Waiting for a PGWP: Why Can Some Graduates Work and Others Cannot?

Graduation is over and a PGWP application is pending. Why might one graduate be permitted to work while another is not? The submission itself is only part of the story.

Which circumstances distinguish the cases?

IRCC’s instructions connect full-time work during processing to specific conditions: a valid study permit at application, program completion, prior eligibility for off-campus work without a permit and compliance with permitted work hours. The department says graduates who do not meet the conditions must wait for their work permit.

What does the date on a WP-EXT letter mean?

For an eligible applicant, the date on the WP-EXT for PGWP letter does not itself end work authorization while a decision remains pending. IRCC also states that work must stop on the day a refusal is communicated.

Is PGWP eligibility a separate question?

Yes. The application itself is subject to its own program, language and, where applicable, field-of-study requirements. Work during processing and eligibility for the eventual permit are related, but distinct, questions.

For individual questions, private consultations with Transfigured Immigration provide a separate setting for discussing a person’s circumstances.

Editorial information based on the official sources below. This article does not assess individual eligibility or recommend a course of action. Rules and circumstances can change.

Official sources:

• IRCC’s PGWP instructions
• PGWP eligibility