Living and working in Québec after your studies
Living in Québec after your studies
Want to stay permanently in Québec after your studies? To do so, you will need to become a permanent resident of Canada.
To obtain permanent residence in Canada, you first need to apply for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). As a Université de Montréal student, you can obtain this certificate through the Québec Experience Program (PEQ) if you meet the eligibility requirements.
There are other ways of obtaining permanent residence in Canada, but this section is about the PEQ for Québec graduates and temporary foreign workers.
The PEQ for Québec graduates
The PEQ is a simplified program for obtaining the CSQ. The conditions to be eligible for the program as a Université de Montréal graduate are as follows.
Have complied with the conditions of your Québec Acceptance Certificate (Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ)) and your study permit
Have lived in Québec for at least half of the duration of your study program in Québec
Have obtained an eligible university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral) in the 36 months before you submit your application
Have completed three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study in French, in Québec or outside of it
Have completed an eligible study program in French (i.e., a program in which 75% of the courses or credits were completed in French) in Québec
Be at least 18 years old and intend to settle in Québec to work
Have a knowledge of written French corresponding to level 5 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels
Have the financial capacity to meet your needs
Have held paid a full-time job corresponding to level 0, A or B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC) for at least 12 months after the end of your study program
Be legally in Québec and hold a full-time job corresponding to level 0, A or B of the NOC when you submit your application
To find out more about the eligibility conditions and the steps you need to take, visit the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Inclusion (MIFI) website.
The current official processing time for obtaining a CSQ through the PEQ for Québec graduates is six months.
PEQ – Temporary foreign workers
If you are not eligible for the PEQ through the Quebec graduates stream, you may be eligible through the temporary foreign workers stream if you are working after your studies. The eligibility conditions are as follows.
Have complied with the conditions for staying in Québec (work permit and CAQ, as applicable)
Have held a full-time paid job (at least 30 hours/week) corresponding to the TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility) categories 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification for at least 24 of the 36 months prior to submitting the application
Be legally in Québec and have a full-time job (at least 30 hours/week) corresponding to the TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility) categories 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification
Be at least 18 years old and intend to settle in Québec to work
Have a knowledge of spoken French corresponding to level 7 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels
Have the financial capacity to meet your needs
To find out more about the eligibility conditions and the steps you need to take, visit the website of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Inclusion (MIFI).
The current official processing time for obtaining a CSQ through the PEQ for temporary foreign workers is six months.
Permanent residence
Once you have obtained your CSQ, you can apply for permanent residence in Canada. Make your application as a Quebec-selected skilled worker. The processing time for obtaining permanent residence varies but is usually one to two years. Check the processing time when you apply.
If you want to stay in Québec while you wait for your permanent residence application to be processed, you must ensure that you have legal status in Canada. You may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
For more information on the process of applying for permanent residence in Canada, visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website.
Working in Québec after your studies
Are you about to finish your studies at UdeM and want to stay in Canada to gain work experience? The post-graduation work permit (PGWP) could be the solution.
Post-graduation work permit
The post-graduation work permit (PGWP) is an open work permit that allows its holder to work for the employer of their choosing (with some exceptions) anywhere in Canada. Its main purpose is to allow students who have graduated from a designated educational institution to work in Canada after completing their studies.
Note: Not all international students are eligible for a PGWP; you must meet certain criteria.
Who can obtain a PGWP?
To apply for a PGWP, you must have completed a university or vocational training program of at least eight months duration, in Canada, at a designated institution, and have obtained a degree, diploma or certificate. If you have studied at the bachelor’s, certificate, master’s or doctoral level, you should be eligible to apply for a PGWP.
To obtain a PGWP, you must also have studied full-time and without interruption in Canada. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. If you studied part-time during the last session of your study program only, or during the winter or summer sessions of 2020 because of COVID-19, you are still eligible for the PGWP. Also, if you took an authorized leave for a maximum of 150 days during your program, you are still eligible to apply for the PGWP.
Finally, to obtain a PGWP you must also have completed more than half of your program in Canada. However, some exceptions are made related to COVID-19: if you did part of your studies through distance learning, visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
You are not eligible for a PGWP if:
- You took general interest or self-improvement courses in a program lasting less than eight months on a part-time or intermittent basis. Students on exchange programs are therefore not eligible for a PGWP.
- You have already obtained one in the past (unless you are applying for a renewal because your passport has expired).
Academic documents required with a PGWP application
The PGWP requires two documents confirming that the study program has been fully completed: an official attestation of completion of requirements (attestation officielle d’exigences satisfaites) and an academic transcript. Both documents can be ordered from the Registrar’s Office. (You can use the version of your transcript in your Centre étudiant, but it is preferable to use the transcript provided by the Registrar’s Office.)
Note: Students enrolled in a graduate program that includes one or more sessions of writing or revision must also obtain a detailed certificate of registration from the Registrar’s Office.
When to apply for a PGWP
You must submit an application for a PGWP within 180 days from when you are able to obtain written notice from UdeM that your program has been completed. This notice can be your final transcript, an email from your student file management technician (TGDE) or an attestation of completed requirements (attestation d’exigences satisfaites).
The 180-day timeline begins as soon as the first of these documents is available. That means it’s very important for you to be vigilant: after 180 days, you will no longer be able to submit an application for a PGWP.
How to apply for a PGWP
You can apply for a PGWP online, from within or outside Canada.
Please note that the request can no longer be made at an entry point (airport, land border). In fact, 'flagpoling' at land borders with the United States to obtain the PGWP quickly is no longer allowed since June 21, 2024.
If you are applying for the PGWP from within Canada, you must have held a valid study permit for the 180 days preceding your application. You must also ensure that you have valid status in Canada at the time you submit your application: this may be through a study permit, maintained status or visitor status. If you do not have valid status in Canada, you can either apply to restore your status within 90 days of your student status expiring, or leave Canada and apply online from outside Canada.
If you decide to submit your application from outside Canada and you have no status in Canada, you will have to wait to obtain your letter of introduction so that you can collect your PGWP at the Canadian border.
Note: Before you plan a trip outside Canada, always check that you have a valid electronic travel authorization (eTA) or temporary resident visa (TRV). You will not be able to return to Canada by air without the document that corresponds to your situation.
Processing times for PGWP applications vary depending on when and where you submit your application. Check the processing times regularly.
How long is the PGWP valid for?
The duration of the PGWP usually corresponds to the duration of the study program that has been completed. For example, for a study program lasting eight months, the PGWP should be valid for eight months. However, for study programs lasting two years or more, the period of validity is usually up to three years.
If you have completed multiple study programs, the duration should correspond to the total duration of the programs, up to a maximum of three years.
If you completed part of your degree outside Canada, there are specific rules that apply to the calculation of the validity period of your PGWP. You can read the rules here.
Other considerations
Medical exam required for certain jobs
To work in certain jobs, you will be required to take a medical exam administered by a designated IRCC-authorized physician, when your PGWP is issued.
These jobs are generally in health and teaching and involve contact with vulnerable people (children, seniors, etc.).
It is therefore very important to check whether your PGWP prohibits you from working in these jobs, and to ensure that you undergo a medical exam if you wish to have this restriction removed.
Spouses
If you have a spouse, they may be able to obtain an open work permit attached to your PGWP. There are some IRCC conditions that must be met.
Health insurance number and social insurance number
When you obtain your post-graduation work permit, don’t forget to apply to the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).
Also remember to renew your social insurance number (SIN) with Service Canada.
Being eligible to work after you apply for a PGWP
Once you have received written notice from UdeM that your program has ended, you must stop working immediately if you are employed, even if your study permit has not expired.
To start working again, you must apply for a PGWP in Canada before your study permit expires. You will then be allowed to work full-time while you wait for a decision on your PGWP.
Finally, if you want to settle permanently in Canada through the Québec graduate stream of the Québec Experience Program (PEQ), the PGWP enables you to acquire the twelve months of full-time work in a skilled job that are necessary to obtain your Certificat de Sélection du Québec (CSQ). The CSQ is a required document if you want to apply for permanent residence in Québec. To find out more about the PEQ, visit the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) website.
Remember: You can only obtain a PGWP once in your lifetime. Make the most of it!
IMPORTANT
Please note that the laws and regulations in force in Québec and Canada concerning immigration, as well as the websites of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), take precedence over the information contained on this website.
Also note that the information presented here does not constitute legal advice and is not binding on Université de Montréal or its employees.