Understanding PGWP Eligibility: What Happens if You Study Part-Time?

Let’s unpack what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) actually says about maintaining full-time status, when part-time studies are acceptable, and what happens if you take a leave from your studies. 

Key Takeaways

• Full-time status matters. To stay eligible for a PGWP, you must maintain full-time enrollment every semester. except during scheduled breaks or your final semester.

• Authorized leaves must follow strict rules. If you take a break, it must be approved by your DLI and last no more than 150 days. Exceeding that can affect your eligibility.

• Documentation is key. Submit detailed transcripts showing your course load and include evidence of any approved leave to demonstrate compliance with your study permit.

Full-Time Studies: The General Rule

To be eligible for a PGWP, you must have maintained full-time student status in Canada during each semester of your study program 

IRCC uses the definition of “full-time” provided by the individual Designated Learning Institution (DLI). While each school may set its own definition of full-time, IRCC generally expects students to be enrolled in three to five courses per semester. When reviewing your PGWP application, officers typically check your transcripts to confirm you met this full-time enrollment standard throughout your studies. 

Exceptions: When Part-Time Studies Are Allowed

There are limited situations where part-time enrollment does not harm your PGWP eligibility: 

Final Semester  

You’re allowed to study part-time only in your final academic session, if that’s all you need to complete your program. 

Why is this allowed? IRCC recognizes that some students naturally have a lighter course load in their last semester because they’ve already completed most program requirements, and maybe only have one or two courses left to graduate. As long as you’ve maintained full-time status in all previous semesters, this final part-time term won’t affect your eligibility for a PGWP.  

Scheduled Breaks  

You can study part-time, or even take no classes at all, during regularly scheduled breaks in your program, such as the summer or winter holidays. 

Why this is allowed: These breaks are built into your institution’s academic calendar and are considered part of your full-time study program. IRCC doesn’t expect students to maintain a full-time course load during these periods. As long as the break is officially recognized by your DLI, it does not count against your full-time study requirement for PGWP purposes. 

Outside of these two exceptions, maintaining full-time enrollment every semester is crucial. A single unauthorized part-time term, even if unintentional, can lead to a PGWP refusal. The only exception to this was during the spring and summer semesters of 2020, when IRCC allowed part-time due to COVID-19 disruptions. 

Taking a Leave from Studies

A key condition of the PGWP is that you must have complied with the conditions of your study permit, including the requirement to actively pursue your studies while in Canada. If an officer determines that you were not actively studying for a period of time, your PGWP application can be refused. 

That said, IRCC recognizes that sometimes students need to take a break from their studies. You can take an authorized leave from your Designated Learning Institution (DLI), but there are strict rules to remain compliant. 

To stay eligible for a PGWP after a leave: 

• The leave must be approved by your DLI, and 
• It must not exceed 150 days from the date it began. 

During this time, you must either: 

• Resume studies within 150 days, or 
• Change your status (for example, to visitor or worker), or 
• Leave Canada. 

If you remain in Canada beyond 150 days without resuming studies or changing your status, you are considered non-compliant with your study permit, and that can make you ineligible for a work permit for six months. 

How to Protect Your PGWP Eligibility

To keep your Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility intact, it’s important to stay enrolled as a full-time student during every academic semester of your program. The only exceptions are if you are in your final semester or if you are on an officially scheduled break.  

If you ever need to take a break from your studies, make sure the leave is formally approved by your Designated Learning Institution (DLI) and that it does not exceed 150 days. During this period, you must either resume your studies within the 150-day window, change your status in Canada (for example, to visitor or worker), or leave the country until you are ready to return to your program. Remaining in Canada without taking one of these steps could make you non-compliant with your study permit conditions and could affect your future work permit eligibility. 

How You Can Show Compliance

When applying for your PGWP, you’ll need to show that you met the conditions of your study permit and actively pursued your studies while in Canada. The best way to do this is to submit a detailed transcript that clearly shows your course load for each semester of your program. 

If you took an authorized break, include documentation from your Designated Learning Institution (DLI) confirming that the leave was approved, along with the dates or duration of the leave. This evidence helps IRCC officers see that your break was legitimate and within policy. 

Providing clear and complete records up front can make a big difference in helping officers assess your application smoothly and avoid unnecessary delays or refusals.