There are alternative ways to obtain legal status to work in Canada for recent and upcoming graduates who will no longer eligible for post-graduation work permits or those whose PGWPs are about to expire.
Recent international graduates may want to consider some of the following work permit options:
- Free-trade agreement-based work permits;
- International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits;
- Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) work permits;
- Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) work permits;
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominee or candidate work permits.
- Spousal open work permit – post-secondary studies;
- Spousal open work permit – family sponsorship.
For a high-level summary of these options, see the table below:
| Work Permit Type | Summary of main eligibility criteria |
| Free-trade agreement based | -Must be a foreign national from a country with a free trade agreement with Canada. -Eligibility will vary depending on the agreement. |
| International Experience Canada (IEC) | -Must be foreign national from a country with a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada. -Must be aged 35 or younger (30 for some countries). |
| Temporary Foreign Worker Program | -Your employer must have a positive or neutral labour-market-impact assessment (LMIA). -Your employer must meet various other criteria, depending on the stream. |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | -You must have a job offer and your employer must sponsor you for the AIP. -The province must endorse your job offer. |
| Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidate work permits | -Must be a candidate for a PNP program. -Requirements vary depending on the PNP. |
| Spousal open work permit – post-secondary studies | -Your spouse must be enrolled in a qualifying program at a Canadian post-secondary institution. |
| Spousal open work permit – family sponsorship | -Your spouse must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and must have sponsored you for a submitted permanent residence application. |
Once you’ve finished your studies, can you work after applying for a work permit?
You can begin working full-time as soon as your study program is over, as long as you fulfill the following requirements:
- You were authorized to work off campus during your studies;
- You’ve applied for a work permit before your study permit expired; and
- You’re awaiting a decision on your work permit application.
You must have a valid status in Canada in order to apply for a work permit from within Canada.
International Experience Canada
International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits may provide another option for some foreign nationals.
To be eligible for an IEC work permit, you must be
- A citizen of a country with a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada; and
- Aged less than the cut-off age for “youth” (either 35 or 30, depending on the country).
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
You might wish to think about applying for a work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) if you are ineligible for an IEC or FTA-based work visa.
Because TFWP work permits are employer-specific (closed), they only allow you to work for the company listed on the document.
You will need your employer’s assistance in order to obtain a TFWP work permit, and your employer is obliged to perform a labor market impact assessment (LMIA) with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
The outcome of this LMIA must be positive or neutral, indicating that ESDC has concluded that employing a foreign person for that position will not have a detrimental effect on the Canadian labor market.
To go through the LMIA process, your business might need to post the job. Depending on the TFWP stream, they will additionally need to fulfill a few other conditions.
The TFWP’s Global Talent Stream enables firms in specific professions to forego job advertising and expedites the processing of your work permit application.
Processing of LMIAs for the low-wage stream of the TFWP for jobs in census metropolitan areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate ESDC has halted more than 6% as of September 26, 2024.
What is the post-graduation work permit (PGWP)?
Foreign nationals who have completed post-secondary education in Canada are eligible to apply for an open work permit known as the post-graduation work permit (PGWP).
Depending on the length of your program, you might qualify for a PGWP that lasts up to three years if you’ve completed an appropriate program from a designated learning institution (DLI).
Who is no longer eligible for PGWPs?
You may no longer qualify for a PGWP, even though you initially enrolled in a program at a Canadian post-secondary institution with the hope of being eligible for one after finishing your studies.
The Canadian federal government has modified the PGWP eligibility requirements as of November 1, 2024. No longer eligible for post-graduation work permits.
Graduates of almost all full-time post-secondary programs at DLIs longer than eight months may be eligible for a PGWP for applications submitted before November 1, 2024.
If you applied after November 1, 2024, and were enrolled in a college or university vocational program, you will only be eligible for a PGWP if your field of study fits one of the demands of the Canadian labor market.
There are no such field of study requirements for PGWP eligibility in university bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs.
*Language studies, such as learning English or French as a second language, are an exception to the eligibility requirements.
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