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GuidesCanadaPost-Graduation Work Permit

Can you keep working after classes end but before your official completion letter and PGWP application?

Canada • Post-Graduation Work Permit • work 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • Final transcript

    Confirms your grades; typically issued some weeks after your last exam or coursework.

  • Completion letter

    Official proof from your school that your program is finished — the trigger point for your study-to-PGWP transition.

Step-by-Step

If your courses have ended but you're still waiting on your final transcript, your work rights during this gap depend on which document you're waiting for, and there's a further gap once you order that transcript.

What group members advised:
  1. You can continue working part-time until you receive your completion letter (which schools typically issue once your transcript/results confirm you've finished the program) — you are not yet required to stop working just because classes ended.

  2. Once you have your completion letter, apply for your PGWP as soon as possible. From the point you order your transcript through to when you actually submit your PGWP application, you are not authorized to work — so timing this step promptly matters to minimize the gap in employment authorization.

  3. In short: classes ending ≠ your study permit's work authorization ending. The completion letter is the real marker — work part-time until then, then move immediately to apply for PGWP, expecting a work-authorization gap during the transcript-ordering to application window.


This timeline detail (transcripts arriving weeks after coursework ends) reflects each institution's own processing pace, so confirm your specific school's typical turnaround if you're planning around it.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Keep working part-time (as your study permit allows) until you actually receive your completion letter.
  • Do: Apply for PGWP immediately once you have your completion letter to minimize the work-authorization gap.
  • Don't: Don't plan to work between ordering your transcript and submitting your PGWP application — that period is unauthorized.

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