A petition to increase the duration of the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) has been filed in the Canadian House of Commons.
The petition, e4454 for PGWP, aims to lengthen the PGWP to five years instead of three, for anyone who completed at least two years of study in Canada, and two years for those having completed one year of study in Canada.
Sahota’s petition, which was initiated by Kanwar Sumit Singh Sierah, is based on the premise that the government has enough data to support a permanent change to PGWP length, based on precedent from other programs like Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) based work permit and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) (T13) work permits.
Those without prior work experience find it difficult to find skilled jobs in Canada after graduating. The argument in favor of increasing the length of the PGWP says that such an arrangement will allow candidates gain helpful skills to secure a skilled job.
This will also lower their chance of exploitation.
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The PGWP can be applied for within 180 days after graduation. The candidate, at the time of application, needs to confirm:
- that they attended and completed their program
- the name of their program
- the length of their program
They can confirm these by submitting:
- their degree or diploma
- their transcript or
- an official letter from their school
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Candidates can apply for a PGWP if they
- completed a study program at a designated learning institution and meet certain program requirements
- maintained full-time status as a student in Canada during each semester of your study program
- have a study permit that has been valid within the last 180 days
- submitted an application to extend their study permit in Canada before their study permit expired and no decision has been made on their application
