A student whose course finished in late April, awaiting their completion letter and transcript, asked whether they could travel to India for a month once they applied for their PGWP, given their visitor visa was valid until September.
What the group cautioned:- Once you receive your completion letter, you move onto implied status if your study permit has expired — and leaving Canada while on implied status generally means you can't re-enter under that same implied status.
- Members advised against traveling after applying for your PGWP while your application is still pending, since your ability to re-enter and maintain status isn't guaranteed the same way.
- A valid visitor visa alone doesn't resolve this — the concern isn't entry eligibility but rather what happens to your implied status and pending PGWP application if you leave before it's decided.
The practical takeaway: avoid international travel between receiving your completion letter/applying for PGWP and getting a decision — leaving while on implied status risks your ability to resume that status, and by extension your PGWP application, upon return.