PGWP 2026: eligibility, field-of-study rules and the English test you need

For many Indian students, the post-graduation work permit is the main reason to choose Canada. It is also the part of the plan that changed most between 2024 and 2026. A college course that would have earned a work permit three years ago may not today, almost every graduate now needs a language test, and a spouse can no longer count on a work permit of their own.

Every rule below comes from IRCC’s own pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Rupee figures use C$1 ≈ ₹68.

What is the PGWP?

The PGWP is an open work permit for international students who graduate from an eligible Canadian programme. “Open” means you can work for almost any employer, full time, without a job offer. IRCC issues it only once: “You can’t get a PGWP if you already had one after completing an earlier program of study.” It cannot be renewed, except to make up time lost when a passport expired early, so it is the window in which most graduates build the Canadian work experience they need for permanent residence.

What changed in the PGWP rules before 2026?

IRCC has made no new PGWP eligibility changes in 2026 and has frozen its field-of-study list for the year. The rules in force come from these changes:

• 15 February 2024: a master’s of at least 8 months earns up to three years.
• 15 May 2024: curriculum licensing programmes at private colleges stop qualifying.
• 1 November 2024: PGWP applications from this date need a language test (flight school graduates excepted), and diplomas and certificates need an eligible field if the study permit was applied for from this date.
• 21 January 2025: spouse work permits limited to certain programmes and jobs.
• 11 March 2025: degrees from colleges need CLB 7, as university degrees do.
• 4 July 2025: the field-of-study list was last updated.

Who is eligible for a PGWP in 2026?

You must meet every one of IRCC’s general requirements:

• You completed a programme at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution (DLI) that was “at least 8 months long.” Graduating from a DLI does not on its own make you eligible, so check the programme as well as the school.
• You studied full time in every semester. Part-time study is allowed in your final semester.
• You apply within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your programme, and your study permit was valid at some point in those 180 days.
• You meet the language requirement and, for diplomas and certificates, the field-of-study requirement. Both are explained below.

IRCC also lists who is not eligible, including anyone who:

• already received a PGWP;
• studied more than 50% of the programme by distance learning;
• studied at a private college delivering a public college’s programme under a curriculum licensing arrangement, if they began after 15 May 2024 (or after 1 February 2023 where the colleges are in different provinces);
• studied English or French as a second language, or a non-credit or general interest course.

The curriculum licensing rule matters in Ontario, where several private campuses deliver public college programmes. Ask the college in writing whether your campus is the public college itself before you pay.

How long is the PGWP?

Up to three years after a master’s of at least 8 months, including a one-year master’s. Other programmes earn up to their own length, or three years if they last two years or more, under IRCC’s length rules:

The three-year rule for short master’s degrees has applied since 15 February 2024 and covers degrees only; IRCC says it “doesn’t apply to certificate or diploma programs,” so a one-year postgraduate certificate earns about a year. Two limits catch people out. The permit cannot run past your passport’s expiry date, so renew a passport that is close to expiring before you apply. And if you studied part of the programme online from India, IRCC deducts that time from the permit.

Which programmes must meet the field-of-study requirement?

Only programmes that do not lead to a degree, from a college or a university, and only if you applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024. IRCC’s field-of-study page lists four exemptions. You do not need to meet it if you:

• graduated with a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree;
• applied for your study permit before 1 November 2024;
• submitted your PGWP application before 1 November 2024;
• graduated from a PGWP-eligible flight school.

So a master’s student at a university, or a student on a four-year bachelor’s degree at a college, can study any subject. A student on a college diploma or postgraduate certificate must study a field on the list. That is where most Indian students who choose Canada for a one- or two-year college programme now need to be careful. The rule also covers university diplomas and certificates. A business administration diploma (CIP 52.0201), for example, does not qualify, while an MBA does.

Which fields of study are eligible for the PGWP?

Fields linked to “jobs in long-term shortage in Canada,” in six groups: agriculture and agri-food, education, healthcare and social services, science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), trades, and transport. IRCC checks your programme by its six-digit CIP code (the Classification of Instructional Programs) on its list of currently eligible codes, last updated on 4 July 2025. IRCC says that “for 2026, we won’t add or remove any eligible fields of study.”

These are the fields Indian students most often ask us about, checked against that list:

Colleges show this differently. Humber prints the CIP code and a “PGWP-Eligible” field on its programme pages: its Business Administration advanced diploma shows CIP 52.0201 and “N/A”, while its Computer Programming diploma shows 11.0201 and “Yes”. Conestoga keeps one central list.

The code matters, not the programme’s name. A “Business Administration” diploma in supply chain can carry the supply chain code and qualify, while a general business management certificate does not. And the degree exemption can save a field that is not listed: Conestoga’s PGWP-aligned programme list includes its Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business Management, CIP 52.1101, because it is a degree. Conestoga itself warns that it “does not determine or guarantee PGWP eligibility,” so check the code on IRCC’s list yourself.

If a field is removed while you are studying, you are protected. IRCC says your code “must be on the list of currently eligible CIP codes when you submit either your study permit application or your PGWP application,” so a field that was listed when you applied for your study permit still counts. Upload proof of the field yourself, as one file in the “Client Information” section of your application, because IRCC says the document checklist “won’t ask you” for it.

Which English test do you need for the PGWP, and what score?

IELTS General Training of 6.0 in each skill (CLB 7) after a degree or other university programme, or CLB 5 after other college programmes. Anyone applying for a PGWP on or after 1 November 2024 must prove English or French, whatever they studied and whenever they applied for their study permit; the only exception is graduates of PGWP-eligible flight schools. The level depends on the programme:

• CLB 7 (Canadian Language Benchmark 7) in all four skills after a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, or any other university programme. Since 11 March 2025 this also applies to degrees from colleges and polytechnics.
• CLB 5 in all four skills after any other college, polytechnic or non-university programme.

IRCC accepts five tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, and TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French. The results must be “less than 2 years old” when you apply, and the tests “should be taken in person.” The IELTS Academic and PTE Academic you took for admission are not on the list, so plan on a second test. These are IRCC’s minimum scores, by skill:

In India, IELTS is run only by IDP, which lists the General Training test at ₹19,000. CELPIP is available in India for ₹15,500, including at a Prometric centre in Kodambakkam, Chennai. PTE Core has been available in India since February 2024. Our IELTS or PTE guide explains the difference between the academic and general tests.

How do you apply for a PGWP?

Online, in most cases, after your school confirms you have completed the programme. IRCC’s document list asks for proof that you completed your studies (a degree, diploma or certificate, an official letter from your school, or a transcript), proof you studied full time, your language test results, and proof of an eligible field where that applies. The online checklist marks the language results as optional, but IRCC says you must include them if your programme requires them. The fee is C$255, about ₹17,300: C$155 for the work permit and C$100 for the open work permit holder fee. Pay both when you apply. IRCC collects biometrics once every 10 years, so most graduates who gave them for their study permit do not pay the C$85 biometrics fee again.

IRCC does not publish a separate processing time for the PGWP. Its processing data, updated on 14 October 2026, showed 118 days for work permits applied for inside Canada.

Can you work while you wait for your PGWP?

Yes, full time, if you apply before your study permit expires. IRCC says you can work full time until a decision if you had a valid study permit when you applied, completed your programme, and were eligible to work off campus without working more hours than allowed. If the permit is refused, you must stop work the day IRCC tells you.

IRCC’s permission to keep working starts only once you have applied, so apply as soon as your final marks or completion letter arrive. If your marks will come after your study permit expires, IRCC suggests applying for a visitor record, or leaving Canada and applying from outside; either way you cannot work until the PGWP is approved. If your study permit expires and you did neither, you have 90 days to restore your status and apply, paying the C$396.25 fee IRCC’s apply page gives for restoring student status (about ₹26,900) on top of the C$255, but you cannot work until the PGWP is approved.

Can your spouse work in Canada while you are on a PGWP?

Only in some cases since 21 January 2025. While you study, your spouse or partner can get an open work permit only if you are on a master’s of 16 months or longer, a doctorate or certain professional degrees. Once you hold a PGWP, your spouse qualifies only if you work in a management or professional job (TEER 0 or 1), or in selected TEER 2 or 3 jobs, and your permit has at least 16 months left. Your spouse’s application will be refused if your PGWP has not been approved by the time IRCC decides it. For couples, the length of the master’s matters as much as its fees.

Does the PGWP lead to permanent residence?

It can, but nothing guarantees it. The most common route for graduates is the Canadian Experience Class through Express Entry. It needs at least one year (1,560 hours) of skilled work in Canada in the last three years, in jobs at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, and CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs or CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3. Work while studying full time, including co-op terms, does not count.

Competition is the hard part. IRCC’s rounds of invitations show 18 Canadian Experience Class draws between January and mid-October 2026, inviting 57,750 people, with cut-off scores between 507 and 523 points. Graduates on a one-year PGWP after a short certificate have little time to gain a year of experience and an invitation before the permit ends. A master’s, or a programme of two years or more, gives up to three years instead.

How should Indian students plan around the PGWP?

• Before you pay a deposit: find the programme’s CIP code, check it on IRCC’s list if it is not a degree, and confirm the campus is the public college itself.
• When you choose the course length: a master’s of 8 months or more earns up to three years; a one-year certificate earns about one. If a spouse is coming, check for 16 months or longer.
• In your final year: book IELTS General Training, CELPIP or PTE Core, aiming above CLB 7 if you want Express Entry points later, and make sure the result is under two years old when you apply.
• When your marks arrive: apply online before your study permit expires, so you can keep working full time while you wait.

Our Canada cost guide compares master’s and college costs in rupees, and our study permit documents guide covers the permit itself.