POST-GRADUATION WORK PERMIT
A Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is an open work permit which
allows you to work following the completion of an eligible course of study.
You can only receive a PGWP once in your lifetime. If you have received a
PGWP previously, you will NOT be eligible for another one.
You must have a valid Study Permit to apply for a Post-Grad Work Permit.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TO MEET
WITH AN ISS IMMIGRATION ADVISOR:
E: [email protected]
P: 204-786-9064
If your SP will expire prior to graduation, you may be eligible to apply for a short Study Permit (SP) extension.
You must submit your application for the Post-Grad Work Permit within 90 days of when your final marks are issued
or you receive formal written notice of graduation from The University of Winnipeg, whichever comes first.
In order to be eligible for a PGWP, you must have been a full-time student continuously and taken the majority of
your courses in-person (not online).
We usually recommend that you hold at least 6 months of validity on your passport before you apply. A PGWP will not be
issued for longer than the expiry date on the passport.
If completing a program more than 8 months and less than 2 years, a PGWP can be
issued for the length of the program you’ve completed. For programs more than 2
years in duration, a PGWP can be issued for 3 years. If you have completed a program less than
8 months in duration, you are not eligible to apply for this type of work permit.
The application fee for a PGWP is $255 CDN.
You can apply for a PGWP online or by mail. This quick reference sheet provides
information only about online applications made in Canada.
Studies outside of Canada?: If
you have transferred credits from
outside of Canada to complete
your degree program, these
credits do not count when IRCC is
calculating the length of your
program.
In most cases, the following documents are required to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit:
□ Recent education transcripts and/or Graduation Letter
(Transcripts must be requested from Student Central or the PACE office following the release of final grades; Graduation Letters
may be requested from Student Central or at the PACE Office). You must provide documentation which confirms the
completion of the program of study, full-time status of program, type of program, and the length of the program of study.
Although IRCC only requests a transcript OR graduation letter, if you provide a document which does not contain all of the
required information, it can lead to application refusal. Therefore, in most cases, it is best to include both a transcript and
graduation letter.
□ Passport & Study Permit
(You must provide a clear, legible copy of your valid passport, showing all of the pages which contain your birth date, country of
origin, stamps, visas, or markings. You must also include a copy of your current Study Permit).
□ Digital Photo
(Must meet the required specifications (for more information please see ISS quick reference sheet, IRCC Online Applications &
Photo Specifications).
Go to the IRCC website at www.cic.gc.ca and login to your online (for more
information please see ISS quick reference sheet, IRCC Online Account &
Photo Specifications).
Click the Apply for ‘Visitor visa, study and/or work permit’ button found
under the heading ‘What would you like to do today?’.
Under the heading ‘I do not have a Personal Reference Code; select the link
‘Determine your eligibility and apply online for a visitor visa, study and/or
work permit.’
You will be taken to a screen, ‘Find Out if You’re Eligible to Apply.’
You will be asked to answer a series of questions by selecting options from a drop down menu.
Answer these questions in accordance with your personal information:
Students have trouble with some questions. Here are a few of the tough questions and the
necessary answers:
• What would you like to do in Canada? Select ‘Work.’
• How long are you planning to stay in Canada? Select ‘Temporarily- More than 6 months.’
• What is your current country of residence? Select ‘Canada.’
• What is your current immigration status in Canada? Select ‘Student.’
• Do you plan to work on campus? Select ‘No.’
• Are you a full-time student at a participating post-secondary institution and want to work
off-campus up to 20 hours per week? Select ‘No’.
• Have you recently graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution for
which your study program was full-time and a minimum of eight months? Select ‘Yes.’
• Is your work an essential part of your studies (for example, a Co-Op or internship
program)? Select ‘No’.
• Do you have a written job offer? Select ‘No.’*
• What is your province of destination? Select ‘Manitoba.’
NOTE: If you already have an
application in progress, you will need to
delete it in order to begin a new
application.
After answering the first
series of questions you will
be taken to a screen where
under the heading ‘PostGraduate Work Permit’,
select the ‘Continue’ button.
On the next screen, click
‘Continue’ again.
Continue to answer the questions according to your personal
information:
Students have trouble with some of these questions. Here are a few of the
tough questions and the necessary answers:
• Which document have you received stating that you have completed
all the requirements for your program of study? Select ‘Final
Transcript’ or ‘Letter from educational institution’ depending upon
which type of proof of completion of studies you are submitting. If you
are submitting both documents, you can choose either option.
• Have you had a medical exam performed by a CIC authorized panel
physician (doctor) within the last 12 months? Select ‘No.’*
• Have you lived in a designated country or territory for more than six
months in the last year? Select ‘No.’*
• Do you want to work in one of the following jobs? (jobs are listed)
Select ‘No.’*
• Do you want to submit an application for a family member?
Select ‘No’ (unless you would like to submit an application for a work
permit, study permit, or visitor extension for a family member (spouse,
partner, child or grandchild) who is currently in Canada).
• Are you giving someone access to your application? Select ‘No.’*
• There are fees associated with this application. Will you be paying
your fees or are you fee exempt? Select ‘Yes, I will be paying my fees.’
• Are you able to make a digital copy of your documents with a scanner
or camera? Select ‘Yes.’
• Will you be paying your application fees online? To pay online, you
need a Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
• Select ‘Yes.’
*If you think that you may need to answer ‘Yes’ to these questions, please contact the
ISS staff member responsible for immigration. The suggested answers reflect what
most students would need to answer, and presume that you do not wish to work in an
occupation where the public health must be protected (i.e. in the medical field or
working with children, the elderly or persons with disabilities).
FAMILY MEMBERS: For the purpose of most CIC
Applications ‘Family members’ are considered to
be spouses, common-law partners, dependent
children, and their dependent children.
After you have answered all of the questions,
you will have a chance to review your answers
and make any necessary changes.
If you want to make changes to any answer,
simply click on the pencil beside the
information that you wish to change.
When you have finished checking
your answers, click ‘Continue’ at
the bottom of the screen.
You will be taken to an information screen.
Scroll down and click ‘Continue’.
You will now be taken to your personal
checklist.
QUITTING BEFORE FINISHING: If you
cannot complete your application, log
out. Your personal checklist and any
uploaded documents will save
automatically. When you log back on to
MyCIC with the same User Id and
Password, you will be taken directly to
the screen where you left.
If you have not yet uploaded your
documents, make sure to save these and
your application form so you can access
them later.
This checklist will hold the application form that you are required to fill out along with listing the necessary
supporting documents.
Application to Change Conditions,
Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as
a Worker (IMM5710)
You must use the form linked with this checklist. If
using a Firefox or Chrome browser, the
application form must be downloaded to your
computer. Internet Explorer works best to view
the form. For assistance completing this form,
make an appointment with an ISS immigration
advisor.
1)
Type your answers into the form.
2)
Click ‘Validate.’ Any part not
completed correctly will be highlighted in
red.
3)
Once you have corrected all of the
errors, click ‘Validate’ again. You should
receive confirmation that everything has
been completed correctly.
4)
Enter the date of application at
the end of the form. Sign the form by typing
in your name.
5)
Save and upload it with your other documents.
Supporting Documents
□ Recent education transcripts and/or Completion of Studies Letter (Graduation Letter). If you are providing a transcript and a
graduation letter, you can scan these items into the same document and upload them together.
□ Passport (& Study Permit)
□ Digital Photo
Optional Documents
Not usually required. Please check with an ISS immigration advisor for more information.
□ Schedule 1 (A Schedule 1 declaration is a CIC form with questions about your personal history. You will be asked to list information such as
any affiliations with organizations and any military or government service. Completion of this form is required for those with affiliations with
military or government (current or previous)).
□ Letter of Explanation (To explain special circumstances or situations and/or to attach extra documentation).
Upload your documents
One file will be allowed per document type. For example, you are asked to provide multiple pages of your passport, you must scan and save all
pages as one file. ISS can assist with scanning your documents. You must upload every requested form and document. You will not be able to
proceed to the next steps until all documents are uploaded.
1) Save your files and upload each individual file by clicking the ‘Upload’ button beside each document.
2) When the document has been successfully uploaded you will see the green text ‘Provided’ under the Status section.
Fee
$155 for work permit application and $100 for open work permit holder fee for a total of $255 CAD. Check that the type of application you are
submitting matches the fees being submitted. You are required to pay online with a credit card (Master Card, Visa, or American Express). If you do
not have a credit card you must submit your application by mail.
Click the ‘Continue’ button on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Follow the instructions provided to
electronically sign your application.
You will be asked to pay your fees using a credit card ($255). Follow the instructions provided. You may wish to print
a confirmation page after you have submitted your application for your reference.
You can check the application processing times online at the IRCC website:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp.
If you are successful in receiving a Post-Graduation Work Permit, you may need to do some or all of the following:
□ Renew your Manitoba Health card with Manitoba Health;
□ Renew your Social Insurance Number (SIN) with Service Canada;
□ Renew your Manitoba ID Card OR Driver’s License with Manitoba Public Insurance;
□ Show your Post-Graduation Work Permit to your employer;
□ Apply for a new Study Permit if you wish to continue to study on a part-time basis (If your study permits was
issued on or after 01 June 2014, your study permit will become invalid either on the day it expires or the day that is 90 days after the day that
you complete your studies, whichever comes first);
□ Apply for a new Temporary Resident Visa if your previous TRV has expired and you are required to have
one in order to re-enter Canada; and/or
□ Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if you do not have a valid ETA and are required to have
one in order to re-enter Canada.
This document does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied upon as a source of legal advice. It is a reference sheet designed to
provide information on Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) online application process for applying for a Post-Graduation Work
Permit from within Canada and describes existing requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations made under
that Act in general terms. It is recommended that students contact Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or an ISS immigration
advisor to review their specific case. IRCC Regulations, policies, and procedures may change without notice. For the most current information, please
visit the IRCC Website at www.cic.gc.ca or contact the Call Centre at 1.888.242.2100. This document was approved by a Regulated Canadian
Immigration Consultant with the intention to be used in conjunction with personalized immigration advising by students currently registered at The
University of Winnipeg. For appointments with an ISS immigration advisor, contact ISS: (204) 786-9469; [email protected] – Revised January 31,
2017.