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As an international student, you havemany opportunities to gain valuable work experience in Canada once you graduate.Aapplication may be an option after your degree if you continuously studied full-time in Canada, with the exception of part-time registration in yourfinalterm,and meet the other.A job offer is not one of the application requirements.
IRCC requires that less than 50% of the program’s total coursesbe completed through) and states that only time spent studying in Canada counts towards the length of the PGWP. However,temporary changes were madedue to the COVID-19 pandemic. You still need a valid study permit to study online in Canada.
- You are still eligible for the PGWP if from March 2020 to the end of spring 2020 term, you had to drop your study or co-op work term or studied part-time. If this applies to you, you should address thisin a letter of explanation in your PGWP application.
- Due to the previous impacts of COVID-19, IRCC introduced facilitative PGWP measures for remote learning:
- For those who started their degree studies before August 31, 2022:
- PGWP Eligibility – You may complete 100% of your program online from outside of Canada from March 2020 to August 31, 2022.
- PGWP Length – The time spent studying outside of Canada before December 31, 2023, won’t be deducted from the length of your PGWP.
- For those who started their degree studies between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2024:
- PGWP Eligibility – You must complete 50% of your program inside Canada (either online or in-class).
- PGWP Length – The time spent studying outside of Canada before August 31, 2024, won’t be deducted from the length of your PGWP (as long as it constitutes less than 50% of your program of study).
- Please note: You must have applied for your study permit before you began a term from outside Canada if you wish to use that term towards PGWP eligibility under these facilitative PGWP measures.
- Distance Learning from Inside Canada: If your in-class courses are moved online due to the pandemic, time spent studying online in Canada will count towards the length of the PGWP until August 31, 2024.
- For those who started their degree studies before August 31, 2022:
If you've taken any irregular terms offor studied part-time prior to your final term, you will need to include a letter of explanation in your applicationand we strongly recommend youspeak with one of our immigration consultantsbefore applying.
Please note: If you are a graduate student completing your thesis within the first few weeks of the term before the 100% refund date, then the term will usually show up on your official final transcript. Therefore, if you are considering changing to part-time enrolment in your anticipated final term, please make sure that you are able to complete your thesis and become degree-awarded within that term. Otherwise, having a part-time term on your transcript that is not your final term could make you ineligible for a PGWP.
Our team of Immigration Consultants is here to help you with your application! Please book an appointment with our team for an application review to not risk a refusal on your application. You can book a same day appointment on or contact us via webform requesting an appointment.