How to Maintain CEC Status With an Expiring Post-Graduate Work Permit in Canada?

While you wait for the next CEC draw, it is still possible for you to work and live in Canada as a temporary resident, provided that you apply for a new work or study permit before your PGWP expires.

After completing an appropriate study program in Canada at a Designated Learning Institution, PGWPs are granted to graduate students who choose to remain in the country. The permits have a three-year maximum expiration date and cannot be renewed or extended. However, if you fail to retain your temporary resident status, you must stop working on the day your PGWP expires and leave Canada.

There are a variety of temporary permits available, depending on your financial situation and circumstances:

LMIA-Required Work Permits

If you are working, you may be eligible to switch from a PGWP to one that necessitates a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This implies that in order to determine if hiring an employee will have a positive, neutral, or adverse influence on Canada’s labour force, the company will need to file an application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

You could be able to continue working for your current employer if the result is positive or neutral, but you won’t be able to find another job until your permit expires or you are granted permanent residence status.

LMIA Exempt Work Permits

LMIA-exempt permits or those issued through the International Mobility Program typically fall into the categories of significant benefits and reciprocal employment. One must note that the applicant’s work must be regarded to have a social, cultural, or economic advantage to Canada in order to be taken into account under the category of significant benefit.

When Canada and another country have an established agreement, reciprocal employment happens. Moreover, which permits some workers from these nations to work across borders or in Canada under an ICT agreement.

Study Permit

As a PGWP holder, you may already be aware of the fact that if you are enrolled in a post-secondary DLI, you are qualified to work in Canada. While enrolled full-time, students are permitted to work 20 hours per week off campus and full-time during certain academic breaks. Students who submit a study permit application to IRCC on or before October 7, 2022, are entitled to the temporarily relaxed limits on working hours.

Visitor Visa

When your PGWP expires, you have the option to leave Canada and return later on through a visitor’s visa. A TRV allows you to remain in Canada but forbids you from working or going to school.