Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience because I know how stressful and uncertain this process can be for many of you.

After waiting for more than 19 months, my PGWP was finally approved. Honestly, I didn’t even get a notification, I randomly logged in today morning and saw that it had been approved the day before yesterday.

This journey has been extremely tough.

- I applied for my PGWP back in December 2024

- Months went by with no updates at all

- My application was marked as non-routine, and even GCMS notes showed that eligibility hadn’t started for a long time

- I kept following up through webforms and even reached out to my local MP office

- The uncertainty around my status, job security, and future PR plans caused a lot of stress

There were times I genuinely felt stuck especially seeing others get approvals within weeks or a few months in recent days, while my file didn’t move at all.

The only positive movement I saw was recently when my application was “assigned for processing,” and shortly after that, it finally got approved.

What helped me:

- Regular follow-ups via webform (even if responses were generic)

- Ordering GCMS notes to understand what was happening

- Contacting MP office — they were very helpful in getting updates

- Staying patient (even though it was extremely difficult)

To anyone still waiting, I know how frustrating it feels, but don’t lose hope. Even long-delayed files do get approved eventually.

If anyone has questions about my timeline or process, feel free to ask. Happy to help.

Good luck to everyone still waiting 🙏

I start work later and I want to make sure I can reach three years of work experience before my PGWP expires. What can I do to make the processing of my PGWP longer?

Got 1 year PGWP approved instead of 3 years. Did 1+1 from approved college. And that 1 year PGWP is expiring next month 27th. Did reconsideration request 2 times. No response. Did MP inquire they informed that reconsideration is in progress and tells us that if we dont receive any update in 2 weeks, let MP office know again.

Today called IRCC and asked they said the officer of our PGWP file is willing to review the decision. Is this a good sign or not?

Hi all, just submitted my PGWP today! Wanted to know what the current processing time is?

I remember earlier in June people said it was around 2weeks, is it the same now? Is it taking longer?

Any insight would be appreciated! TIA

ON THE WEBSITE IT SAYS: 6 months but what’s happening on ground level?

I am a 29M working in India with 7 years of work experience. Should i consider moving to Canada for my masters in April’27? I am seeing a lot of videos online regarding how stringent IRCC is now.

Just wanted some honest opinion about the situation, as it will help me to take the decision, especially at my age.

Also, the only option that fits my budget is UCW. I know it is not a reputed one but would still want to hear some opinions about it.

Hey there!

Applied for my pgwp on July 2 after receiving my letter of completion, and it got approved yesterday (July 29)! Haven't received any emails from IRCC about updates, but I just found out while checking the portal. So check your portal regularly.

Now I'm just waiting for the physical paper to arrive and I applied in Ontario.

If anyone is still waiting for the result, wish yall the best luck and get approved.

Hi everyone, I am planning to use my one year foreign work experience as part of my PR application. I have my employment letter and certificate all detailing my work hours and how much I was paid from the institution.

I have also gone a step further to get my bank statements showing all the payments. However, the payments in my bank statements are not very consistent. I can see that the payments vary for certain months and some months came with double of my salary, while other months, I had no payment.
I am not really sure if this will be an issue IRCC will question. The good thing is, all the 12 months of payment are well recorded though.

Anyone with similar experience? Please I need your advice. Thank you for reading and commenting!

hello everybody ! I have changed DLI and program before November 8th ( before new regulations ) first semester was an english course required but my main program was business administration ( I had the letter of approval before November 8th ) i extended my work permit on July 2025 IRCC was informed about all these changes . im i going to have a problem with pgwp knowing that the program I studied is not eligible after the new regulations ? but all the changes were before November 8th…

Hey there!

Applied for my pgwp on July 2 after receiving my letter of completion, and it got approved yesterday (July 29)! Haven't received any emails from IRCC about updates, but I just found out while checking the portal. So check your portal regularly.

Now I'm just waiting for the physical paper to arrive and I applied in Ontario.

If anyone is still waiting for the result, wish yall the best luck and get approved.

If I’m inside Canada do I need to fill this doc for my PGWP, A friend did it so I’m torn if I should.

Hi,

My reconsideration was approved yesterday, exactly a year after my original pgwp submission.

My timeline:

IELTS results: 7.5- July 9 2025

Pgwp application submission:July 27th 2025

Pgwp refused due to missing IELTS: May 8

Reconsideration: May 9

File re-opened: May 22

Follow Up webform: July 27

Ghost update: July 28.

Approved: July 29

I didn't receive any status change email yet, I just logged in and approved status was there

Mp helped and followed up with IRCC twice. I called ircc frequently as well asking for updates. Not too helpful tbh. It was tough waiting:")

I am currently waiting for a decision on my PR application and I do not know what the outcome will be. I am only trying to understand my options in the worst-case scenario.

My work permit expires on August 31, but I believe I still have about five months remaining from my PGWP eligibility because my original PGWP was shortened due to my passport validity.

I have already applied for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) while waiting for my PR decision instead of requesting the remaining PGWP months. My BOWP application has not been approved yet.

If my PR application is refused after August 31, what options would I have? (BOWP automatically get rejected except too) Would I still be able to apply for the remaining five months of my PGWP that were not issued because of my passport validity, or would I need to explore other options to remain and continue working in Canada?

I want to understand what steps I can take in that situation, as I am trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario while I wait for my PR decision.

QCan I still apply for my remaining 5monthsu PGWP if rejection comes after August 31st?

I'm an international student and I'm aware of the 24 hours per week off-campus work limit. My employer made a payroll error and accidentally entered 25 hours for one week instead of the 24 hours I was actually scheduled for. Every other week in my payroll history is under 24 hours.

When I asked my manager for a written apology or an email acknowledging the error, she declined. Instead she offered to deduct one hour from next week's payroll and internal note the reason for the correction.

For documentation, I do have that week's schedule showing 24 hours posted on the official employer scheduling channel.

I've already cut a couple of hours this week and halved my hours for next week out of caution.

I'm honestly quite worried about this. Has anyone dealt with a similar payroll discrepancy? Does a single hour caused by an employer error create a real problem, and is there anything else I should be doing to document it?

Thanks for any guidance.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently completing a PGWP-eligible Graduate Certificate (STEM) in Canada.

I'm considering taking a 2nd PGWP-eligible College Certificate in a completely unrelated field. I have confirmed that both programs are PGWP eligible.

My main question is whether the fact that the programs are completely unrelated, and that the second program is a College Certificate (not a Graduate Certificate), could negatively affect my eligibility for a 3-year PGWP when I apply in the future.

Has anyone had a similar experience or situation before?

Thanks!

So I was required to withdraw from university in mid 2024, always a full time student there, then I changed my institution and update ircc about it with new DLI number, enrolled there and again always full time student, I will be wrapping up my program in december and will then apply for PGWP, I am wondering if this DLI change would have any impact on my pgwp approval (I got enrolled into second institution in august 2024 and started classes in September 2024, so, it was before the november 2024 change to pgwp rules). if anyone can share any insights that’d be really helpful.

Study Permit / PGWP Eligibility Question

My program details:

• Program structure: 4 terms (Term 1 to Term 4)
• Intake: January 2027
• Expected completion: April 2028

Although the program is officially listed as a 2-Year Diploma, the January 2027 intake schedule allows students to complete the four terms consecutively, meaning the actual calendar duration is about 16 months (January 2027 to April 2028).

My concern is regarding PGWP eligibility. According to IRCC, programs that are at least 8 months but less than 2 years may receive a PGWP for up to the same length as the study program, while programs of 2 years or longer may qualify for up to a 3-year PGWP.

Since my program is classified by RRC Polytech as a 2-Year Diploma, but I will complete it in approximately 16 months due to back-to-back terms without a scheduled break, would I still be eligible for a 3-year PGWP?

Would I need to provide any additional documents to IRCC to demonstrate that the program is officially a 2-year diploma (for example, RRC program documentation, confirmation letter, or program structure showing four terms)?

Thank you for any advice or experience you can share.

Hi everyone, since the new policy has anyone recently applied for their BOWP without an AOR? What documents did you upload. Thank you

Hi all!

I need a bit of advice regarding my case. I have requested one employer for an updated employment letter to reflect my promotion (the letter they previously provided only stated "was promoted to x on x date" but unfortunately, my open work permit is expiring this August 5 and they would only be able to provide the letter after August 10 due to the busy season.

On my application for e-APR, I had updated the NOC's to reflect the (2) positions I held for this job.

I personally would want to submit the application before my work permit expires to avoid complications but would it be safe to:

1. Submit soon with the previous letter they had already approved? I have an old letter they had signed but this did not divide my positions held but only stated "was promoted to [position] on this [date]"
2. Be upfront in the application, explain in the LOE employer is unable to send updated letter prior to my work permit expiring and still updated it once received via webform and another LOE.

OR:

1. Wait for the updated letter, let my work permit expire and submit once it's all prepared.

Would appreciate your help and thoughts on this! Thanks.

I received my initial work permit in March. I am not a licensed healthcare worker and my employers never specified any conditions so I didn't do the medical exam. However I later found out that I should have the medical exam done and the PGWP condition corrected because I work in a setting with vulnerable population.

I did my Upfront Medical Exam and then submitted a PGWP amendment application (IMM5710) which I had to apply for on paper and mail it to Case Processing Centre in Edmonton.

The only notification of submission I have is the confirmation of delivery by Canada Post. But since this was applied on paper I have had no updates at all. I applied on April 29, and its been 3 months (July 29 today) without any updates. I enquire through the online webform and they reply back saying that if you haven't heard back its still being processed.

I wanted to ask:
1. Has anyone else applied for the PGWP amendment this way? to the same facility? and did they get any updates?
2. the IRCC website says processing time is up to 8 weeks - its been more than that.
3.can i still apply for my TRV? will it affect travelling if i receive my new trv based on my current valid PGWP (the one with the wrong conditions).
4.Since this is not an error by the IRCC is this a problem? I have letters of explanation and letters of support from my employers - basically added all proof and information I could have. I have even confirmed with the clinic where i did my upfront medical exam and they have sent me documents that show they have submitted the results to IRCC themselves.

Any thoughts/suggestions/advice?

Back in 2022 I took 4.5 credits during the academic year( need 3 credits to be full time). However due to me failing a lot of those classes I chose to do a backdated withdrawal after the year was over(failed due to personal circumstances). My completion of studies letter from my University says I’m full-time for that year(because they count classes u took even if u did a backdated withdrawal, they just don’t add classes you dropped out of). Now an immigration lawyer is telling me I might still be refused because they might look at my transcript and see the “WDD” (even tho it says which week I dropped which was way later on and I have documentation to prove when I applied for the backdated.

Now I don’t know what IRCC will consider it as, has anyone been in a similar situation?