For students starting a 1-year program in a May intake who want to delay their second program until the following May, rather than starting again in January when the first program ends:
- Know that you're generally given some buffer time to decide your next step. After your program ends, you typically have a few months' grace period to either return home or apply for admission to your next program — you don't have to enroll immediately in the very next intake.
- You can start your second program in the following May intake rather than the intervening January, but this creates a gap of several months between your two programs.
- Be ready to explain that gap when you eventually apply for your PGWP. Since continuous full-time study is expected between programs for PGWP eligibility, you'll need to document what you were doing during the gap (e.g., staying in Canada, preparing for the next program) as part of your PGWP application.
In short: you can push your second program to the next May intake instead of January, but plan to justify the gap between programs when it's time to apply for your post-graduation work permit.