While you are in Canada, you currently visa might expire and want to stay in Canada longer, or your study or work permit expires but you still want to keep studying or working. In these cases, you will need to apply for an extension of your visa or permit. Failing to do so will cause you being unable to work or study in Canada, or become unlawful non-citizen.
Extend your stay in Canada as a visitor
If you want to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor (stay in Canada longer), you need to apply for a visitor record. A visitor record is not a visa.
A visitor record
- is a document that gives you status as a visitor in Canada and allows you to stay longer
- includes a new expiry date
- that’s the new date that you must leave Canada by
A visitor record is a document that continues to give you status as a visitor in Canada and allows you to stay longer. It doesn’t guarantee that you can leave and then re-enter Canada.
If you plan to travel outside Canada or the United States, you need a valid entry document, such as a visitor visa or eTA, to return to Canada.
The fee for this process if from CAD $100, and the processing time is 157 days.
Extend your stay as a worker
If you have a work permit that’s about to expire or that you need to change, you must apply to extend it or change the conditions on it. You should apply as early as possible before your current work permit expires if you want to extend your stay as a worker in Canada.
In case you have am employer-specific work permit, your employer may need to apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that says the employer is allowed to hire you. If you’re exempt from the LMIA process, your employer will need to pay the employer compliance fee and submit a new offer of employment through the Employer Portal.
If you apply to extend or change the conditions of your work permit before it expires, you’re legally allowed to stay in Canada while we process your application.
Open work permits
If you have an open work permit, you may be able to extend it as long as you’re still eligible to work in Canada with an open work permit.
Fee for work permit extension is from CAD $155
Extend your study permit
If your study permit expires and you want to stay in Canada and study, you’ll need to apply
- for a new study permit
- to restore your status as a temporary resident in case you haven’t applied to extend your study permit before it expires.
When to extend your study permit
If you want to keep studying, you must apply to extend your permit at least 30 days before it expires.
- Make sure your passport doesn’t expire at the same time.
- Your study permit cannot be extended beyond your passport’s expiry date.
- If you apply before your permit expires, you can continue to study under the same conditions as your current study permit until we make a decision. This only applies as long as you stay in Canada. If you apply after your permit expires, you can stay in Canada but may not continue to study until your status has been restored and you have received your new study permit.
Fee for study permit extension (if you apply before your current permit expires): CAD $150
Fee for study permit extension (if you apply after your current permit expires): CAD $350 (including the fee for restoration ($200) and a new study permit ($150).