Use the IRCC immigration program eligibility tool to determine your eligibility for PGWP or review the IRCC website to review all PGWP eligibility information.

You must apply to graduate before the deadline. This will prompt Trent’s Office of the Registrar to do an initial audit of your degree to ensure you are on track to graduate based on your final course registrations. It will also prompt them to do a final audit after your grades are submitted to confirm you are eligible to graduate. 

You should also ensure that your study permit is valid until the month after you complete your final term.

If you’re applying from within Canada: 

• You must apply within 90 days of confirmation of program completion and while your study permit is still valid.
• If your study permit is due to expire before the end of the 90-day PGWP application window, ensure you apply for PGWP prior to its expiration date.
• You may be eligible to work after application submission while waiting on IRCC to process your PGWP application. You can refer to the eligibility requirements on the IRCC website. 

If you’re applying from outside of Canada: 

• You must apply within 180 days of confirmation of program completion.
• If you do not apply within the 180-day PGWP application window, you lose your eligibility for the program until you complete another eligible program. 

The 90-day or 180-day application window begins when your degree is officially audited and approved in the Trent University Senate and not on the date of your convocation ceremony. 

Refer to the IRCC website for PGWP application process times.

Completion of Studies Letter: Undergraduate or post-graduate certificate students will obtain this letter through the Office of the Registrar registrar@trentu.ca.  Masters/PhD students will obtain this letter through the School of Graduate Studies graduate@trentu.ca.

Transcript: Once you have received your Completion of Studies letter you can download your unofficial transcript from myTrent > Academics. 

Digital copy of passport: Include copy of information pages, and any page with stamp, visa, or markings (from any country/territory). If taking photos of your documents, insert them into one word document and save as a PDF. If you have a cancelled passport with valid immigration documents, include copies of this passport as well. 

Digital Photo: Visit the IRCC website to determine the photo specifications. 

Form IMM5710: Compete application form IMM5710 (Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker). 

Biometrics: You may be required to submit biometrics if yours are not valid or you have not completed within the last 10 years for an application to come to Canada. Check validity of biometrics here. 

Immigration medical exam: You are required to submit an immigration medical exam if you have lived outside of Canada in certain countries or territories for more than six months in the last year, or if you intend on working with vulnerable peoples (e.g. children, elderly, sick). 

You may be exempt from a medical exam if you meet IRCC criteria and can provide a copy of your previous medical exam. Learn more here. 

If you do not complete the exam, your work permit will have conditions which will not allow you to work in these types of jobs. 

Dependent family member documents 

When applying for PGWP, you can also submit applications for your dependent family members already in Canada. Learn more about eligibility requirements for a spousal open work permit on the IRCC website. 

If your spouse/common law partner would like to apply for a spousal open work permit, you (the primary applicant) must show proof of current employment or a future job offer. The document checklist in your IRCC portal will not ask for this documentation, but you must upload your employment letter under Optional Documents > Client Information. 

Language Requirement 

You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of: 

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English; or
• Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas. 

Letter of Explanation 

A Letter of Explanation is required to explain any gap(s) in your studies, part-time enrollment, or any other deviation from continuous, full-time enrollment when applying for a study permit extension or post-graduation work permit. It can also be used to explain pending documents you intend to submit as soon as you have obtained them for an initial study permit application. 

Upload your Letter of Explanation under “Client Information” in the “Optional Documents” section of your online document checklist on your IRCC Secure Account. 

Find a template Letter of Explanation here.

The fee for applying for a post-graduation work permit is $255.50 CAD. 

The fee for biometrics is $85 CAD per person, if required. 

A full list of immigration-related fees can be viewed on the IRCC website.

• Download the latest version of Acrobat Reader to open and fill the IMM5710 form.
• Download the IMM5710 application form, then open and complete it using Acrobat Reader. For assistance with this step, visit the IRCC website or watch this tutorial video. 

Trent’s Designated Learning Institution Number (DLI #) is O19395164223. Note that the first character of the DLI # is the letter O, not zero. 

Answer “Yes” to question 2c. If you are preparing to graduate, you have already applied for your original study permit outside Canada and potential a study permit extension. Summarize this in Box D.

To access the application, begin by creating or signing into your IRCC secure account through GCKey or Sign-in Partner. 

• Click on “Start an application” and then “Apply to Come to Canada”.
• Enter your Personal Reference Code. If you do not have one, navigate to “I do not have a Personal Reference Code” and select “Visitor visa, study and/or work permit”.

Follow the answer guide below when completing the eligibility questionnaire. 

Once complete, you will see a list of applications you may be eligible to submit. Select “Post-Graduation Work Permit - in Canada”, then click “Continue” to complete the questionnaire and populate your student checklist.

Once required documents are uploaded successfully, a blue “Next” button will appear below the fees. 

• Click “Next”.
• Agree to share your information with the IRCC.
• Type your full name as a digital signature.
• Complete the verification question.
• Click “Transmit your documents to IRCC”. 

You will then proceed to the payment process. Once you have paid the fees, you will receive a confirmation of payment. We recommend printing the receipt for your records. 

• Work permit fee: $255.00 CAD
• Biometrics fee: $85.00 CAD if applicable 

To ensure your submission was successful, log back into your IRCC secure account and navigate to the “Applications Submitted” section. Here, you can click on your application to review status updates.

After applying, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt confirming that IRCC has received your application. While you wait for a decision, you should: 

• Visit our Convocation website to learn how to invite family members and supporters to your convocation ceremony.
• Review travel scenarios if you plan to travel outside of Canada before receiving a decision.
• Confirm your IRCC mailing address is correct prior to your application decision. If you need to update your mailing address, select “Update Contact Information”. 

Refer to the IRCC website for PGWP application processing times.

You can continue to work full-time until IRCC makes a decision your application. To be eligible for this, you must have: 

• Held a valid study permit when you submitted your post-graduation work permit application, and
• Was eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and did not work more hours than permitted. 

If these conditions apply to you and you must prove to an employer that you are permitted to work, provide the employer with a copy of all the required documents. 

If these conditions do not apply to you, you must wait until your work permit arrives to begin work. It’s illegal to work in Canada without authorization. If your application is refused you must stop working the day IRCC notifies you. 

Find more information on the IRCC website.

Once a decision has been made on your Post-Graduation Work Permit application, IRCC will notify you through your IRCC secure account. Your work permit will be mailed to the address indicated in your application form (IMM5710). 

Once your work permit application is approved, you may need to apply for new entry documents, including an entry visa or Electronic travel authorization (eTA). Our team will not be able to support you with these applications now that you have graduated, however, the application process will also be completed online through your IRCC account. 

Once you obtain the hard copy of your work permit, you can extend the validity on your Social Insurance Number (SIN) at the nearest Service Canada Centre.