VisabuddiesVB
ExploreGuidesQuestionsHow it works
Sign inStart selling
GuidesCanadaPost-Graduation Work Permit

Recording an unpaid gap in your personal history when your PGWP was rejected and later reinstated

Canada • Post-Graduation Work Permit • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Step-by-Step

An applicant whose PGWP was initially rejected then later approved on reconsideration had taken about a month of unpaid leave during the gap (since working without a valid PGWP would have been illegal). They asked how to record this in the personal history section of their EE profile.

The direct guidance from the thread: list the period as "unemployment" in your personal history, and you do not need to add a lengthy explanation for it. A short, factual entry is sufficient — personal history sections generally just need an accurate account of each period of your life (employed, unemployed, studying, etc.), not a justification for why you were unemployed.

If your paystub or payroll records show a mismatched date range for the leave (as happened in this case, where the paystub showed different dates than the actual leave), it's worth keeping documentation of the discrepancy on hand in case IRCC follows up, but the personal history entry itself can remain a simple "unemployment" listing for the relevant weeks.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: List unpaid, non-working periods as 'unemployment' in your personal history — a factual entry, not a justification, is what's expected.
  • Tip: If your paystub dates don't match your actual leave dates, keep both records on hand in case IRCC asks about the discrepancy later.

Have a question about this? Join the discussion.

View Thread

Related Guides

immigration

Combining PGWP and LMIA work permit time: when can you actually claim the CRS work experience points?

immigration

PGWP expiring soon: honest member takes on the French route and remote STEM work

immigration

PGWP expiring with a CRS score that hasn't converted to an ITA: what are your realistic options?

immigration

Getting PR after a 1-year study program in Canada — one member's path without LMIA

immigration

Only 21 months of Canadian work experience before your PGWP expires: how CRS rounds it, and the extension tactic