How long can I stay and work in Canada after completing a master's program with a duration of less than 2 years, starting from February 15, 2024?

Before this rule change, only programmes lasting 2 years or more led to the maximum 3 year PGWP, which meant many strong 1 year and 16 month master's programmes were capped at a shorter permit. That is no longer the case for programmes starting from this date.

Why the February 2024 Rule Change Matters for You

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada states that master's graduates can now receive a 3-year PGWP even when the master's programme itself is less than 2 years, as long as it is at least 8 months. Since your programme started on 15 February 2024, you fall directly under this rule, so the practical constraint is simply completing your degree and meeting the other PGWP requirements, not the specific length of your programme in months.

What Still Has to Be True to Qualify

• Program length: at least 8 months, and less than 2 years, to fall under this specific 3-year allowance for master's graduates.
• Degree level: a master's degree specifically; the rule does not apply the same way to other short programmes.
• Language requirement: if you applied for your PGWP after 1 November 2024, the current requirement is generally CLB 7 or NCLC 7 across all 4 language abilities.
• Field of study: master's graduates have no field-of-study restriction under current PGWP rules, unlike some other programme categories.

Applying Within the 180-Day Window

Your study permit and your PGWP are separate applications. You do not receive 3 years automatically starting from 15 February 2024; instead, you study until you complete the master's, and you generally have 180 days after your official confirmation of completion to apply for the PGWP. For example, if your 16 month programme finished around June 2025, you could apply for a 3-year PGWP within that window, and the permit's validity would then run from the date it is actually issued, subject to your passport's remaining validity.

This Information Is Also Available On

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility, about, and field-of-study pages).

My Advice

Confirm your exact confirmation-of-completion date with your university as soon as your final results are out, and diarise the 180-day application window from that date, not from your convocation date, since missing that window is one of the more common and entirely avoidable ways students lose PGWP eligibility they were otherwise entitled to.