Canada’s Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, has made an important remark about Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders.

The Canadian government has renewed PGWP holders’ work licences for up to 18 months. Those with an expired post-graduation work visa will be allowed to apply for an Open Work visa renewal starting of April 6, 2023, according to the immigration ministry.

Anyone whose PGWP expires in 2023 will be eligible to apply for an Open Work Permit extension.

It will also be accessible to people whose PGWP expires in 2022 and who requested for an extension of their Open Work Permit with IRCC last year.

Candidates will be able to request for an extension on the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website beginning April 6.

After submitting an application for an extension, applicants will get an email with an interim work permit authorization, which they may present employers in order to continue working lawfully in Canada.

WHAT EXACTLY IS PGWP?

International students who graduate from an appropriate educational course at a Canadian-designated learning institution (DLI) are eligible for Post-Graduation Work Permits. DLIs are government-approved colleges, universities, and other educational institutions that admit overseas students.

PGWPs allow overseas graduates to work for any business in Canada of their choice. They are only allowed to labour for a maximum of three years. Because of the structure of Canada’s economic class immigration programmes, PGWPs are highly sought after by overseas students. Many of these programmes give preference to applicants who have studied and worked in Canada.

A PGWP is not normally extensible. PGWP holders who want to continue in Canada as a worker after their PGWP expires are normally need to apply for another sort of work permit.

According to the Canadian immigration service, as of 2022, more over 286,000 international graduates have valid post-graduation employment permits in Canada. Although roughly 127,000 PGWPs will expire in 2023, approximately 67,000 PGWP holders have already applied for permanent residence and will not need to renew their work permit via this endeavour.