’ve been approved for a study permit or
  • you applied for a study permit before starting your study program
    • Your study permit must eventually be approved.

Only the time you spent studying outside Canada after we received your study permit application counts towards the length of your PGWP.

If you completed your study program in Canada, you may also leave and then apply for your PGWP from outside Canada.

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is used to classify post-secondary education programs according to field of study in Canada.

Follow these steps to find more information about the CIP codes and see if a program you’re interested in or planning on pursuing is eligible for a PGWP.

1. Go to the Statistics Canada webpage for the 2021 CIP (opens in a new tab) .
2. Search for keywords related to your program, based on the title and description, in the search bar above the table section and select the 6-digit code (class) most applicable to your program.
   • Program titles can be broad. Review and refer to the class description, illustrative examples and exceptions to ensure your program matches the given class.

3. To be eligible for a PGWP, your program needs to belong to one of the 6-digit CIP codes listed in the table on this page.

   Or

1. Go to the Statistics Canada webpage for the 2021 CIP (opens in a new tab) .
2. Navigate through the available 2-digit codes (series) links in the main table and choose the one that is most applicable to your program. If you’re not sure which 2-digit code (series) is most relevant, use the “display definitions” button above the table to learn more about each subseries.
3. Choose the relevant 4-digit code (subseries) most aligned to your program.
   • If you’re not sure which 4-digit code (subseries) is most relevant, use the “display definitions” button above the table to learn more about each subseries.
4. On the final table page, you’ll see a list of 6-digit codes (classes). Review the classes that may align with your program and select the class that is most applicable to your program.
   • Program titles can be broad. Review and refer to the class description, illustrative examples and exceptions to ensure your program matches the given class.
5. To be eligible for a PGWP, your program needs to belong to one of the 6-digit CIP codes listed in the table on this page.

Contact your DLI for more information about the program and applicable 6-digit CIP codes if you have any questions.

Learn more about CIP Canada and how it’s used (opens in a new tab) .