First, identify your actual goal
| Your goal | Correct application | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Stay longer as a visitor | Visitor record | Apply before your status expires; the record gives a new date to leave |
| Change from worker or student to visitor | Visitor record | Apply before your permit expires; stop working or studying when it ends |
| Leave and return as a worker or student who needs a visa | New visitor visa from inside Canada | Only for holders of a valid work or study permit |
| Your status ended within the last 90 days | Restoration of status | Discretionary; you have no status while waiting |
Who can apply for a visitor record
You can apply if you want to stay longer as a visitor, as a worker authorized to work without a work permit, or as a student authorized to study without a study permit. A study or work permit holder can also apply to change to visitor status. It does not matter how you entered Canada (visa, eTA or another document).
- Find your expiry dateYour status ends on the date stamped in your passport (not the visa date), or on your visitor record, work permit or study permit. With no stamp, it is 6 months after you entered.
- Apply in timeIRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before your status expires. The legal requirement is to apply before it expires, so apply right away if less time remains.
- Ask for a realistic dateRequest a specific end date and explain why your stay is still temporary, why your plans changed, how you will pay, and what you are returning to.
- Each person appliesEvery family member who wants to stay needs their own application, documents and fee. You can submit them at the same time.
How to apply
- Read Guide 5551It explains each part of form IMM 5708 and the document checklist IMM 5558. Form IMM 5409 (common-law union) and form IMM 5476 (use of a representative) apply only in some cases.
- Apply onlineUse an IRCC secure account. In the questionnaire, choose to visit and give Canada as your country of residence. Paper is allowed only if a disability or an online system problem prevents you from applying online.
- Pay the fees$100 per person, plus $85 for biometrics if required. Visa-exempt nationals do not give biometrics for an extension.
- Give biometrics if askedBook an appointment at a designated Service Canada office as soon as you receive the instruction letter.
- Watch your accountRespond to any request for documents, and keep your Canadian mailing address up to date.
What your application should prove
Upload everything on the personalized checklist, with translations and form IMM 5476 if you use a representative. Guide 5551 lists the reasons for wanting to stay longer, identity documents, proof of your current status (for example the passport pages with your entry stamp), proof of financial support (such as a guarantor's letter or a bank statement showing the account holder's name and account number) and your departure details: date, time and means of transportation. Your status cannot be valid longer than your passport. A long extension without a concrete reason, funds or departure plan can raise doubts about your temporary intent.
Status and identity
Passport bio page and entry stamp, current visitor record or permit, earlier approvals and proof of your address in Canada.
Reason and dates
A detailed explanation, the date you plan to leave, and evidence such as medical letters, family events or travel bookings.
Funds
Bank records, income or pension, your host's support if any, accommodation, and a realistic budget for the extra months.
Compliance
That you have not worked or studied without authorization, and an honest account of earlier refusals, extensions and immigration history.
Maintained status while you wait
- What it isIf you apply before your status expires, you may stay in Canada under the same conditions until IRCC decides. IRCC calls this maintained status; it used to be called implied status (IRPR s. 183(5)). An online application must be submitted before midnight UTC on the expiry date.
- Keep proofSave your submission confirmation, fee receipt and a full copy of the application.
- No work or studyMaintained visitor status does not allow work or study. A worker or student applying only to become a visitor must stop working or studying when the permit ends.
- Leaving Canada ends itMaintained status lasts only while you remain in Canada. To come back you need a valid visa (or an eTA if visa-exempt), and the border officer makes a new decision.
- Incomplete applicationsAn application rejected as incomplete is treated as never submitted, so it does not give maintained status. A temporary resident permit application never gives maintained status.
- DecisionIf approved, the visitor record should arrive by mail within 6 weeks of the decision letter; contact IRCC if it does not. If refused after your original date, your status ends on the refusal date and the 90-day restoration period starts.
Restoring your status after it expires
- Within 90 daysYou may apply within 90 days of losing status, if you still meet the requirements for your stay and have not broken other conditions (IRPR s. 182).
- You must stay in CanadaYou must be in Canada when you apply and until the decision. If you leave, the application is refused and the fee is not refunded. Restoration cannot be requested at a port of entry.
- Explain what happenedGive full details of how you lost status and why, with supporting evidence.
- Pay one feeRestoration as a visitor is $246.25, with no separate extension fee.
- No status while waitingYou are without status during processing and cannot work or study. Approval is discretionary. IRCC aims to decide within 5 months of receiving a complete application, but this is a target, not a promise.
- Former workers and studentsA former worker or student who no longer needs a permit may be restored as a visitor. You cannot be restored if you worked or studied without authorization, or if your temporary resident permit expired.
- After 90 daysRestoration is no longer available. Get advice promptly about leaving Canada.
Travelling while you have a visitor record
- No guarantee of returnA visitor record does not guarantee that you can leave and re-enter Canada. You must meet entry requirements each time.
- Visa-required travellersYou need a valid visitor visa to come back, unless you are returning directly from a visit to the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
- Visitors cannot renew a visa from inside CanadaOnly people with a valid work or study permit whose visa has expired, is expiring or was single-entry can apply for a new visa from inside Canada. IRCC recommends applying at least 2 months before leaving.
- Visa-exempt travellersFlying back needs a valid eTA linked to your passport.
Notes for Iranian visitors
- There are no special 2026 measures for Iranian visitors. Extensions follow the normal visitor record process above.
- The 2026 public policy for Iranians (March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027) covers only work permit extensions for people whose permit was issued on or before February 28, 2025.
- A visitor cannot get a new visa from inside Canada. If you leave Canada, even with a valid visitor record, you need a valid visa to return unless you are coming straight back from the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
- Visitors generally cannot apply for a work permit from inside Canada. The temporary policy that allowed this ended on August 28, 2024.
Fees
| Application | Fee (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Visitor record (extend stay) | $100 per person |
| Restore status as a visitor | $246.25 |
| Restore status as a student (with study permit) | $396.25 |
| Restore status as a worker (with work permit) | $401.25 |
| Biometrics | $85 per person; $170 for 2 or more applying together |
Source: IRCC fee list, last modified September 21, 2026. Processing fees are not refunded once processing begins.
Frequently asked questions
My visa is still valid. Do I need to extend?
Possibly. The visa expiry date does not control your stay. Check your passport stamp or visitor record; with no stamp, your stay ends 6 months after entry.
Can I work while my extension is being processed?
No. Maintained visitor status keeps your conditions as a visitor, which do not allow work or study.
How long does a visitor record take, and what if I hear nothing?
Processing times vary and IRCC's online tool shows the current estimate. If the estimate has passed, contact IRCC through its web form and choose a temporary residence option. If a file is referred to a local office, it can take longer. Keep your confirmation of submission, because it is your proof that you applied before your status expired.
If my extension is refused, do I have to leave right away?
Your status ends on the date of the refusal if your original date has passed. You can apply for restoration within 90 days if you are eligible, or leave Canada. Get advice quickly.
Official sources
- IRCC: About the visitor record
- IRCC: Visitor record, who can apply
- IRCC: Apply for a visitor record
- IRCC: Visitor record, after you apply
- IRCC: Travelling outside Canada with a visitor record
- IRCC: Guide 5551
- IRCC: Maintained status during processing
- IRCC: Restoration of temporary resident status
- IRCC: New visitor visa from inside Canada (workers and students)
- IRCC notice: End of the policy allowing visitors to apply for work permits inside Canada
- IRCC: Measures for Iranian nationals
- IRCC: Fee list
- Justice Laws: IRPR s. 182
- Justice Laws: IRPR s. 183
This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.