International Student Working Eligibility

• you hold a valid study permit 
• you’re a full-time student at KPU 
• you’re enrolled in an academic or vocational program 
• Your study program is at least 6 months long and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate
• you’ve started studying 
• you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN) 

If you’re eligible to work off-campus, you can work up to 24 hours per week while classes are in session.

Find out more about who can work off-campus  See the important notice above.

KPU Pathway students who are taking full-time course load, with at least one Undergraduate course registered, are eligible to work off-campus. Please discuss this with an International Student Advisor. 

If you’re eligible to work off-campus, you are allowed to work full-time during the following breaks.

• One of the Spring (January to April), Summer (May to August) or Fall (September to December) terms in a calendar year (January to December) provided the student remains enrolled full-time at KPU in the term preceding the break and, in the term, following the break.
• Break between academic semesters (I.e., the day after the posted full-term final exam period until the day before the start of the next semester)
• Reading break in spring semester

Note: It is important to note that IRCC limits off-campus work during scheduled breaks to 150 consecutive days, even if the break is longer. Considering all regularly scheduled breaks, students may only work off campus on a full-time basis for a total of 180 days during each calendar year (January to December).

Students who have maintained full-time status for the duration of their program of study, and who only require a part-time course load in their final academic session in order to complete their program of study are allowed to work off campus up to 24 hours per week during their final academic session. See the important notice above.

• If you were enrolled full-time in every term except your last term, and have always respected the allowable hours of work during your studies, you may continue to work up to 24 hours per week until you receive your written notification of program completion. Students may work until the first date they receive written confirmation of program completion from KPU Graduation Office or the International Office, whichever comes first, provided their study permit remains valid during this period. 
• If the study permit becomes invalid [as per R222] before the student receives the notification of program completion from their institution, the student must cease working the day the study permit becomes invalid. 
• See the important notice above.

Students who have not applied for a subsequent study or work permit or a program of study must stop working when their Credential/ Completion Letter is issued.  

You can work full-time while waiting for a decision on your post-graduation work permit application if, at the time you submitted your application, you.

• had a valid study permit, 
• had completed your program of study, 
• met the requirements for working off campus without a work permit under paragraph R186(v) (that is, have been full-time throughout your studies (with the exception of the final term of studies))
• did not work off-campus more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions. 
• You have applied for PGWP from inside Canada

International students who are interested in participating in the KPU Co-op program are encouraged to attend a Co-op Information Session first. Once they are accepted into a Co-op program, KPU Co-op will provide a Co-op Work Permit letter. Students should apply online for their co-op work permit with this letter as soon as possible and the application is free.

You can click here to review the detailed application procedures. 

Please note, only a certain number of programs at KPU have a Co-op option. For more information, please see your program requirements. You will be submitting the following documents to IRCC for a Co-op Work Permit:

• Application to Change Conditions, Extend My Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker.IMM5710E
• Co-op Work Permit letter from KPU
• Your current study permit
• A Scanned copy of your passport 
• Your digital photo

For full online application instructions, please see Guide 5580- Applying for a Work Permit – Student Guide.

A student who maintains a full-time student status while completing a certificate, diploma, or degree program that is at least 8 months in length at Kwantlen Polytechnic University is eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Please review the criteria below:

• You must have completed a program at least 8 months in length that led to a certificate, diploma, or degree.
• You must study consecutive full-time terms excluding Scheduled Breaks. 
• You may complete an eligible program in the last term as a part-time student.

*If you were required to put your studies on hold or become part-time study due to course cancellation as a result of public health measures at the university, for Spring and Summer 2020 terms only, your eligibility for a PGWP will not be impacted. 
*How to find out if your online courses are eligible for PGWP, check the Transition period for distance learning measures which allow courses moved online due to the pandemic to count toward the length of PGWP.

Important: If you are a student who submit your Study Permit application on or after Nov 1, 2024, you need to graduate from one of the PGWP eligible programs in order to receive a PGWP. Thank you. 

You need to apply for PGWP within 180 days after receiving proof of program completion, either from KPU Graduation office or PGWP completion letter from KPU International, whichever comes earlier. Your study permit will be valid till its expiry date or 90 days after you receive your PGWP letter, whichever comes earlier. If you apply for your PGWP while on a valid study permit, you might be eligible to start work immediately (see the following Q&A for details). If you could not apply for your PGWP on a valid study permit, please consider:

• Change your status to a visitor before your study permit expires, or,
• Restore your student status and apply for your PGWP, or,
• Leave Canada and apply for your PGWP from outside of Canada

If you plan on staying in Canada after completing your program and your study permit will expire before or at the same time when you finish your program, you could extend your study permit to bridge your graduation period. If you plan to extend your study permit before completing your program, please contact an international education advisor.

International students can receive PGWP once in a lifetime. If you plan to continue studying in Canada, you may apply for PGWP after completing your second program for the full length of the post-graduation work permit, should the following criteria be met; Each program is eligible for the PGWP, you can apply based on the length of both programs, so long as your second program is completed within 2 years of completing the first program.

If you were previously eligible to work off-campus, you are eligible to continue working 24 hours per week off-campus until receiving a notification from KPU about your program completion (this could be either your KPU PGWP letter or an email from the Graduation office) while your study permit is valid. Once you receive notice in writing, you must stop working immediately. You can work full-time until the decision is made on your work permit application if you:

• had a valid study permit when you submitted your application
• completed your study program
• were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and you didn’t work more hours than you were allowed to.

*Working while PGWP application is processing
If you submit your PGWP application as visitor status in Canada or submit it from outside of Canada, you may only begin working after you receive your Post Graduation Work Permit document.