PGWP holders can apply for new open work permits for up to 18 months

Overview

The government of Canada is providing open work permits to current eligible post graduate work permit (PGWP) holders of durations up to 18 months. The interested applications can apply for work permit under this policy starting today (January 27, 2021). This public policy allows for workers affected by COVID19 extra time to meet the requirements for various PR pathways by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Post Graduate Work Permit

The government of Canada provides an open work permit to study permit holders who have completed a full time study program inside Canada. This work permit is of duration one to three years depending on duration of studies. 

This gives an opportunity to students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and be eligible to apply for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class or other pathways. Due to covid19, numerous PGWP holders lost employment and as a result were adversely affected.

As a result, IRCC came up with a public policy that allows issuance of open work permits of upto 18 months to certain current or previous PGWP holders.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for an open work permit under this public policy, applicants must meet the following requirements (source: here):

1. Post-graduation work permit 
• Expired on or after January 30, 2020, or 
• will expire within 4 months from the date of application for this work permit
2. Physically present in Canada as of January 27, 2021, when the public policy took effect, and have stayed in Canada since then.
3. Status in Canada - Applicant either:
• Has a temporary resident status (could be a valid PGWP, visitor record, or another permit that allows staying in Canada), or
• Lost temporary resident status and have applied for restoration of status, or
• Lost temporary resident status and will apply to restore it along with this application for open work permit.
4. Include in the application that the applicant is applying under this public policy.
5. Need a valid passport. Duration is dependent on the expiry of passport:
• The work permit will be issued for up to 18 months from the date of approval or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. For example, if the passport is valid for 6 months, then the open work permit will be issued for 6 months.
• In order to maximize the duration of the open work permit, ensure that the passport is valid for at least 18 months from the date of approval.

Application Process and Deadline

The application process is same as applying for a work permit from inside Canada. Instructions for the application can be found here. 

The deadline to apply for work permit under this public policy is July 27, 2021.

Instagram Video

Watch our instagram video by our RCIC Dhruv Sharma talking about this public policy and outlining the application requirements.

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