If you are already Inside Canada or outside Canada and your application gets refused, always fight for your visa through reconsideration. Submit reconsideration whenever it is available to you. Even if you get to know about reconsideration after two months, submit the reconsideration request. There is no harm in submitting a reconsideration request. Whatever means are available to you, use those means to get your visa. Fight for it, but also be patient.
1. Karanjit’s Spouse Open Work Permit Refusal
This is the success story of Karanjit, who recently got approval for his spouse open work permit extension through reconsideration after his previous application was refused. He had submitted his PGWP and SOWP extension by himself. Jyoti’s PGWP application was approved, but her husband’s spouse open work permit application was refused because Jyoti did not have the appropriate job in Canada. The refusal happened in December 2025, and at that time the application was not with us. Later, they approached us, and we submitted the SOWP extension in February 2026. Along with that application, because all the proofs were available, we also submitted a reconsideration request for the previous application.
2. Approval of the Previous Refused Application
The current application is still under process, but Karanjit received approval for the previous application that had been refused. The previous application had been submitted somewhere around June, July or August of the previous year, the PG work permit of Jyoti was approved, and the SOWP of the husband was refused in December. After the refusal, the re-application was submitted in February 2026 along with the reconsideration request. Then, on 7th August, he received approval of the SOWP extension through reconsideration for that previous application.
3. What Was the Benefit of Reconsideration?
The biggest benefit of getting approval for the previous application is that he can start working now. His second application, which was submitted with restoration, is still under process. If he had been waiting for that second application to be approved, it could have taken two months, three months, four months or an unknown amount of time. But because the previous application was approved through reconsideration, he can now start working. This is a great thing for the family because both husband and wife can now work in Canada and increase their income.
4. Both Husband and Wife Can Now Work
Jyoti already had her PG work permit and could work, and now her husband can also work after receiving the approval. He does not have to work in cash or sit idle at home and become a burden on the family. He can now work, earn for the family and gain Canadian work experience. Both of them can work in Canada, and this experience will be counted for PR as well. So, this approval is a blessing for the family.
5. Do Not Stop Trying After a Refusal
That is why I always say to fight for your visa. No matter how difficult the scenario is, do not stop trying unless everything is dead. For Portage College students as well, I always say, “Why to die before dying? Why to stop trying unless everything is dead?” If you have an option to reapply, reapply. If you have an option to submit reconsideration, submit reconsideration. Go to MP, take judicial review as well, submit a visitor record application as well. Whatever means are available, use all those means. Do not stop trying because you do not know when something is going to work.
6. We Submitted the Same File for Reconsideration
We submitted the same file that we submitted for the re-application for reconsideration as well. It took around 30 minutes to submit the reconsideration. We did it and he got the approval. We could have said that the previous application was not submitted through us and that we were not going to submit the reconsideration. But as a consultant, I made that extra effort and submitted the reconsideration request after two months. We did our best, and the approval came through reconsideration.
7. Do Your Best and Leave the Rest
We never knew that he was going to get the approval this way. We just gave our best. I want to give my 100% in everything, and after that, I do not control everything. The rest is in the hands of God. In many cases, those efforts are worth it, and we get approvals. In the last six to seven months, we have got more than 15 approvals through reconsideration. That is why I always say: do your best efforts and then leave it to God. You cannot control everything, but your efforts are in your control.
8. Why Was the Approval Valid Until December 2027?
Karanjit got the approval on 7th August, and the approval is valid until 13th December 2027. The reason the approval is until 13th December 2027 is because his wife’s PG work permit was valid until the same date. Her passport was expiring, which is why she received a shorter PG work permit. When we submitted the re-application, we submitted Jyoti’s PGWP extension along with the SOWP extension and restoration. All these applications were submitted together in February, along with all the proofs from the previous application. That became the reconsideration request.
9. The Second Application Is Still Under Process
The approval received now is for the previous application that had been refused. The second application, which was submitted with restoration, is still running and remains under process. Whenever the second application receives its result, they will get the approval for the remaining PGWP and SOWP extension as well. The target is for them to get the full three years of PGWP and SOWP, work in Canada and get their PR.
10. The Previous Refusal Created an Eight-Month Work Gap
The previous SOWP was valid until 1st December 2025. The refusal happened on 12th December 2025. Since December until the approval in August, he was not working. That means December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August — around eight months without working in Canada. This shows the value of getting approval on the first attempt. When you experiment with applications and do not provide the appropriate documents on time, these things can happen in Canada.
11. Why Is a Refusal More Difficult Inside Canada?
If you are in your home country, for example India, and an application gets refused, you are sitting at home and your expenses are not in Canadian dollars. But once you are inside Canada, your expenses remain high while your income can go to zero. It becomes a really big problem financially. That is why you should always give your best in your application and do not experiment with an application inside Canada. Outside Canada is still fine, but inside Canada it can create a lot of trouble and financial pressure.
12. What Was the Reason for the SOWP Refusal?
The reason for the refusal was that they did not provide the right job offer letter of the primary applicant. Because of that, the spouse open work permit application was refused. The PGWP was accepted because, for the PGWP, you do not require to show a job. But for the SOWP extension, you will require to show the job, and that was the reason this application was refused in December 2025. After that, he was not working, and now he has started working again after getting approval of this application.
13. What Were the Case Details?
The previous spouse visa was valid until December 2025, and the refusal date was December 12, 2025. He became out of status. If you become out of status, you need to submit your application within 90 days. He therefore had time until March 11, 2026, to submit his re-application. The refusal reason was insufficient evidence of spouse qualifying skilled employment. The reconsideration was submitted in February 2026, around two months after the refusal.
14. How Long Did Reconsideration Take?
The reconsideration request was submitted in February 2026, and the reply came in August 2026. February, March, April, May, June, July and August — around six months. The reply was positive. When someone asks whether they will get acceptance through reconsideration, I do not know. I also do not know exactly how much time it will take. In this case, it took around six months. Normally, I try to submit reconsideration within one or two days and do not delay it, but in this case, we did not know about the case initially. They brought the case to me after two months, and then we created the entire profile for the next application. The same documents were submitted for reconsideration as well, and we got the approval.
15. What This Case Shows About Reconsideration
This case shows why you should not simply accept a refusal as the end of the process when you have options available. In this case, the previous application was refused in December, the reconsideration was submitted in February, and approval was received in August. The second application is still under process, but the approval of the previous application has already allowed Karanjit to start working again. The effort was made because the proofs were available and there was an opportunity to submit reconsideration.
16. Give Your Best in Your Application
Always give your best in your application. Do not just make an experiment with applications inside Canada because a refusal can create a significant financial problem when you cannot work and continue to have expenses. Appropriate documents need to be provided at the right time. In this case, the appropriate job proof was not provided in the previous SOWP application, which resulted in refusal and an eight-month period without work. After reconsideration, the previous application was approved and he can now work again.
Final Message: Always Fight for Your Visa
Always fight for your visa. If you have an option to reapply, reapply. If you have an option to submit reconsideration, submit reconsideration. Go to MP, take judicial review, submit a visitor record application — whatever means are available, use them. Do not stop trying. You do not know when something is going to click. People who do not try have already lost the battle without fighting. Do your best efforts and then leave the rest to God.
