Extend or restore a work permit: keep status and keep working.

Extending a work permit, changing its conditions and restoring lost status are all done from inside Canada, online, with form IMM 5710. What you may do while IRCC decides depends on one thing above all: whether the application reached IRCC before your current permit expired.

Apply to extend or change conditions before the permit expires

1. Apply earlyIRCC recommends applying at least 30 calendar days before the permit expires. Applying earlier makes it more likely that a decision arrives before, or soon after, the expiry date.
2. Know the real deadlineAn online application must be submitted before midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the day the permit expires; in Ontario that is in the evening (7 or 8 p.m., depending on daylight saving time). A paper application counts on the day the case processing centre receives it; if it arrives after the expiry date, IRCC counts back 7 days to set the received date.
3. Check the "must leave by" dateIf an IRCC letter or decision gives you a date by which you must leave Canada, follow that date and get advice before relying on the permit's printed expiry date.
4. Check passport validityIRCC cannot extend a permit past the passport's expiry date. Renew the passport first if it would shorten the new permit. Biometrics may also need to be given again if they expire before the permit would.
5. Use the right applicationThe same form covers an extension, a new employer, job or location, or removal of a medical condition after a new exam. Read guide 5553 before completing IMM 5710.
6. Get the employer's steps done firstFor an employer-specific extension, the employer must first obtain a new positive LMIA or submit a new offer of employment in the Employer Portal (with the $230 compliance fee unless exempt).
7. Visa is separateExtending the permit does not renew the visitor visa in the passport. If you plan to travel, apply for a new visa separately.

Most applicants must apply online. Paper applications are accepted only for people who cannot apply online because of a disability or a problem with the online application.

If the employer's LMIA is still pending

Most workers whose new permit needs an LMIA should wait for the positive LMIA decision before applying. IRCC allows an exception for people about to lose status:

• your permit expires in two weeks or less; and
• your employer has already submitted a complete LMIA application (or, in Québec, a CAQ application).

In that case you may apply first. Enter the code CPTS2026 in the job title field and include proof of a valid job offer and details of the LMIA or CAQ submission. When the document arrives, send it through the IRCC web form.

Maintained status: what you may do while you wait

If you apply before your permit expires and stay in Canada, you keep your temporary resident status while IRCC processes the application. IRCC calls this maintained status (formerly "implied status").

When the extension is approved

IRCC sends a note to your online account. You may start working under the new conditions as soon as you receive it, without waiting for the paper permit to arrive by mail. Read the new permit carefully: check the employer, occupation, location, expiry date and any medical condition, and ask IRCC to correct any error.

Changing jobs or employers

1. Employer-specific permit holdersTo change jobs or employers you need a new employer-specific permit. Apply from inside Canada after the new employer has completed its LMIA or Employer Portal step.
2. Ask for interim authorizationAfter you apply, you may ask to start the new job before the decision under IRCC's temporary public policy for changing employment. Submit the IRCC web form (choose "Other"), paste IRCC's template text and include the priority code PPCHANGEWORK2020, the application number, dates, employer names and job titles or NOC codes.
3. Who can use itWorkers in Canada who applied for a new employer-specific permit and either hold an employer-specific permit or were working without a permit. Business visitors and short-term Global Skills Strategy workers cannot. International Experience Canada participants should first confirm they may change employers.
4. Wait for the emailIRCC says it should respond in about 10 to 15 days; paper applications take longer. Start the new job only after you receive the authorization email. The email is not a work permit.
5. Open permit holdersNo new permit is needed. You can change employers at any time while the permit is valid, within its conditions.

If the permit expired without a timely application

You lose status if it expires before you apply, or if you do not follow your permit's conditions. Once status is lost, you must stop working.

1. Apply within 90 daysIRCC must receive the application no more than 90 days after your status expired. Online, submit before midnight UTC on the 90th day.
2. Meet the conditionsYou must have met the requirements of your stay (for example, no unauthorized work), followed all conditions of the expired permit, and not be a temporary resident permit holder.
3. Prepare the packageYour employer completes its steps first. Complete IMM 5710 and select "Restore my status as a worker". Write a separate explanation of why you stayed longer than allowed and upload it in the client information section.
4. Pay the fees$401.25 for restoration with a new work permit ($246.25 plus $155), plus $100 if the new permit is open and $85 for biometrics if required. Each family member who also lost status applies and pays separately.
5. Wait without workingYou may stay in Canada while the request is decided but normally cannot work until status is restored and the new permit is issued. Approval is not guaranteed; if refused, you must leave Canada.

Travelling while an extension is pending

Some visa-exempt workers may be able to apply for a work permit at the port of entry on return, but leaving and re-entering only to obtain a permit ("flagpoling") ended on December 23, 2024, except for limited groups such as U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Fees

Amounts are from IRCC's fee list (modified September 21, 2026). Check the official list on the day you pay.

Special measures for some nationals

Some public policies allow extensions on special terms. For example, until March 31, 2027, eligible Iranian nationals in Canada with a valid work permit issued on or before February 28, 2025 may request one extension, valid for up to 2 years, with regular fees. You must be in Canada with a valid work permit and a valid passport when you apply and when IRCC decides; an extension already received under the March 1, 2026 measures cannot be repeated, and the extension cannot go beyond the passport's expiry date. IRCC states that no other temporary measures for Iranian applicants are in place, and holders of a visitor record, study permit or temporary resident permit cannot use this one. Check the current IRCC page for your nationality before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• IRCC: Extend or change the conditions on your work permit
• IRCC: How to extend your work permit
• IRCC: Working after you apply to extend
• IRCC: What to do if your work permit expired
• IRCC: Changing jobs or employers
• IRCC: Restore your status as a worker
• IRCC: If you want to travel outside Canada
• IRCC: 90-day grace period for extensions awaiting an LMIA (August 21, 2026)
• CBSA: Ending flagpoling for work and study permits
• IRCC: Measures for Iranian nationals
• IRCC: Fee list
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 183 (maintained status)

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.