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The PGWP is an open work permit. Any employer, any occupation, anywhere in Canada, and you can change jobs whenever you like. In this guide Basic eligibility How long your PGWP will be Fees Flagpoling is over Applying from inside or outside Canada What gets applications refused IRCC does not publish a refusal list, so here are the disqualifiers it does state: Questions people actually ask It is also a once in a lifetime document. If you have already held one, you cannot get another, no matter what you study next. That single fact should shape which program you choose and when you graduate. The rules changed hard in late 2024 and again through 2025. Almost everything written about the PGWP before November 2024 is now wrong. Here is the current position. Basic eligibility You are eligible if: You completed a program at a PGWP eligible designated learning institution that was at least 8 months long, or 900 hours for Quebec programs. You held full time student status in every semester. You may study part time in your final semester only. You apply within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program. Your study permit was valid at some point during those 180 days. Authorised leave of up to 150 days is allowed, but you must show your DLI approved it. Unauthorised leave can cost you the permit entirely if IRCC decides you broke your study permit conditions. You are NOT eligible if you already received a PGWP, studied ESL or FSL, took general interest or self improvement courses, completed a non credit program other than flight school, received Global Affairs Canada funding requiring you to return home, completed more than 50% of your program by distance learning, studied at a non Canadian institution located in Canada, or studied at a DLI that is not PGWP eligible. Two dates that disqualify people who never saw them coming: curriculum licensing programs, the public private partnership arrangements, are ineligible if you began a same province one after 15 May 2024, or a cross province one after 1 February 2023. The field of study requirement This is the rule that ends the most applications, and the one most people misunderstand. You are EXEMPT from the field of study requirement if any of these apply: You graduated with a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. You graduated from a PGWP eligible flight school. You applied for your STUDY PERMIT before 1 November 2024. You submitted your PGWP application before 1 November 2024. Everyone else, meaning graduates of non degree programs at colleges, polytechnics and universities, must have graduated in an eligible field of study. Note carefully what the clock is tied to. The trigger is the date you applied for your STUDY PERMIT, not the date you apply for the PGWP. Applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024 and you are in a non degree program? You need an eligible field. Eligible fields are defined by six digit Classification of Instructional Programs codes and are tied to occupations in long term shortage in Canada. The list lives on the IRCC field of study page, and you must be on it when you submit either your study permit application or your PGWP application. Some genuinely good news for 2026. IRCC has FROZEN the field of study list for the year. It will not add or remove any eligible fields in 2026. After the churn of 2025, when 178 fields were removed on 25 June and then partly restored on 4 July, that stability is worth a great deal. And if you applied for your study permit before 25 June 2025, you keep your eligibility if your field was on the list at that time, even if it has since been removed. One filing trap. Because of a system limitation, the document checklist will NOT ask you for proof that you graduated in an eligible field. If you need to provide it, you upload it yourself in the "Client information" section of your account. Miss that and you have submitted an incomplete application without being told. The language requirement New since 1 November 2024. If you apply on or after that date, you must prove your English or French. Your program Minimum level, in all four abilities Bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree CLB 7 in English, or NCLC 7 in French Any other university program CLB 7 or NCLC 7 Any other college, polytechnic or non university program CLB 5 or NCLC 5 PGWP eligible flight school No language requirement at all Read that table again, because the split is not what people assume. It is UNIVERSITY versus COLLEGE, not degree versus non degree. A non degree program at a university still needs CLB 7. Accepted tests: CELPIP General, IELTS General Training, and PTE Core for English. TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IRCC says tests should be taken in person, and results must be less than 2 years old when you submit. For IELTS General Training, CLB 7 means 6.0 in every band. CLB 5 means 4.0 reading, 5.0 writing, 5.0 listening, 5.0 speaking. Submit incomplete language proof and IRCC says plainly that your application may be refused for not meeting the requirement. If you are extending a PGWP only because your passport expired early, you do not need to provide language proof again. How long your PGWP will be The length depends on your program and on your passport, whichever runs out first. Your program PGWP length Master's degree, as of 15 February 2024 Up to 3 years, EVEN IF the program was under 2 years, provided it was at least 8 months or 900 hours in Quebec Any program at least 8 months but under 2 years Up to the same length as your program. A 9 month program gets up to 9 months Any program 2 years or more Up to 3 years The master's rule is the most valuable line on this page. A 12 month master's degree can yield a 3 year work permit. A 12 month college diploma yields 12 months. That is a two year difference in Canadian work experience, and Canadian work experience is what wins Express Entry. It does not apply to certificates or diplomas, only master's degrees. Two limits people trip over. Your PGWP cannot outlast your passport, so renew the passport BEFORE you apply. And the PGWP is only valid for the time you actually studied IN Canada. Time studying online from outside Canada after 31 August 2024 is deducted. If you completed more than one eligible program, you may be able to combine their lengths, but each program must independently meet every eligibility requirement, including the higher language threshold if one of them demands it. The 180 day rule, and how not to lose your right to work You have 180 days from confirmation of completion to apply. Your study permit has to be valid at some point in that window. To prove you finished, you need a degree, diploma or certificate, or an official letter from your school, or an official transcript. You also need proof of full time enrolment, which is your official transcript. Now the part that costs people money. You can work FULL TIME while waiting for the PGWP decision, but only if all three of these are true: Your study permit was VALID at the moment you submitted the application. You completed your program. You were eligible to work off campus without a permit while studying, and you did not exceed your allowed hours. Leaving and re entering Canada does not break this. You can travel and keep working. But if you let your study permit expire and then restore your status, you CANNOT work until the PGWP is actually approved. Same permit, same eligibility, months of lost income, purely because of timing. So: do not let your status lapse while you wait for marks. If your permit will expire first, either apply for a visitor record to stay legally, or leave Canada and apply from abroad. If your status has already expired You have up to 90 days after your study permit expires to apply for the PGWP and restore your status as a student. You apply online for the PGWP, pay $255, and separately pay the restoration fee online and attach the receipt to the PGWP application. You do not file a separate restoration application. You cannot work during this period. Past 90 days, you must leave Canada. Fees Fee Amount Work permit, per person CAD $155 Open work permit holder fee CAD $100 PGWP total CAD $255 Biometrics, per person CAD $85 Biometrics, family of 2 or more CAD $170 maximum Pay BOTH the work permit fee and the open work permit holder fee. IRCC's page says so in bold, because people pay one and not the other. Biometrics are needed once every 10 years, and you get 30 days from the date of the letter. Flagpoling is over If you were planning to drive to the border, turn around and come back to collect your permit, stop. Flagpoling for work and study permits ended on 23 December 2024. The exemptions are narrow and cover United States citizens and permanent residents, certain free trade agreement professionals, some international truck drivers, and people with a pre booked CBSA appointment. An ordinary PGWP applicant is not exempt. You apply to IRCC and you wait. Applying from inside or outside Canada You can apply from within Canada or from another country. One consequence worth planning around: if you apply from OUTSIDE Canada and are approved, IRCC issues you a new visitor visa or eTA along with the permit. If you apply from INSIDE Canada and you need a visitor visa, IRCC will not issue one, and you have to apply for it separately. What gets applications refused IRCC does not publish a refusal list, so here are the disqualifiers it does state: Having already held a PGWP. A program under 8 months, or under 900 hours in Quebec. A DLI that is not PGWP eligible, or a curriculum licensing program past the cut off dates. More than 50% of the program completed by distance learning. Applying more than 180 days after completion. A study permit that was not valid at any point in those 180 days. Unauthorised leave from your program. Incomplete language proof, or test results 2 years old or older. Working more hours off campus than you were allowed. Questions people actually ask Q: I did a one year master's. Do I really get 3 years? Yes, since 15 February 2024, provided the program was at least 8 months. This does not apply to certificates or diplomas. Q: I am doing a college diploma. Do I need an eligible field of study? If you applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024, yes. Q: Is the field of study list going to change again? Not in 2026. IRCC has frozen it for the year. Q: My study permit expires next month and I have not got my marks. Apply for a visitor record now, or leave and apply from abroad. Do not let it lapse, because restoration means you cannot work while you wait. Q: Can I still flagpole? No. That ended on 23 December 2024. Q: My passport expires in a year. Will that cap my PGWP? Yes. Renew it before you apply. Q: Why trust KGraph? With a 98% success rate, over 10,000 clients served, and a 4.9 Google rating, KGraph Immigration provides expert guidance you can rely on. Most of the costly mistakes here are timing mistakes. Our team can look at your dates before you commit to them.Start Your Free Initial Eligibility Assessment Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice. Related Articles How Long Is a PGWP? From PGWP to PR Study Permit Requirements How to Find a DLI PGWP Service

A spousal open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada without a job offer. You cannot work for a non compliant employer, or in certain adult service businesses. In this guide Spouses of workers Which workers CANNOT make a spouse eligible Spouses of students Flagpoling is over Fees How long the permit lasts What you need Processing times Questions people actually ask Everything about this changed on 21 January 2025, and again through 2026. If you are reading an older guide, it is wrong. Here is the current position. The single biggest change: dependent children lost eligibility For applications made on or after 21 January 2025, dependent children of high skilled workers, and dependent children of international students, are NO LONGER eligible for an open work permit under the family measure. Children remain eligible only where the principal applicant is on an eligible permanent residence pathway. More on that below. If you have been told your child can come and work, check the date of the advice. Spouses of workers Whether your spouse qualifies depends entirely on which box the principal worker falls into. The principal worker Who can get a permit The condition High skilled, NOT on a PR pathway Spouse or common law partner ONLY The job must be TEER 0, TEER 1, or a SELECTED TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupation from IRCC's list. The worker's authorisation must be valid for at least 16 MONTHS after IRCC receives the spouse's application Has APPLIED for PR through an eligible economic program or pilot Spouse, dependent child, and dependent grandchild The worker's permit must be valid at least 6 MONTHS after IRCC receives the family application TEER 4 or 5, on an eligible PR pathway but has NOT yet applied Spouse, dependent child, and dependent grandchild At least 6 MONTHS of authorisation must remain TEER 4 or 5, NOT on a PR pathway Nobody. No new permits under this measure An existing family permit in Canada may sometimes be extended to match a longer principal permit, if filed before it expires Two things people get wrong here. Not every TEER 2 or TEER 3 job qualifies. IRCC publishes a specific, enumerated list of NOC codes. Your occupation must appear on it by code. "It is a skilled trade" is not an argument. The 16 month rule is a real cliff. If the principal worker has 15 months left, the spouse is not eligible, full stop, unless an exception applies. One exception that is easy to miss: for applicants under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, only dependent children and their children are eligible under this measure. Spouses get a separate open work permit under those pilots. Which workers CANNOT make a spouse eligible The measure does not apply if the principal person is a refugee claimant referred to the IRB, is under an unenforceable removal order, holds a study permit, is working on or off campus without a work permit, has a pending post graduation work permit with no positive decision yet, or holds a spousal open work permit themselves. That second to last one matters. A spouse can FILE while the principal's PGWP is pending, but the PGWP must be APPROVED before IRCC will process the spouse's application. If it is refused, so is the spouse's. The 2026 exceptions Exception The rule Quebec recruited health professionals, from 25 May 2026 Spouses of workers in NOC 31301, 32103 or 32120 are exempt from the 16 month rule. Enter CONJOINTSANTEQC in the Job title box British Columbia significant investment projects, from 23 March 2026 A spouse of a qualifying project worker may qualify at ANY TEER level, and the 16 month rule is waived. Enter SIPSPOUSEBC in the Job title box Quebec skilled worker selection (PSTQ), from 5 June 2026 The spouse must have been included as an accompanying family member in the demande de sélection permanente. DEPENDENT CHILDREN ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. Enter PPTR2PRQC2026 in the Job title box, and apply online Free trade agreements A spouse may qualify under the agreement itself rather than this measure. Check separately Those job title codes are not decorative. Enter the wrong thing and the application is processed under the wrong rules. Spouses of students Yes, some still qualify. But only some. The student must hold a valid study permit AND be enrolled in one of: A master's degree program of AT LEAST 16 MONTHS. A doctoral program. An eligible university professional degree: dental surgery, law (LLB, JD, BCL), medicine, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, science in nursing, nursing science, nursing, education, or engineering. A named eligible program. The 16 month master's rule is the one that catches people. A 12 month master's, which is extremely common, does NOT make your spouse eligible. The named programs include the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot outside Quebec (from 26 August 2024); named nursing, respiratory therapy and medical technology recognition programs in Quebec; the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership and Nurse Re Entry at Red River College Polytechnic in Ontario and Manitoba; and the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program, Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program, and Post Degree Diploma in Nursing Practice in Canada in British Columbia. Dependent children of students are not eligible for applications made on or after 21 January 2025. A note on the "final term" rule. You will see it said that the student must not be in their final term. That condition applies to EXTENDING a spouse's open work permit, not to the initial application. It sits alongside other extension requirements: full time study, a PGWP eligible program at a DLI, and being physically in Canada. The sponsored spouse open work permit Yes, this still exists, and it is a different thing entirely. If you are a spouse, common law partner or conjugal partner being sponsored for permanent residence from inside Canada, you can apply for an open work permit while you wait. Accompanying dependent children of the principal applicant are also eligible here. You must: Be in a genuine relationship with your sponsor. Be included in a permanent residence application, and hold the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR). Be living in Canada with your sponsor. Apply online after the AOR arrives. There is one exception to the AOR requirement. You may apply without it if your work permit, study permit or temporary resident status expires in 2 WEEKS OR LESS and you have already applied under the spouse or common law partner in Canada class or the family class. If you have no valid status and are relying on the spousal public policy, you wait for the approval in principle letter, then apply on paper with that letter and an explanation. Two hard limits: you cannot use this route if the permanent residence application was refused, withdrawn or returned. And you cannot apply at a port of entry. Flagpoling is over Most foreign nationals already in Canada can no longer apply for a work permit at a port of entry. You apply online and you wait. Fees Fee Amount Work permit CAD $155 per person Open work permit holder fee CAD $100 per person Base total CAD $255 per person Biometrics, if required CAD $85 per person, CAD $170 family maximum Pay both the work permit fee and the open work permit holder fee. One detail worth knowing before you file. If the principal applicant's application is refused, the family applications are refused too. IRCC refunds the $100 open work permit holder fee but NOT the $155 processing fee. How long the permit lasts Route The ceiling Spouse of a worker Never beyond the principal's authorisation, your passport expiry, or your biometric validity, whichever comes first Spouse of a student Usually matched to the study permit, and never extended beyond it Sponsored spouse with an AOR May be extended for 2 more years if the PR application is still in process Renew the passport before you apply if it is short. Your permit cannot outlive it. What you need Your personalised IRCC checklist governs. In general: Identity: valid passport, photo, and the forms. Applying from outside Canada normally means IMM 1295. Relationship: marriage certificate, or the Statutory Declaration of Common Law Union (IMM 5409), plus evidence the relationship is genuine. The worker's status: work permit, letter of introduction, or proof of authorisation to work without a permit. The worker's job: an employer letter showing duties, NOC and TEER. Not just a job title. Economic pathway cases: the acknowledgement of receipt and proof the family member appears on the PR application, such as IMM 0008. The student's status: study permit plus an acceptance letter, enrolment letter or current transcripts, and named program proof if relevant. Sponsored spouse: the AOR, IMM 5707, marriage certificate or IMM 5409, and birth certificates naming both parents for dependent children. Processing times IRCC publishes no single timeline. It varies by application type and location, and it is not a guarantee. Check the live tool. The main refusal risks Wrong category. Confirm the NOC, the TEER, the pathway, the remaining authorisation, and the exclusions before you file. Weak job proof. A job title is not evidence. Show duties, NOC and TEER. Weak relationship proof. Use the marriage certificate or IMM 5409, and be consistent. Insufficient validity. Check whether 16 months or 6 months must remain, and check the passport. A pending principal PGWP. It must be approved before your file is processed. Missing pathway proof where you rely on an economic stream. Wrong sponsorship timing. Normally wait for the AOR. Questions people actually ask Q: Does every TEER 2 job qualify? No. The exact NOC must appear on IRCC's selected list. Q: Does every master's program qualify? No. It must be at least 16 months long. Q: Can my child come and work? Not under the regular high skill measure, for applications on or after 21 January 2025. A child may qualify where the principal is on an eligible PR pathway. Not under the Quebec PSTQ exception. Q: Can I apply while my husband's PGWP is pending? You may file, but his PGWP must be approved before IRCC processes yours. Q: Can a sponsored spouse apply without an AOR? Only if current status expires in 2 weeks or less and every other condition is met. Q: Can my permit last longer than my wife's? Normally no. Her status, your passport, and your biometrics each cap it. Q: Why trust KGraph? With a 98% success rate, over 10,000 clients served, and a 4.9 Google rating, KGraph Immigration provides expert guidance you can rely on. Rules like this one move. We have tracked these changes for more than ten years, and we can confirm what applies to your timing.Start Your Free Initial Eligibility Assessment Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice. Related Articles Who Can Sponsor a Spouse? Inland vs Outland Sponsorship Family Sponsorship Service Spouse Open Work Permit Service Open vs Closed Work Permit