Staying in Canada after your studies

If you would like to stay in Canada either temporarily or permanently to work after your studies, you will find information in this section on the steps you have to take. They apply only to international students who have graduated from an Université Laval study program. They don’t apply to exchange students.

Typically, international students who have graduated from a study program want to get a post-graduation work permit immediately after their studies so they can work in Canada. By doing that, they can maintain their temporary status. At the same time, they can take steps to obtain permanent residence.

However, the process of getting a post-graduation work permit and applying for permanent residence are two very different steps that you may or may not be able to do at the same time.

If you would like to stay in Canada, the post-graduation work permit allows you to maintain a valid temporary status. Depending on your plans for the future, you can apply for permanent selection for a CSQ with MIFI and for permanent residence with IRCC in Canada or from outside Canada. However, since the July 22, 2020, reform to the Programme de l’expérience québécoise [Québec experience program] (PEQ), students who will be completing their studies in 2021 will have to have work experience in Québec to be eligible for the PEQ graduate program. Because of this, getting a post-graduation work permit becomes almost mandatory for students wanting to settle in Québec permanently.

If you would like to start a new study program after you graduate from your current program, you will have to renew you student authorization documents and wait until the end of your second study program to start the steps outlined here:

• Applying for post-graduation work permit
• Settling permanently in Québec
• Settling permanently in Canada (in a province other than Quebec)