pgwp EXPIRED, invited to apply for IEC work permit. Restore status?

[Bryan02]

So my brother's PGWP had expired last week and had paused working for his employer. We're waiting for the pgwp extension public policy to be announced, BUT it's taking forever (it's god damn annoying omg). I don't think he'd have implied status when he applies for extension because his pgwp would be expired when the application is submitted (but can anyone confirm?). My question though is that can he directly submit for an IEC work permit application OR does he have to first restore his status to a visitor status then apply for the IEC work permit? Can he apply to restore his status and apply for the IEC work permit at the same time?

I'm not really sure what "restore status" means. Can anyone advice what he should do? He's remained in Canada since his pgwp expiration.