Work in Canada · PGWP expiring
PGWP expiring? Your options to stay.
A post-graduation work permit is a one-time permit. When it runs out, staying depends on what you file before its expiry date. These are the routes, in the order most graduates should check them.
- ValidYour permit has not expired. Apply for the next one before it does.
- Maintained statusYou applied in time. Stay, and keep the same conditions, until IRCC decides.
- Restoration windowStatus ended. You have 90 days to apply to restore it, and cannot work or study.
- Out of statusMore than 90 days have passed. Restoration is no longer open.
The short answer
A PGWP is a one-time permit and cannot be extended, except when a passport expiry cut it short. To keep working, apply before it expires for a bridging open work permit (once your PR application passes its first check), a spousal open work permit, or an employer-specific permit. If it has already expired, you have 90 days to restore your status.
Checked against IRCC sources · October 25, 2026Can a PGWP be extended?
No. IRCC calls the PGWP a one-time opportunity, and anyone who has already received one cannot get another.
The one exception: if your PGWP was issued for a shorter period because your passport was expiring, you can apply on paper to extend it once you have a new passport valid for the full period you were eligible for.
My PR application is submitted. Can I keep working?
Often, yes, with a bridging open work permit. It is for principal applicants in Canada who have applied for PR under an eligible program:
- Express Entry (Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades): once your application passes the completeness check and you have the acknowledgement of receipt.
- A provincial nomination with no employment restrictions: through Express Entry as above, or, outside Express Entry, once your application passes its eligibility assessment.
You must hold a valid work permit or maintained status when you apply, or be eligible to restore your status. File before your PGWP expires. See bridging open work permit.
My spouse works or studies in Canada. Can I get a permit through them?
Possibly, with a spousal open work permit. Since January 21, 2025, it depends on your partner:
- a worker in a TEER 0 or 1 job, or a listed TEER 2 or 3 job, whose permit is valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives your application, or
- a student in a master’s program of 16 months or more, a doctoral program, or an eligible professional degree.
Check your partner’s situation on the spousal open work permit page.
My employer wants to keep me. What do they need?
Usually a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or an LMIA exemption, so you can apply for an employer-specific work permit.
An LMIA takes time, so start months before your PGWP expires. See LMIA work permits.
Which permanent residence routes fit PGWP holders?
- Express Entry, Canadian Experience Class: at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of skilled Canadian work in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 jobs, in the 3 years before you apply, gained while authorized to work. Check your CRS score.
- Provincial nominee programs: several streams take graduates and workers already in a province, including Ontario’s. OINP points calculator.
These lead to PR, but on their own they do not extend your status. Pair them with a bridging open work permit.
Can I go back to school instead?
Yes, with a new study permit, which usually needs an acceptance letter and a provincial attestation letter. You cannot receive a second PGWP, so plan where the program leads before you enrol. If you apply for a study permit while on your PGWP, your work stops when the PGWP expires.
My PGWP has already expired. What now?
If you did not apply for anything before it expired, your status has ended and you must stop working. You have 90 days from the expiry date to apply to restore your status, as long as you have not worked without authorization.
Your dates
Plan around your PGWP date.
Your PGWP is already selected. Add its expiry date and what applies to you, and the planner ranks the options worth checking first.
Your status today
Waiting for a dateEnter your permit’s expiry date to see where you stand.
The planner shows your status today, the deadlines that apply to you, and the options worth checking, in order.
Rules checked against IRCC on October 25, 2026.
Questions
More on expiring PGWPs.
How early should I plan for my PGWP expiry?
Can I stay as a visitor after my PGWP?
Do I lose my Canadian work experience if my PGWP expires?
Checked against
Official sources, October 2026.
- IRCC Help CentreCan I extend my post-graduation work permit?
- IRCCPost-graduation work permit: about the permit, and passport-limited permits
- IRCCPost-graduation work permit: who can apply
- IRCCBridging open work permit: who can apply
- IRCCOpen work permits for spouses of foreign workers: eligibility
- IRCCHelp your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada (spouses of students)
- IRCCExpress Entry: Canadian Experience Class
- IRCCExtend your work permit: apply before it expires (maintained status)
- IRCCWhat to do if your work permit expired
- IRCCRestore your status and get a work permit
Talk to an RCIC
PGWP running out? Plan it with an RCIC.
Most graduates have more than one route. A licensed RCIC will tell you which to file first, and when, so you keep working.
eligibility review
Find out where you actually stand.
Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.
- 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
- 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
- 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply
CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.