IWA work experience while out of status does not count for CEC — what still does

(Historical note: this thread discusses an IRCC clarification from around 2023. Verify the current rule on IRCC's site before relying on it.)

The thread shared an IRCC clarification: work experience gained on an Interim Work Authorisation (IWA) while out of status does NOT count toward Canadian Experience Class points or eligibility. The discussion clarified scope:

1. Experience while waiting for your initial PGWP still counts. A member asked directly whether work done while awaiting the first PGWP decision is affected; the answer was no — the exclusion applies specifically to the IWA out-of-status situation, not to ordinary implied-status work while a PGWP application is in process.


2. Open questions the thread could not settle: whether the rule applies retroactively to people who already claimed such points and received an ITA/AOR, when exactly the policy takes effect, and how it treats restoration or public-policy work permit cases. Nobody in the thread had authoritative answers — these need IRCC guidance or a regulated consultant.

Practical takeaway: if any part of your claimed Canadian experience was earned while out of status on an IWA, do not count it toward CEC. Experience earned on valid status (including standard implied status while awaiting a PGWP) remained countable per the thread's reading.