Post-Graduate Work Permits & Alberta Provincial Nominee Program

So you have completed your education or are currently studying at a publicly-funded Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in the province of Alberta, now what? Firstly, you must ensure that you extend your status as a worker on a post-graduate open work permit (PGWP). Usually, for programs of study that span two years or more, a work permit is issued for up to three years. For programs that are eight months to one year long, the work permit will be issued for the same length of time as the study term.

A student can continue to work full time while their PGWP is in process as long as they extend it before their study permit expires pursuant to section 186(w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. As soon as you have completed your final exams and have a final transcript of your grades, you should be ready to apply for a post-graduate open work permit. Fortunately, study permits are usually issued for 3 months longer than the completion of the final semester of classes so a typical student should have sufficient time to prepare all documentation and ensure that they are eligible.