💼 Work in Canada
Everything about working legally in Canada — PGWPs, open and closed work permits, bridging permits, and IEC Working Holiday.
Most Important for Graduates
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
The work permit that bridges your degree to Canadian work experience — and Canadian work experience to Express Entry. New language and field-of-study rules apply.
PGWP Running Out and No PR Path Yet? Your Real Options
An honest, ranked map of the routes still open when your PGWP is ending and you couldn't land a skilled job — CEC, PNP, French, exit-and-return, and BOWP.
Is the Canadian Job Market Really That Bad?
A grounded, non-doom reality check on what newcomers and graduates actually face — search timelines, referrals, region and field, and how it ties to your PR plan.
Work Permits Explained
Open work permits vs employer-specific permits, how to get each, and who is exempt from needing one.
Changing a Closed (Employer-Specific) Work Permit to an Open Work Permit
You can't 'convert' a closed work permit to open — you apply for and get a new permit through a route you qualify for. Here's how, and which routes exist.
Open Work Permits for Family Members of Foreign Workers
Since January 21, 2025, only spouses of workers in TEER 0/1 jobs (or TEER 2/3 in a priority sector) qualify for a family open work permit. Here's who's eligible now and how to apply.
Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP)
Keep working while your PR application is in progress — eligibility, how to apply, and what happens if your permit expires.
International Experience Canada (IEC) / Working Holiday
The 2026 IEC season, Working Holiday and Young Professionals streams, age limits, and which countries can apply.
Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP)
Who still qualifies for a student's-spouse open work permit after the 2025 and 2026 changes, and the final-term rule that trips people up.
LMIA Explained (TFWP vs. IMP)
What a Labour Market Impact Assessment is, who pays, and the difference between the LMIA-based TFWP and the LMIA-exempt International Mobility Program.
Maintained Status (Implied Status)
How maintained status lets you keep working while an on-time permit extension is pending — the deadline, the conditions, and what breaks it.
Building Canadian work experience?
Work experience on a PGWP qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class — see how the path connects.