Post-Study Work Visa Comparison (Canada, UK, Australia, USA)

Each destination handles post-study work differently. Two of them tie the length of your permission directly to what and where you studied, which means the decision that determines your post-study options is the one you make before you enrol, not after you graduate.

The table below states only what the official source says, with the date it was checked. Where a figure could not be confirmed from the government page at the time of review, the cell says so rather than guessing.

The PGWP is unusual in that its length is a function of your study program rather than a fixed term. IRCC states a permit may be valid from 8 months up to 3 years. A program of at least two years at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution can attract a three-year permit, and so can a master’ degree shorter than two years. To qualify at all, the program must have been at least eight months long, or 900 hours in Quebec.

There is also a field-of-study condition, and it does not apply to everyone. IRCC states there is no field-of-study requirement for graduates of bachelor’, master’ or doctoral degrees. Students in non-degree programs do face one: the program must be in an eligible field linked to long-term shortages, and that rule applies to students who applied for a study permit on or after 1 November 2024.

The practical consequence is that the institution and program you choose can change your post-study permission by years. Confirm both the PGWP eligibility of the institution and the field-of-study position for your specific program before you accept an offer, using the government list rather than the institution’ own prospectus.

The Graduate route currently allows two years in the UK after you successfully complete your course. GOV.UK states this is being reduced to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. If you apply on or before 31 December 2026, the two-year length still applies. PhD graduates are unaffected and continue to receive three years.

If you are choosing an intake now, map that date against your expected completion date. A course finishing in late 2026 and one finishing in early 2027 can attract different lengths of post-study permission for otherwise identical study.

Post-study work rules change often, and they change more often than university marketing material is updated. These checks stay useful regardless of which way the rules move.