Although the Trudeau government has rechristened the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the rules for MBA and post-graduate International students have remained the same. For MBA students, the route to finding opportunities is through the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program.
When should you apply (PGWP)?
Within 90 days of completing your courses, you should apply for PGWPP, confirming that you have met the minimum requirements (Course Credit, Grades) for the academic program. For Business Schools, the date of completion will be different from the date of convocation. Don’t wait till the official ceremony. Apply when your student visa is valid.
How many years (months) is the PGWP valid?
The rule is simple – you cannot get PGWP with validity longer than the program’s duration. If you are completing your 2-year Full-time MBA from say Rotman School of Management, the validity of the post-graduation work permit will be a minimum of three years.
You are not eligible for PGWP if:
• You Availed the Canadian Common Wealth Scholarship Program(funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC))
• You are Part of the Government of Canada Awards Program (funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC))
• You Received Funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• You are part of the Canada-Chile Equal Opportunity Scholarship
• You are part of the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program
• You are part of the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
• You are part of a Distance Learning Program within Canada
Can I get multiple PGWP with different courses?
You can apply only once for PGWP in your lifetime. Strategically use the work permit depending on your post-MBA destination.
Can I work with the study permit while awaiting PGWP?
No.
Can I work on-campus and off-campus with the study permit?
Yes, you can, but with conditions.
Can I work as an Intern during the course of my MBA program?
Almost all top Canadian MBA programs have internship as an essential part of the curriculum. For international students, it means getting both work and study permit.
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.