How Long Will My PGWP Be?

IRCC sets the length by the level and duration of the program, or by the expiry date of your passport, whichever comes first. Program of eight months (900 hours in Quebec) up to under two years: a permit of up to the same length as the program. A nine-month program can bring a nine-month permit. Program of two years or more: a permit of up to three years.

Master's degrees are the exception, since February 15, 2024. A master's program of at least eight months qualifies for a three-year permit even if it ran under two years. That applies to degree programs only, not to graduate certificates or diplomas.

If you completed more than one program, IRCC may combine their lengths into one permit. Each program has to be PGWP-eligible on its own and at least eight months long, and you have to meet the eligibility rules for each. Where one program carries a higher language requirement, you meet the higher one to combine. See who qualifies in 2026 for those rules.

IRCC's line: you cannot get a PGWP if you already had one after an earlier program. A second diploma does not bring a second permit. So the first program's length decides your work permit years, which is why the choice of program matters before you enrol. Our study-to-PGWP planning service exists for that decision.

The permit is issued only for the period your passport is valid. If your passport runs out before your full PGWP entitlement, the permit stops at the passport date. You can then apply to extend the PGWP to the full period, on paper, after you have a new passport that covers all of it. Cheaper and faster to renew the passport before you apply.

If you applied for the PGWP before your study permit expired and you were allowed to work off campus during your studies, you can work unlimited hours while the decision is pending. If the application is refused, the work stops and you must leave. The off-campus work guide has the details.

Canadian Experience Class needs one year of skilled work in Canada, and the CRS gives more points for more of it. A one-year permit leaves almost no room for a slow start or a wrong job. A three-year permit leaves time to reach a year of work that counts, retest language, and wait for a draw. If your permit is already short, read what to do when a PGWP is running out.

The program's official length on the completion letter, the passport expiry date, and whether a second program would be combined or wasted. In our experience, the passport date is the detail most people miss, and it costs months of work authorization.