IRCC announces details of new Open Work Permit for PGWP holders
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the details of the new Open Work Permit for Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders. International students whose PGWP expired from September 20, 2021, to December 31, 2022, are now eligible to extend their work permits and stay in Canada for a further 18 months.
The OWP will allow those who are already in Canada to continue working while they wait for their PGWP to be extended. IRCC will be sending an email to all eligible candidates by mid-October asking them to update their mailing addresses. There are several scenarios in which applicants can be eligible for the temporary extension.
- For those with a work permit that expires between October 2 –December 31, 2022. If your mailing address has not changed and their passport is valid until April 2024, no action is needed. IRCC will send the work permit and the applicant does not need to reply to IRCC’s email.
- If your mailing address needs to be updated or your passport expires before April 2024, you need to follow the instructions in the email to inform IRCC your address needs to be updated. If your passport is set to expire before April 2024, you may need to extend your passport validity before becoming eligible for the OWP.
- If your PGWP expires between October 2 and December 31, 2022, and IRCC does not contact you before mid-September, it means you are are not eligible for a work permit through this process. You may still apply online to extend your work permit.
- If your PGWP expires from October 2, 2022, to December 31, 2022, but you are not able to update your address or passport validity you will need to apply online to extend your work permit. You could receive a work permit extended to your passport expiration date, or you could wait to apply until you have renewed your passport.
- If your PGWP expired between September 2021 and October 1, 2022, you will need to apply online for a work permit. Applications are open starting August 2, 2022. If your temporary status has also expired, you need to apply to restore your status at the same time. As part of this special measure, you may restore your status even if it expired over 90 days ago
Once a candidate receives an email from IRCC, they have two weeks to update their information to in order to receive your updated work permit by November 2022.
Recipients can attach this notice to their PGWP to show employers that that are temporarily authorized to work in Canada. The extension is for 18 months and eligible PGWP holders will be able to work while they apply for a new permit. The permit expires on May 31, 2023.
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