Post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements

Given the impact of COVID-19 on international students and the post-secondary sector, temporary policy changes have been made to post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements for the following groups of students:

• study permit holders who have already started their studies in Canada
• study permit holders who had already begun their studies in Canada, but left Canada and are continuing their courses online from their home country given travel restrictions and public health guidelines
• study permit holders who are already in Canada to start a program in the spring, summer or fall 2020 or winter 2021 semester, but whose courses will initially be online only
• applicants who have been approved for a study permit to begin a program in the spring, summer or fall 2020 or winter 2021 semester, and who will begin their program online from their home country given travel restrictions and public health guidelines
• applicants who submitted a study permit application to begin a program in the spring, summer or fall 2020 or winter 2021 semester, who will begin their program online from their home country due to travel restrictions and public health guidelines, and who are eventually approved for a study permit

Distance learning

Under normal circumstances, all distance-learning courses completed outside Canada are excluded from the time accumulated toward the length of the post-graduation work permit, and 50% of a student’s courses must be completed in Canada and in class.

The following temporary policy changes have been made to better accommodate eligible international students who have completed distance learning in or outside Canada.

In Canada

Students who are studying in Canada and whose classes have been moved online due to COVID-19-related health restrictions will remain eligible for the post-graduation work permit.

Outside Canada

Time spent studying outside of Canada in a post-graduation work permit-eligible program offered by an eligible Canadian institution until April 30, 2021, will be counted toward the overall length of the post-graduation work permit, provided the student completes at least 50%^Footnote* of their program of study’s total courses in Canada (either online or in class).

Short-term studies

Students who started short programs (8 to 12 months in length) in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester may complete their entire program of study outside of Canada and still maintain post-graduation work permit eligibility, provided that they meet all the other applicable program requirements. These students are exempt from the requirement to complete at least 50% of their program of study in Canada and in class. However, time spent studying outside of Canada will only be counted towards the overall length of the post-graduation work permit until April 30, 2021. Any time spent studying outside of Canada after April 30, 2021 will be deducted from the length of the post-graduation work permit.

Program stacking

Students who have enrolled in a program with a start date in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester, who study outside of Canada up to April 30, 2021, and who graduate from more than one eligible program of study may be able to combine the length of their programs of study when they apply for a post-graduation work permit in the future, as long as 50% of their total studies are completed in Canada. Each program needs to be a minimum of 8 months in duration, and the programs need to be completed from an eligible DLI within 2 years as per current instructions on Determining the length of the post-graduation work permit.

Applicants may have to submit additional documents from the DLI confirming which part of the program was completed in Canada.

Part-time status

Students in or outside of Canada may have been required to put their studies on hold or become part-time students due to course cancellations as a result of public health measures at DLIs. For the winter, spring and summer 2020 semesters, when a student’s status changed from full time to part time due to changes in course delivery at a DLI, their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit will not be impacted.

Work authorization after submitting a post-graduation work permit application

As per paragraph R186(w), graduates who apply for a work permit, such as a post-graduation work permit, before the expiry of their study permit are eligible to work full time without a work permit while waiting for a decision on their application if all of the following apply:

• They are or were the holders of a valid study permit at the time of the post-graduation work permit application.
• They have completed an eligible program of study.
• They meet the requirements for working off campus without a work permit under paragraph R186(v) (that is, they were a full-time student enrolled at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program of at least 8 months in duration that led to a degree, diploma or certificate).
• They did not exceed the allowable hours of work under paragraph R186(v).