Can You Work on an Expired SIN While Waiting for PGWP? What Service Canada Says
- Ansari Immigration
- 13 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Yes, you can usually keep working on an expired SIN while waiting for PGWP approval, but only if you are on maintained status. That means you applied for your post-graduation work permit before your study permit expired and you met the conditions to work. If you did not, you cannot work during the wait.
Why an expired SIN scares people (and what it actually means)
A Social Insurance Number issued to a temporary resident always starts with the digit 9, and it carries an expiry date. That date is not random: Service Canada ties it to your immigration document, so your SIN expires on the same date your study permit, work permit or visitor record expires. When your study permit lapses, the printed expiry on your SIN passes with it.
That is the part that causes panic. A graduate finishes their program, applies for a PGWP, and then watches the date on their SIN document pass while they are still waiting. Payroll flags it, an HR system rejects it, or the graduate simply assumes they have to stop working. Getting this wrong in either direction has real consequences: work without authorization and you risk your status and future applications, but stop working when you were actually allowed to continue and you lose income for no reason. The rule that decides which situation you are in is maintained status, and it is worth understanding before you tell your employer anything. You can confirm the SIN rules directly on the official SIN for temporary residents page.
Can you work on an expired SIN while waiting for PGWP?
Here is the rule in plain terms. Service Canada states that if your SIN expires but you applied to extend your permit and you are on maintained status, you can continue working with your expired SIN until IRCC makes a decision. So the expired date on the SIN card itself is not what stops you. Your right to work comes from maintained status, and the SIN simply follows along.
You are on maintained status for PGWP purposes when all of these were true, according to IRCC's post-graduation work permit: after you apply guidance:
You had a valid study permit, meaning one that had not expired, at the time you submitted your PGWP application.
You completed your study program.
You were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying, and you did not work more hours than you were allowed to.
If those apply, you can work full time until IRCC decides on your PGWP, even though both your study permit and your SIN show a passed date. If IRCC sent you the WP-EXT for PGWP letter (form IMM 0127 E), you can keep working even after the validity period on that letter runs out. Need something to hand your employer? You can request proof of authorization to keep working through IRCC's web form.
In practice, the expired SIN is rarely the real problem. The real problem is that a graduate's payroll system reads the date, freezes their pay, and nobody in HR knows the maintained-status rule. Bring your employer the maintained-status conditions in writing and the proof of your submitted PGWP application, and the SIN date stops being an issue.
The observation above reflects what we see at Ansari Immigration, a Vancouver-based practice led by a licensed RCIC. The law lives on the government page; the friction lives in a payroll spreadsheet.
Not sure whether your PGWP application actually put you on maintained status, or whether your study permit lapsed first? That is a 30-minute question worth asking Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC before you tell an employer anything.
When you cannot work on an expired SIN
Maintained status is not automatic, and this is where people get hurt. Having a valid, unexpired study permit at the moment you submitted your PGWP application is one of the required conditions. So if your study permit had already expired before you applied, you do not meet that condition, which means you cannot work while your PGWP is being processed. An expired SIN is then the least of your worries, because your underlying right to work is gone. It is illegal to work in Canada without authorization.
The same is true if you did not actually meet the off-campus work conditions during your studies, or if you had already stopped being a full-time student in a way that broke your eligibility. And if IRCC refuses your PGWP, you must stop working the day they notify you, regardless of what your SIN says. When status has genuinely lapsed, restoring it is a separate process with its own deadline, and continuing to work through the gap only compounds the problem.
How to update your SIN after your PGWP is approved
Once IRCC approves your PGWP, your maintained status ends and your new permit takes over. Now you do need to act on the SIN, because your record should match your current permit. Update your SIN with Service Canada using your new PGWP, then destroy your old SIN confirmation document because it is no longer valid.
Gather these before you apply to update your SIN:
Your valid PGWP (the work permit from IRCC that authorizes you to work). Email messages from IRCC are not accepted as the primary document.
One secondary document that confirms your identity, such as a passport or a government-issued driver's license.
A supporting document if your current name does not match the name on your other documents.
You can update online, which is the fastest option, or by mail or in person at a Service Canada office. The table below sums up the three situations graduates ask about most.
Expired SIN and PGWP at a glance
Your situation | Can you work? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Applied for PGWP before study permit expired, met work conditions | Yes, until IRCC decides | Keep working; give your employer proof of your submitted application if asked |
Study permit expired before you applied for PGWP | No | Do not work; get advice on restoring status |
PGWP approved | Yes, under the new permit | Update your SIN with Service Canada, then destroy the old SIN document |
Source: SIN for temporary residents and PGWP: after you apply, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Service Canada. Verified August 2026.
Why this matters for your PGWP and PR plans
The post-graduation work permit is usually the bridge between graduation and permanent residence, so every month of authorized work counts toward the Canadian experience that strengthens an Express Entry or provincial nominee profile. A graduate who stops working out of confusion over an expired SIN can lose months of eligible experience they were legally entitled to earn. Just as damaging, a graduate who keeps working when their status had actually lapsed creates a compliance problem that can surface in a later PR application. This is also why the timing of your original study permit and PGWP application matters so much: the dates decide everything. Knowing exactly which side of the maintained-status line you are on protects both your income now and your immigration record later. If you are early in this journey, it helps to understand implied status and the realistic PGWP processing time so the wait does not catch you off guard.
Have you gone through the expired-SIN wait yourself? Share what your employer accepted as proof in the comments, real experiences help other graduates in the same spot. Keep it general; for advice on your specific case, use a consultation.
Frequently asked questions about working on an expired SIN
Do SIN numbers expire?
A SIN issued to a temporary resident starts with a 9 and has an expiry date tied to your immigration document, according to Service Canada. A SIN that does not start with 9 is not tied to a temporary permit in this way. See the official SIN for temporary residents page.
Can I work if my SIN number is expired?
Yes, if you are on maintained status. Service Canada confirms that if your SIN expires but you applied to extend your permit and you are on maintained status, you can keep working with the expired SIN until IRCC decides. If you are not on maintained status, you cannot work.
How do I know if my SIN is expired?
Your SIN expiry date matches the expiry date on the study permit, work permit or visitor record you used to get it. If that document has expired, the SIN date has passed too. Whether you can still work depends on maintained status, not the date alone.
Do I need to update my SIN after my PGWP is approved?
Yes. Once your PGWP is approved, update your SIN record with Service Canada so the expiry matches your new permit, then destroy your old SIN confirmation document. You can update online, by mail or in person.
Can I file taxes if my SIN is expired?
An expired temporary-resident SIN is still your number for identification purposes such as tax filing; the expiry relates to your authorization to work, not to your identity. Keep your SIN record current with Service Canada, and confirm any tax-specific question with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Does a SIN number expire for permanent residents or citizens?
Service Canada states that SINs issued to temporary residents start with 9 and carry an expiry date tied to your permit. A SIN that does not start with 9 is not tied to a temporary document in this way. When your status changes from temporary resident to permanent resident, you update your SIN record with Service Canada.
Why work with Ansari Immigration
Three signs your PGWP transition needs a professional read: your study permit may have expired before you applied, your employer froze your pay over the SIN date, or you are counting this work toward a future PR application. Any one is exactly what Ansari Immigration handles, with honest advice from a licensed RCIC. Open work permit representation is a flat $750, additional family members quoted separately.
Have a question we did not cover, or want to share what your employer accepted as proof? Tell us in the comments. For advice on your own file, book a consultation below.
Related Posts
What Is Implied Status in Canada?: A plain-language explanation of maintained status and what you can and cannot do while IRCC processes your application.
How to Get a SIN Number in Canada as an International Student: How to apply for your first SIN, what documents you need, and how the 9-series number works.
PGWP Processing Time Canada 2026: How Long After Graduation?: What the current wait looks like so you know how long maintained status may last.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.
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