Can a Study Permit be changed to a Work Permit in Canada?

Canada is undoubtedly the most immigration-friendly country so far.

Especially to students!

In fact, Canada Welcomes a Record-Breaking 800,000 International Students in 2022 which is a 24% increase from the previous year. And the most common scenario is a huge percentage of foreign students coming to Canada for study purposes applying to switch that student permit to a work permit.

And the first question that pops into their mind is- Can a Study Permit be changed to a Work Permit in Canada?

Today we decided to talk about the whole topic of working in Canada after graduation by covering….

• Work permit eligibility for international students in Canada
• Is it possible to change from a student visa to a working visa in Canada?
• The process of converting a study permit to a work permit

So, is it possible to convert a student visa to a work permit?

Yes, it is possible to change from a study permit to a working permit in Canada after completing your study. The post-graduation work permit (PGWP) allows the international student to work full-time in Canada for 8 months to up to 3 years.

Can I have both a study permit and a work permit in Canada?

With the study permit, you already have the off-campus work permit for up to 20 hours. And if you work on campus, there are no such fixed hours. If you come in a co-op program or intern, you’re actually allowed to work more than 20 hours restriction while studying.

How to Change to a Work Permit in Canada from a study permit?

If you want to convert your student permit into work, you have two options at hand.

• Post Graduate Work program
• Work Permit with an LMIA

#1 Post Graduate Work program (After completing your study):

It is the official open permit given to foreign students who want to extend their residence permit in Canada after study.

The first rule of PGWP is the applicant has to finish the study from any Canadian DLI institute. DLI stands for Designated Learning Institution.

The best thing about this program is it allows the student to work in any province in Canada or with any employee they want. Keep in mind that the student has 180 days after the DLI school issues the final marks to apply for a PGWP. Let’s see what documents the applicant needs to apply for PGWP.

• The degree certificate
• The transcript
• The official letter from the school

The full process is totally online. The student is allowed to apply for this program while staying in Canada or from another country as long as they are eligible for the program.

What about the fee?

How much does it cost to change a study permit to a work permit in Canada? The fee for applying to PGWP for converting a work permit is 255 Canadian dollars. 

#2 Work Permit with an LMIA (Before completing your study)

If you graduated from any non-DLI school or didn’t finish the study, this is the option for you to convert the work permit.

This is actually the path of the regular work permit process. Here is what it looks like:

• Step 1: Find a job offer in Canada.
• Step 2: Ask your employer to submit the LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment)
• Step 3: Wait for a positive LMAI result.
• Step 4: Apply for transferring the study permit to a work permit in Canada

Canada is now so open to work permits that they are even allowing you to convert to a work permit once you are in Canada with a visitor visa and find an employer.