How to Extend Your Stay in Canada as a Visitor, Student, or Worker

Every temporary resident in Canada has an end date. For a visitor it is usually 6 months from entry, unless the border officer wrote another date in your passport or gave you a visitor record. For students and workers, it is the expiry date on the permit.

To stay longer, you apply to IRCC before that date. You do this online, from inside Canada. Since flagpoling at the border ended for work and study permits on December 23, 2024, you should not plan to leave for the US and come back to renew at a port of entry, apart from limited exceptions.

If you apply before your status expires, you are on maintained status. You can stay in Canada, and keep working or studying under the same conditions, until IRCC decides. If you miss the date, you lose status and must apply for restoration of status within 90 days.

IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before your status expires. Earlier is better if your case needs documents that take time, such as a new letter of acceptance, a new job offer, or a passport renewal.

Fees as of September 2026, from the IRCC fee list:

Your new permit or visitor record cannot be valid past your passport's expiry date. If your passport expires soon, renew it first.

Visitors extend by applying for a visitor record. It is a document that shows your new end date. It is not a visa and does not let you re-enter Canada; if you leave, you need your visa or eTA to return.

In your application, explain why you want to stay longer and show:

• That you can support yourself (bank statements, or a host's letter and proof of their support)
• That you will leave at the end of the extension (for example, a return ticket or ties at home)
• Your current immigration document and passport

Officers look closely at repeated or very long extensions. If you have already spent most of the past year in Canada as a visitor, explain your reasons clearly and show strong ties to your home country, or the extension may be refused.

Visitors cannot use an extension to start working or to study in a program longer than 6 months. A temporary policy that let visitors apply for work permits from inside Canada ended in August 2024. Parents and grandparents who want long stays should look at the super visa.

Apply to extend your study permit if you need more time to finish your program, or if you are continuing to another program. You usually need:

• A letter from your school confirming enrollment and the new expected completion date
• Transcripts, and an explanation if your studies took longer than planned
• Proof of funds for the extra time
• A provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) if one applies to your case. Rules on which extensions need one have changed several times, so check IRCC's current instructions

If you are finishing and want to work, you may not need a study permit extension at all. See the post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

To stay longer as a worker, you apply for a new work permit. What you need depends on the permit you have:

• Employer-specific permits based on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): usually a new positive LMIA from your employer. See LMIA work permits. Low-wage permits are now issued for shorter periods, so plan early.
• LMIA-exempt permits (for example, intra-company transfers or CUSMA professionals): a new offer submitted by your employer through the Employer Portal.
• Open permits: depends on the basis. Spouses need the principal's new permit first. PGWP holders usually cannot extend a PGWP.
• Permanent residence applicants: you may qualify for a bridging open work permit.

Sometimes. Common examples:

If your plan depends on switching status, check the IRCC rules for your exact situation before your current status ends.

• Stay in Canada if you can. If you leave, maintained status ends. You may be allowed back in as a visitor, but you cannot work or study until your new permit is approved.
• Keep your submission receipt. Employers and schools often ask for it as proof of maintained status.
• Check processing times with our processing times tool.

If IRCC refuses your extension, you lose status on the refusal date if your old status has already expired. You then have 90 days to apply for restoration, or you must leave Canada. Read the reasons first; see refusals and GCMS notes. If you have ever overstayed or worked without authorization, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you apply.