u/wolfboi999

I promised myself that if things worked out, I would come back here and share my story to help others going through the same thing, because this situation seems to be happening to a lot of people lately. I'll divide this post in 2 parts for people who have already submitted new applications (PART 1) and for people who just got their refusal and are stuggling with filling out the new IMM 5710e form (PART 2).

PART 1:

So here’s the full timeline of my situation and what i did about it:

• Graduated from a 2-year master’s program at a designated university in Vancouver: January 6, 2026
• PGWP applied: January 13
• Study permit expired: March 31
• PGWP refused because I forgot to attach my CELPIP scores: April 14
• Request for reconsideration submitted: April 16
• Restoration + new PGWP application submitted: April 18 (for another freaking $650)
• Contacted local MP office: April 23

The MP office contacted IRCC on April 27. IRCC told them:

• they had received my reconsideration request,
• my new PGWP application had already passed criminality checks,
• but they claimed they didn’t receive my restoration fee payment.

I had the receipt though, so I sent it to the MP caseworker, who forwarded it to IRCC. The IRCC agent said they would pass the proof of payment to the processing centre.

***I SHOULD'VE DONE THIS EARLIER, BUT on May 5, I called IRCC myself. I honestly got lucky and spoke to one of the nicest agents I’ve ever talked to there. You could tell he genuinely wanted to help. I called mainly to confirm they could see my payment, but I also politely asked if they could send an internal note to the officer reviewing my file saying that all my documents were now complete and ready for review. I had heard agents can do that internally, although many don’t.

May 15:
I got an update that my reconsideration request was ACCEPTED. They internally withdrew my restoration application and reopened my refused PGWP file. (Which also means I should get part of that money refunded.)

I then had to wait until the next business day to call IRCC and ask whether I could return to work.

May 19:
IRCC told me NO, wait until the status officially changes to approved before working again. They did say it shouldn’t take long though.

May 20 (today):
PGWP APPROVED and issued with document number and everything.

I’m not even gonna lie - this entire process was emotionally brutal.

This year already came with a lot of unexpected financial losses, reduced work, and personal problems at home. It honestly felt like one bad thing after another. Then getting hit with a refusal over ONE missing document just completely crushed me internally.

Having to suddenly spend another $650 when I barely had savings left was awful. And seeing those 7 to 8 months processing times terrified me because one possible reality was not being able to work for months while living in expensive-ass Vancouver.

But I want people reading this to know: there IS hope.

Sometimes you have to create additional avenues for yourself:

• submit reconsideration ASAP,
• apply for restoration/new PGWP if needed,
• contact your MP,
• follow up,
• keep records of EVERYTHING,
• and stay proactive.

Most importantly: don’t lose hope.

Reading other people’s stories on Reddit was one of the only things keeping me sane during this process, so I hope this post helps someone else the same way.

Now, for people who just got their refusal and are struggling with the IRCC IMM5710e form!

Part 2:

If your situation is:

• you were last a student,
• you applied for PGWP,
• your PGWP got refused,
• and now your study permit is expired,

then this might help you.

I submitted my new application after lots of reasearch and then confirming that with an immigration consultant and later an IRCC agent (although its better to confirm it with an immigration consultant or even the new IRCC's immigration chatgpt, just google it out), and this is basically how I did it.

Before the document checklist appears, during the questionnaire section, I stated my current status as Student because that was technically my last valid status. Due to IRCC system limitations, there isn’t really a proper “out of status after refusal” option there.

Then comes the IMM5710 form itself.

This is the IMPORTANT part:

• DO NOT choose “Restoration of status as worker.”
• You were never issued a work permit, so legally you were never a worker.
• You are applying for a PGWP for the FIRST time.

So in IMM5710:

• choose the option related to applying for a work permit for the first time / PGWP,
• under “Current immigration status,” choose Other,
• and specify: Out of Status
• leave the status expiry dates blank.

Then fill out the rest of the form normally like you did the first time. Once everything else is complete properly, the form should validate and finally upload successfully.

Now comes the restoration payment part, which is honestly the most mindfucking part of the process.

Search on Google:
“IRCC restoration payments”

You’ll find the payment page where you need to separately pay for:
Restoration of status as a STUDENT, not worker.

The amount was:
$396.25

Download that receipt immediately.

Then, in your “Client Information” section, upload:

• the restoration fee receipt,
• a Letter of Explanation (LOE),
• your refusal letter,
• your expired study permit,
• your language test results,
• and any other supporting documents.

I combined everything into ONE PDF using iLovePDF lol.

In your LOE:

• clearly write your full name, UCI, DOB, application number if available, etc.
• clearly state in bold that the application is for: RESTORATION OF STATUS + POST GRADUATION WORK PERMIT
• explain why the original PGWP was refused,
• confirm that you understand restoration conditions,
• state that you stopped working after refusal,
• and explain that you are requesting restoration along with reconsideration/PGWP processing.

Then after uploading everything, you’ll pay the additional PGWP/work permit fees during final submission, which is another:
$255

This process is incredibly stressful and confusing, especially when you’re already panicking after a refusal, so I genuinely hope this helps someone.

Best of luck to anyone going through this. I really pray things work out for you too.

I keep logging back to reddit every 3 days or so, so IF there is any question i see here, i'll follow-up with you shortly 😄