Applied for a PGWP extension before it expired but haven't heard back? What to check

For applicants whose PGWP extension application is still pending after their permit expired, even as later applicants receive extensions faster:

1. Check your existing application's message center for an 'in-Canada approval letter' or a new work permit number — this may already be sitting in your account even if you haven't been separately notified.


2. Look for the maintained-status notice. Around late March, IRCC rolled out communication confirming that applicants who applied for an extension before their permit expired are allowed to continue staying and working in Canada while the extension is processed — check your application correspondence for this specific confirmation.

If you applied before your PGWP expired, you generally retain implied status to work while waiting — but confirm this by checking your own account messages rather than assuming based on other applicants' processing speed.