Students who complete a degree, diploma or certificate program that is at least 8 months long may be eligible for an open work permit through the Post-Graduate Work Permit program. This program is available to graduates and is only available once in a lifetime. This means, if you complete more than one program in Canada, you will only be allowed to apply to this program ONCE.
The validity of your work permit is dependent on the length of the program you have completed. If your program is less than two years in length, your work permit will be granted for the same amount of time (i.e. eight-month program, = eight-month work permit). If your program is two years of longer, you may qualify for a three-year work permit. The length of the program is defined by the post-secondary institution and not by the length of time it took you to complete.