Top Pathways to stay in Canada once your PGWP expires

Canada's Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program allows international students to work under any Canadian employer for up to 3 years. However, one can extend this type of work permit only under specific scenarios. But to your delight Canada offer a few excellent pathways via which a PGWP holder can stay in Canada either temporarily or even permanently.

Below are the top 5 options for PGWP holders to live and work in Canada after even permit expiration:

1. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)- There are various Canadian Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) that offer recent graduates a quick pathway to permanent residency. These are called as ‘enhanced’ PNPs and operate in association with federal Express Entry program. 
2. Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)- AIP helps recent graduates from any Atlantic post-secondary institute qualify for permanent residency and allow PGWP holders to stay in Canada before permit expires.
   
3. Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP)- A graduate from Canadian publicly funded post-secondary college in any one of rural communities may qualify for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).
   
4. Work permit- Most of the work permits need you to have a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from your employers. But there are a few other options as well, like International Mobility Program (IMP), which allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers without LMIA. 
   
5. Enroll in a new post-secondary program- Byenrolling in a new post-secondary study program you can stay in Canada and work for a maximum of 20 hours/week. If you qualify for Express Entry and still waiting for your Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canada PR, you may choose this option to stay longer.