For Post-Graduation Work Permit holders

PGWP Resume Guide: Get Hired Before Your Permit Runs Out

You have a Canadian credential, some Canadian experience and a permit with an end date. This guide shows how to put all three on one resume so employers see a graduate ready to work, not a student still deciding.

Updated September 26, 2026

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How should a PGWP holder write a resume in Canada?

Use standard Canadian resume format and aim it at one clear type of role. If you graduated recently, put your Canadian credential near the top with its full name, school, city and year. List co-op terms, internships and part time jobs under Work Experience, not Education, with month and year dates and results. Include international work too, described in terms a Canadian employer recognizes. Leave your work permit, immigration status, photo and date of birth off the resume. If an application form asks whether you are legally entitled to work in Canada, a valid PGWP means the answer is yes.

Permit length: Up to 3 years, mostly set by your program
Permit type: Open work permit
Goes on the resume: Credential, co-op, all relevant work
Stays off the resume: Permit status, photo, date of birth
For Express Entry (CEC): 1 year of skilled work, TEER 0 to 3
Length: 1 to 2 pages

The clock is running. Here is what that means for your resume.

Most PGWP holders know the pressure. Your permit lasts as long as it lasts, often tied to the length of your program, and in that time you want a job, Canadian work experience and, for many people, a route to permanent residence. Every month spent on applications that go nowhere is a month you do not get back.

That changes how your resume should work. A PGWP resume cannot be a broad student resume that tries to keep every door open. It needs to point at one type of role, show why your Canadian education matters for it, and connect your co-op, part time, volunteer and international work into one believable story.

The goal is not to hide that you are early in your Canadian career. It is to make your strongest relevant evidence impossible to miss. And you already have something many newcomers do not: a Canadian credential that employers recognize.

What to include on a PGWP resume

Most of this is standard Canadian resume format. Some of it is specific to recent international graduates.

Include

Your Canadian credential: full name, school, city and year
Co-op, internship or placement terms, under Work Experience
Part time and volunteer work from your studies, if relevant
International work experience, with measurable results
A skills section built from the postings you are targeting
A Professional Profile written for the role
Canadian English spelling throughout

Leave off

Your work permit, its expiry date or your permit number
Immigration status of any kind
Photo, age, date of birth or marital status
Your Social Insurance Number
GPA, unless the posting asks for it
High school, once you have a post-secondary credential
"References available upon request"

How to list your Canadian degree or diploma

Your Canadian credential is an asset. Many international graduates undersell it by putting it at the bottom, abbreviating it, or listing it with no context.

Education first, for now
If your Canadian work history is short, lead with education. Once you have about two years of relevant work, move Work Experience to the top. The order tells the employer where your strongest evidence is.
Write out the full name
"Bachelor of Commerce, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 2025" reads better than "B.Comm, UofT". Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both search for full credential names.
List both degrees, Canadian first
If you also studied abroad, list that credential second, with the school and country. It shows range. If a posting asks for a Canadian equivalent, an assessment from a service like WES can help.
Add projects that match the job
A capstone project, a case competition or a research paper can sit under your credential as one or two lines, if it proves a skill the posting asks for.

Co-op and internships belong under Work Experience

Write it like any other job: "Software Developer (Co-op), Company Name, Waterloo, ON, May 2024 to August 2024", followed by two or three bullets about what you built and what it changed. For an employer, a co-op term is Canadian work experience, so present it that way. The college and university student example shows a co-op term written this way, and the resume builder lays it out for you.

Why the format problem comes first

Many Canadian employers run applications through an applicant tracking system before a recruiter reads them. For a PGWP holder this matters more than usual, because you cannot afford to spend a month applying before finding out your file is being read badly.

Check your resume before you send it, not after you wonder why nobody called. The free resume checker scores it out of 100 and shows the top fixes.

Four format rules that matter most

Use the posting's words. If it says "stakeholder engagement", do not rely on "working with partners" alone.
Use common section names like Work Experience, Education and Skills, so both the software and the recruiter find things quickly.
Keep the layout simple. Avoid text boxes, graphics and anything that turns your words into an image.
Use Canadian spelling: colour, centre, organize.

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Which roles to target on a PGWP

If permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class is part of your plan, you need one year (1,560 hours) of skilled Canadian work in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job within the three years before you apply. That narrows your list, which is actually helpful.

Technology
Software development, data analysis, IT support and cybersecurity roles hire across Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal. Most sit in TEER 1 or 2. Show the tools and languages by name.
Finance and accounting
Financial analysts, accountants and business analysts are hired in every province. If you are working toward a CPA, say where you are in the program.
Engineering
"Engineer" is a protected title in Canada. Graduates often start as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) under a licensed engineer while working toward their P.Eng. Use the title your provincial regulator allows.
Health and life sciences
Regulated professions like nursing need Canadian licensing, but health administration, research and lab roles often do not. Check the regulator before you apply.

Whatever your field, use the words Canadian employers in that field use. Paste a posting into CVMaple's job post analyzer (5 a month on the free plan) and it lists the skills and keywords the employer is asking for, so you can see which ones your resume is missing.

Student lines, rewritten for a job search

Before: Objective: Recent graduate seeking an opportunity to grow and learn in a dynamic company.
After: Junior data analyst with a Canadian graduate certificate in business analytics and a co-op term building Power BI dashboards for a credit union.
Why it works: An Objective says what you want. A Profile says what you bring, which is what the employer is reading for.

Before: Worked part time at a coffee shop while studying.
After: Shift Supervisor, coffee shop, Toronto, ON (September 2023 to April 2025, part time). Opened and closed the store and trained 6 new staff.
Why it works: Part time work still shows reliability and responsibility. Give it dates and one real detail.

Questions PGWP holders ask us

What is a PGWP, and how does it affect my job search?

A Post-Graduation Work Permit lets eligible graduates of designated Canadian schools work for almost any employer in Canada. It can last up to 3 years, and its length depends mainly on your program. Because it is an open work permit, employers do not need an LMIA to hire you. For many graduates, the job you find on a PGWP is also the Canadian work experience a permanent residence application needs.

Should I mention my PGWP on my resume?

No. Leave your permit and immigration status off the resume and let your skills, education and experience do the work. Employers can ask whether you are legally entitled to work in Canada, and with a valid PGWP you are. Answer that question honestly when a form or an interviewer asks it.

How do I present my Canadian degree on my resume?

In the Education section, write the full credential name, the school, the city and province, and the year. If you also have a degree from another country, list it second with the school and country. Put co-op or internship terms under Work Experience, not Education.

Does co-op experience count as Canadian work experience?

For employers, yes. List it under Work Experience with dates and results. For the Canadian Experience Class under Express Entry, no: work done while you were a full time student does not count toward the one year of skilled experience. Plan your PR timeline around work done after graduation.

How do I get Canadian work experience as a PGWP holder?

Start with what you already have: co-op terms, internships, part time jobs and volunteer work in your field all belong on the resume. After that, entry level roles in your field, contracts and temporary positions can all build Canadian experience. If PR is your goal, aim for jobs in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.

What jobs should PGWP holders target?

If you plan to apply through the Canadian Experience Class, target jobs in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, since that is the skilled work it counts. Beyond that, target the role you are most qualified for today, not the one you hope to reach in five years. A focused resume gets more callbacks than a general one.

Should I use a Canadian address on my resume?

Yes, if you live here. City and province are enough, for example Toronto, ON. You do not need a full street address.

What if my PGWP is about to expire?

A resume cannot solve a permit problem. If your permit is close to expiring, read the options on canada.ca and consider speaking with a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer. In the meantime, keep your applications focused and tailored so each one has the best chance.

Your permit window is open. Use it well.

CVMaple builds your resume in Canadian format, checks it before you send it, and helps you present your Canadian credential and co-op work properly. Free to start.