PGWP flagpoling

Not if you want a work or study permit. Flagpoling was when a temporary resident would leave Canada, cross briefly into the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, then turn around and ask a border officer for an immigration service that same day. It let people avoid the long wait that came with applying online or by mail.

Plenty of people did it. Between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, the CBSA handled more than 69,300 flagpoling cases, largely across Pacific, Southern Ontario and Quebec. Even before the full ban, flagpoling hours had been reduced at 12 ports of entry.

These days, IRCC, the department in charge of immigration, handles every work and study permit application and renewal. If someone arrives at the border hoping to flagpole, they'll be directed to apply through IRCC instead, unless they qualify for one of a small number of exemptions.

Graduates were cut off from the border before anyone else. IRCC stopped taking PGWP requests at the border on June 21, 2024, with immediate effect, so anyone already planning a border trip got no grace period.

Graduates made up a large part of the issue the government was trying to solve. Between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024, roughly one in five people attempting to flagpole were PGWP applicants. The wider ban covering all work and study permits came later, on December 23, 2024.

Turned away at the border? You still have a 180-day window, counted from when your final grades come out, to get your PGWP application in. Call now to go over your dates and next steps with a consultant.

For most people, the process now means applying online, whether you're in Canada or abroad. The government charge is $255 CAD. From abroad, you can submit your application before travelling, or wait until you've entered as a visitor using your visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA), if you're eligible.

Processing from inside Canada takes about 16 weeks. That wait is exactly what made flagpoling so appealing, and it's why timing your online application well matters so much now.

The waiting period comes with some good news. Submit your online application before your study permit runs out and you can work full-time while you wait, with an automated letter you can show employers. When it's approved, your work permit arrives by mail.

Your PGWP application must be submitted within 180 days of final marks being released. Our checker starts counting from the day your school confirms you've finished the program.

The other date to keep an eye on is your study permit. It normally lapses 90 days past the date your program is due to end, and getting your application in before that point is what preserves your ability to keep working full-time during the wait.

Miss either date and it's very hard to fix later, so it's worth getting right now. Call today and a consultant will work out your exact dates with you.

Certain groups are exempt from the ban. These include US citizens and lawful permanent residents, along with professionals and technicians under free trade agreements with the United States, Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia and South Korea, and the spouses or partners of those professionals covered by the Panama, Colombia and South Korea agreements.

International truck drivers with a work permit, who had to cross the border for their job while waiting on a renewal, are also exempt. So is anyone who already had a border appointment booked for their permit.

These exceptions concern the broader flagpoling restrictions; they do not reopen PGWP applications at the border. The online application is your way forward.