Work in Canada While Studying & After Graduation: PGWP Rules 2026

As an international student in Canada you can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during classes and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, if you are a full-time student at a DLI, your permit allows it and you have a Social Insurance Number. After graduating from an eligible program, you can apply within 180 days for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to 3 years.

This guide follows IRCC's pages as of October 2026. Work rules changed often in 2024 to 2026, so check the linked pages before you rely on any rule.

Working while you study

Off campus: 24 hours per week

You can work off campus without a separate work permit if all of these apply (IRCC):

• You are a full-time student at a DLI and have started your program.
• Your program is post-secondary, at least 6 months long and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate.
• Your study permit is valid (or you applied to extend it before it expired).
• Your study permit has a condition that allows off-campus work.
• You have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).

During regular terms you may work up to 24 hours per week, across all jobs. Permits that say 20 hours per week are treated as allowing 24 if you still meet the rules. During scheduled breaks such as summer, winter holidays or reading week, there is no limit. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24 hours, as long as you meet your permit conditions.

Who cannot work off campus

• Students in English or French as a second language programs only.
• Students taking only general interest courses or only courses required to get into a full-time program.
• Students on an authorised leave, or switching schools and not studying.
• Anyone whose permit says they cannot work off campus.

On campus: no hour limit

Eligible full-time students can work on campus with no hour limit, both during terms and breaks, if their permit has an on-campus work condition and they have a SIN (IRCC).

Co-op and internships: new rule since April 2026

Since 1 April 2026, post-secondary students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for required work placements. You need a valid study permit with an on-campus work condition, full-time status, a letter from your DLI confirming the placement is required, and the placement must be 50% or less of your program. There is no weekly hour limit for these placements (IRCC).

Getting your SIN

Your study permit must show a work condition before you apply to Service Canada for a SIN. If it is missing and you are eligible, IRCC lets you request an amendment at no fee. Check the conditions on your permit the day you arrive.

The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

Eligibility

• Apply within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program, and your study permit must have been valid at some point in those 180 days.
• Your program lasted at least 8 months (900 hours in Quebec) at a PGWP-eligible DLI.
• You were a full-time student in each semester (your final semester may be part-time).
• You meet the language requirement: CLB/NCLC 7 in all four skills for bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates and other university programs; CLB/NCLC 5 for college and other non-university programs.
• Field of study: bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates have no field-of-study requirement. Graduates of other programs must be in an eligible field if their study permit application was submitted on or after 1 November 2024.

Source: IRCC PGWP eligibility.

Language tests for the PGWP

IRCC accepts CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. Results must be less than 2 years old when you apply and cover reading, writing, listening and speaking (IRCC PGWP documents). IELTS Academic, the test most universities use, is not on this list.

How long is the PGWP?

The PGWP is never issued beyond your passport's expiry date, so renew your passport early. Time you studied online from outside Canada after 31 August 2024 does not count, and for programs with a lock-in date from 1 September 2024 at least 50% must be completed in class in Canada (IRCC).

Who is not eligible

• Anyone who already received a PGWP after an earlier program.
• Graduates of English or French as a second language programs, general interest courses or non-credit programs.
• Students funded by Global Affairs Canada or by a scholarship that requires them to return home.
• Graduates of a course or program at a DLI that is not PGWP-eligible, or of a non-Canadian institution located in Canada.
• Students who completed more than 50% of their program through distance learning (with a COVID-19 exception described by IRCC).

Can your spouse work?

Since 21 January 2025, your spouse or common-law partner may get an open work permit only if you are in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, certain professional degrees (such as medicine, law, pharmacy, nursing, education and engineering) or other listed eligible programs (IRCC). Spouses of bachelor's students in other fields no longer qualify through this route.

Further study: master's and PhD

Many graduates continue to a master's or PhD in Canada. Since 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral applicants at public DLIs do not need a PAL/TAL. If you start a new full-time program at a DLI within 150 days of confirmation that you completed your previous one, IRCC says you may be able to keep working in between. See scholarships in Canada for graduate funding.

From PGWP to permanent residence

The PGWP lets you gain Canadian work experience. Under the Canadian Experience Class, you need at least one year of skilled paid work in Canada (1,560 hours, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 jobs) in the 3 years before you apply, plus language test results. Work done while you were a full-time student, including co-op terms, does not count (IRCC CEC).

Mistakes that can cost you the PGWP

• Choosing a program that is not PGWP-eligible. Check before you accept an offer, not after you graduate. Programs delivered through curriculum licensing agreements are generally not eligible.
• Dropping to part-time. You must be full-time in every semester except the last one.
• Studying online from home. Online study from outside Canada after 31 August 2024 does not count toward PGWP length.
• Taking the wrong English test. IELTS Academic is not accepted for the PGWP; take IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core.
• Missing the 180-day window or letting your study permit expire first. Ask your school for your completion letter and final transcript as soon as you finish.
• Working more than allowed during studies. IRCC treats more than 24 hours per week off campus during classes as a violation of your study permit conditions.

Applicants from Afghanistan and similar countries

The work and PGWP rules are the same for every nationality. What differs is paperwork: the PGWP is not issued beyond your passport's expiry date, so check your passport's validity early and plan any renewal well before your final semester. If you need a police certificate later for permanent residence, IRCC's country instructions explain how Afghans abroad request one through an Afghan embassy or consulate.

Checklist

1. 1.Before applying to universities, check that your program and school are PGWP-eligible on the DLI list.
2. 2.On arrival, check the work conditions on your study permit and apply for a SIN.
3. 3.Track your weekly hours and keep pay stubs.
4. 4.Stay full-time every semester, and study in class in Canada.
5. 5.In your final year, book IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core.
6. 6.Apply for the PGWP within 180 days and before your study permit expires.
7. 7.Keep your passport valid for the full PGWP period.

Start planning from the right program: track deadlines for free on FindUniPath, read the Canada student visa guide, or go to the Canada country hub.