After you graduate from a Canadian school, you can continue your journey in Canada by working, gaining experience, or applying for permanent residence. Canada offers several clear and flexible pathways for international students who want to stay and build a future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a Canadian credential and local experience, you may be eligible for a Post\u2011Graduation Work Permit<\/strong><\/a> (PGWP)<\/strong>, or you may qualify for permanent residence<\/strong><\/a> through Express Entry<\/strong><\/a> or a Provincial Nominee Program<\/strong><\/a> (PNP)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n The PGWP allows eligible graduates to work for up to three years<\/strong> after completing an eligible program. This permit is open<\/strong> \u2013 meaning you can work for almost any employer in Canada without needing a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n To qualify, you must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your study permit has expired, you may still apply for a PGWP within 90 days<\/strong> by first applying to restore your status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)<\/strong> is one of three programs managed under Express Entry<\/strong>. It allows international graduates with skilled Canadian work experience to apply for permanent residence quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work experience must fall under NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Express Entry is points\u2011based, so additional factors such as age, education, and language scores affect your ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most provinces and territories offer Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)<\/strong> that include special streams for international graduates. These streams allow you to apply for permanent residence with or without Express Entry, depending on the stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While each province has its own criteria, most graduate streams require:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of graduate\u2011focused PNP streams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n PNP nominations provide a direct route to permanent residence and often lead to faster processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a PGWP, you can work for up to three years, depending on the length of your study program. The permit is open, so you do not need a job offer or LMIA.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n PGWP rules now exclude programs delivered through public\u2013private partnerships or curriculum licensing deals (if started after May 15, 2024). Some fields of study must also meet IRCC\u2019s eligibility list.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Yes, for the Canadian Experience Class you need 1 year of skilled Canadian work experience in the last 3 years. Other programs like PNPs may have different requirements.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Yes. Many graduates use their PGWP to gain work experience and then apply for permanent residence through Express Entry, including the CEC stream.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Almost every province offers a PNP stream for graduates. Some popular ones include Ontario, BC, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. Each program has its own criteria and process.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Explore your options after graduation in Canada \u2013 from open work permits to permanent residence through Express Entry or PNPs, build your career and future in Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":481,"featured_media":144182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[215,710,78431,78433,76952,709,78432,712,300,711],"class_list":["post-752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c161-canada-study-portal","tag-canadian-experience-class","tag-graduation","tag-international-student-options-canada","tag-pnp-for-international-graduates","tag-post-graduation-work-permit-2","tag-work-after-graduation","tag-work-after-graduation-canada","tag-work-experience","tag-work-in-canada","tag-work-in-canada-after-graduation","category-185","description-off"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/481"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Work Experience Through a Post\u2011Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PGWP Eligibility (2025 rules)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Important 2025 Updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Canadian Experience Class (CEC) \u2013 A Pathway to Permanent Residence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
CEC Eligibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) for Graduates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
General PNP Eligibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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FAQ<\/h3>\n\n\n
How long can I work in Canada after graduation?<\/h4>\n
What are the new PGWP rules in 2025?<\/h4>\n
Do I need Canadian work experience to apply for permanent residence?<\/h4>\n
Can I apply for Express Entry while holding a PGWP?<\/h4>\n
Which provinces have programs for international graduates?<\/h4>\n