PGWP Eligibility for Nigerians

After completing a programme that lasted for at least eight months to earn a certificate, diploma, or degree, you are eligible to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), which will enable you to stay in Canada and work full-time.

You do not require an offer of employment in order to apply, and you are free to work in any profession of your choosing, wherever in Canada. An occupational medical exam is necessary for some positions, such as those in which individuals will have to work with children or in healthcare environments. You are not permitted to work in occupations that put you in danger of being exploited.

Page Contents

• PGWP Eligibility Criteria for Nigerians
• Who Is Eligible for a PGWP?
• Eligible Levels of Study
• Inside Canada Graduates
• Outside Canada Graduates
• How Long Does It Take to Get a PGWP?
• Can I Apply for a Work Permit After My PGWP?
• Can I Work After Graduation Before I Apply for My PGWP?
• How Many Times Can I Apply for a PGWP?
• Getting Your Letter of Completion
• Transcript
• Length of The PGWP
• If You Have Dependents
• How Can IAS Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

A foreign national must be at least 18 years old in order to be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Additionally, they must have studied full-time in Canada for a programme that was at least 8 months long. The educational programme must have been finished in a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), and it must have been of the type that is mentioned below. Additionally, in order to submit an application for a work visa, a non-citizen must do so within the first 180 days after the end of their academic programme.

Candidates who submit their PGWP applications prior to the expiry of their study permits are entitled to begin working full-time immediately while their applications are being processed. This is true even if the applicants’ study permits have already expired.

PGWPs can be awarded to students enrolled in the following levels of study and programmes:

• a public institution of post-secondary education, such as a college, trade/technical school, or university; or, in Quebec, a CEGEP; or
• a private post-secondary institution that follows the same policies and procedures as public schools (this classification only applies to particular institutions in Quebec); or
• a private secondary or post-secondary school in Quebec that provides qualifying programmes of 900 hours or more that lead to a diploma of studies in professional studies (DEP) or an attestation of professional specialisation (ASP); or
• a Canadian private institution that, according to provincial legislation, is entitled to lawfully confer degrees only on students who are engaged in degree-granting study programmes that have been approved by the province.

As long as you meet the requirements, you are able to submit an application for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from inside Canada. Before applying for the PGWP, students who have a study permit that has expired or will soon expire have the option of seeking for status as a visitor instead.

You have up to 180 days following graduation to submit an application for a PGWP. When you apply, you are required to verify the following information:

• That you have completed the programme
• The title of your programme
• The total running time of your programme

You may verify these claims by providing evidence of any of the following:

• Your degree or certificate
• A copy of your transcript or an official letter from the institution that you attended
• Your study permit should have been active at some time during these 180 days for you to be eligible for this programme

While you wait for your grades, be sure that you don’t let your status go inactive.

You have two choices if the validity of your study permit will run out before you get your grades. You can:

• Submit an application for a visitor record to extend your stay in Canada or
• Depart the country and submit an application for your PGWP

In the event that you remain in Canada after your permit has expired, you will be required to submit an application to reinstate your status as a student in order to be eligible for the PGWP. You need to pay extra fees in order to regain your status.

If you meet the requirements, you might be eligible for a PGWP.

You are now able to submit an application for a PGWP even if you have already left Canada and finished your education elsewhere. In the past, applications for post-graduation work permits had to be brought forward only from inside Canada. In the event that an application for the PGWP is made from a location that is not inside Canada, the visa office that will be responsible for processing the application may seek extra proof.

If you are qualified and have been granted a study permit, you are able to submit an application for a PGWP, even if you are located outside of Canada. You are not required to have ever been in possession of a valid study permit at any stage throughout the time that you spent studying online from outside of Canada.

You have up to 180 days following graduation to submit an application for a PGWP. When you apply, you are required to verify the following information:

• that you were a part of the programme and that you finished it
• the title of your programme as well as its total running time

You may verify these claims by providing evidence of any of the following:

• your degree or certificate
• a copy of your transcript or an official letter from the institution that you attended

If you meet the requirements, you might submit an application for a PGWP.

The processing time for a PGWP might range anywhere from 80 days to 180 days. You are allowed to work in Canada during the time that you are waiting for your PGWP, provided that you applied for it before the day that your student permit would have expired.

Nothing about having a PGWP will prohibit you from seeking another work permit at a later date. You are free to apply for both an LMIA and an LMIA-exempt permit if you are qualified, but given that you already have work experience in Canada, you may want to consider applying for Canadian permanent residence instead of an LMIA permit.

You are allowed to work full-time while awaiting a decision on your application for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if, at the time you filed your application, all of the following apply to your circumstance:

• You were in receipt of a legitimate study permission
• You had finished the course of study you had been following.

In their whole lifespan, applicants are only eligible to get one post-graduation work permit.

It is possible that you will first be required to apply for graduation, make a request for your Letter of Completion, or that it may be provided automatically depending on the faculty or programme that you are enrolled in.

In most cases, you will be able to pick up your Letter of Completion not long after you have fulfilled the last criterion for the programme, such as getting your final grade or submitting your thesis. If you finished your final test in April, for instance, you should anticipate receiving your Letter of Completion by the beginning of May at the earliest.

Typically, it will be located in the “Programme Completion Letter” section of the Grades and Records section of the Student Services Centre. A statement confirming you will finish your prerequisites is not adequate. In the letter, you must mention that you have finished all of the prerequisites for the programme. There are several schools and programmes that will deliver your Letter of Completion to you through email.

Contact an Academic Advisor or a member of the Graduate programme Staff if you are unsure of when your Letter of Completion will become available or how to receive one. The procedures for obtaining a Letter of Completion may vary from faculty to faculty and programme to programme.

After the day that your letter of completion is made available to you, you will not be permitted to begin working until you have both completed your application for a PGWP and satisfied the conditions to do so.

There is no need for you to wait for a “final” transcript that demonstrates that your degree has been awarded. In order to complete your PGWP application, your final grades need to be included on your transcript. A PDF transcript is okay.

The duration of validity for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) may range anywhere from eight months to as much as three years. The duration of the study programme that you successfully finished in Canada will determine how long your permit is valid for. The duration of the permit will not exceed the time allotted to you to complete the educational programme.

Be mindful of having the documentation of your dependents renewed well in advance of their expiration dates. While you are eligible for a PGWP, there are additional requirements that must be satisfied before you may apply for or renew the work permit of your spouse or common-law partner.