How to extend
On this page
- Maintain your status
- Before you extend or change the conditions of your work permit
- How to extend or change the conditions of your work permit
Maintain your status
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.
If your work permit expires while we process your application, find out if you can keep working.
Temporary resident permit applicants do not benefit from maintained status
Temporary resident permit (TRP) applicants can’t maintain temporary resident status while their application is being processed. This applies to both
- initial TRP applications, and
- any other TRP applications
Date and time we receive your application
To maintain your status, we must receive your application before your work permit expires. We determine the date and time an application is received 2 ways:
- If you apply online: You must submit your application before midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the day your work permit expires.
- Our online application system uses UTC.
- Make sure you know the difference between your local time and UTC.
- If you apply on paper: We stamp paper applications the day we receive them at the case processing centre.
- If we receive an application after your work permit expires, we’ll count back 7 days and use that as the date received.
Before you extend or change the conditions of your work permit
Before you apply, make sure your employer has completed all the required steps.
Labour market impact assessment–required work permits
Some jobs require a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). Your employer is responsible for submitting the application for an LMIA. In most cases, you should wait to apply for a work permit extension until your employer gives you a positive LMIA decision letter.
Check the processing times for LMIA applications.
If you don’t have your positive LMIA or CAQ decision letter
You may be able to submit your work permit extension application while your employer’s application for an LMIA or Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) is being processed.
You must meet the following criteria if you want to extend your work permit before you receive your positive LMIA or CAQ decision letter:
- Your work permit expires in two weeks or less.
- Your employer submitted a complete application for an LMIA or CAQ.
- You submit all required documents within 90 days of when you submit your application.
If you don’t submit your LMIA or CAQ within 90 days, your application may be refused for being incomplete.
What to include when you apply for your work permit extension
If you don’t have your new LMIA or CAQ, you must include additional documents when you submit your application.
Check the expiry date on your passport
You can’t extend your work permit beyond the expiry date of your passport. Make sure your passport won’t expire before the requested end date of your permit.
How to extend or change the conditions of your work permit
In most cases, you must apply online to extend or change the conditions of your work permit.
How applying to extend your work permit online helps you
- You can make sure your application is complete before you submit it.
- Unless you’re a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) holder, you’ll get a work permit extension letter (WP-EXT) that proves you can keep working under the same conditions as your current work permit.
- You won’t get this letter if you apply on paper, because we won’t know if your application is complete until we review it.
- There are no courier fees or mail delivery time—we get your application instantly.
- You can quickly submit more documents online (if we ask you to).
- You get updates on the status of your application directly in your online account.
- As of June 21, 2024, you can no longer apply for a PGWP at a port of entry (airport, land or marine border) when entering Canada.
Compare your work permit expiration date with our processing time
To avoid delays, you should consider the processing time for in-Canada work permit applications. This can help you decide when to apply and increases the chance that we’ll process your application before, or shortly after, your current permit expires.
Processing time: We couldn’t load the data. Try again
Send your work permit extension application once you have all your documents ready.
Renew your provincial or territorial and federal identity documents before your current work permit expires
If you applied to extend your work permit and then your permit expires, you have
- maintained your status, and
- authorization to work without a permit until we make a decision on your application
You can keep working under the same conditions of your current work permit. If you have an employer-specific work permit, this means having the same
- employer
- job
- work location
Open work permit holders can still change employers and jobs.
Renewing provincial or territorial documents
While you’re on maintained status, you won’t be able to renew documents issued by your province or territory, such as your
- driver’s licence
- health card
Make sure your documents are valid before your work permit expires.
Applying for or updating the expiry of your social insurance number (SIN) card
While on maintained status (while your work permit is expired), you can’t apply for a SIN card or update the expiry date of your current SIN. You can, however, keep working under the same conditions as those on your initial work permit.
Find out what you need and how to apply for or renew your SIN card.
Step 1: Make sure you have what you need
Sign in or create an IRCC secure account to start your application.
Sign in to start your application
To apply online, you’ll need
If you can’t apply online
You can submit a paper application if either
- you can’t apply online because of a disability
- there’s a problem with the online application
- In some cases, you may be able to apply online if you follow special instructions.
Step 2: Upload forms and documents
After you answer the questionnaire in your IRCC secure account, you’ll get a personalized document checklist.
You need to complete the following application form:
Venezuelan passport holders
You may need to complete extra steps when you fill out your application.
If the printed expiry date on your Venezuelan passport has passed
If the printed expiry date has passed and you’re applying for a visitor visa, study permit, work permit or to extend your stay as a temporary resident in Canada, follow these steps:
- Add 5 years to the printed expiry date shown on your passport and enter it in the expiry date field of the application form.
- Include a letter of explanation with your application stating: “I am a Venezuelan national with a Venezuelan passport, which has been extended for 5 years”.
Warning: If your passport is still expired after adding 5 years to the printed expiry date, your passport is considered expired. You’re not eligible to submit an application with that passport.
Even if you apply online, you should read the instruction guide before you complete your application. The guide will explain how to complete each field on the form.
If you apply without an LMIA or CAQ
If you're eligible to apply without an LMIA or CAQ, follow these instructions when you complete your application:
- Type the code CPTS2026 in the Job Title field of the IMM 5710 form.
- Include proof that you have a valid job offer.
- Provide either of the following documents depending on how your employer applied:
- a copy of the LMIA receipt confirmation number online applications
- a copy of the application sent to Service Canada or the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration paper applications
- Indicate all of the following in the Details of intended work in Canada section of your work permit application:
- the date the LMIA or CAQ request was sent
- the office it was sent to
- the employer’s name
- the confirmation number for the submission, if available
Priority processing for work permit applicants
We’re prioritizing certain work permit applications.
Provincial nominees in certain specialized health care occupations
You may be eligible for faster processing for an employer-specific work permit if you
- have a full-time and non-seasonal job offer in one of the three eligible NOCs
- NOC 31100 – Specialist in clinical laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
- have a support letter from a Canadian province or territory
- The letter nominates you as a permanent residence applicant through the Provincial Nominee Program.
- meet the general eligibility requirements (opens in a new tab) to apply for a work permit, depending on where you apply from
Other eligible occupations that perform or support essential services
We’re prioritizing the applications of people who perform or support essential services.
When you fill out the work permit application form
To get priority processing, follow these steps:
- Get the National Occupational Classification (NOC) number your employer entered on the
- offer of employment or
- labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
- Enter that number in the Job title box.
- This is box 4 in the Details of intended work in Canada section.
- You must enter only the number.
NOC 2021
On November 16, 2022, we switched to the 2021 version of the NOC system.
If you apply for a work permit on or after November 16, 2022, make sure you use the NOC 2021 codes.
Agriculture and agri-food occupations
NOC 2021 codes
- Butchers – retail and wholesale (NOC 63201)
- Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale (NOC 65202)
- Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors (NOC 82030)
- Livestock labourers (NOC 85100)
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators (NOC 84120)
- Harvesting labourers (NOC 85101)
- Nursery and greenhouse labourers (NOC 85103)
- Fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 94142)
- Labourers in food and beverage processing (NOC 95106)
- Labourers in fish and seafood processing (NOC 95107)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (NOC 94141)
Health-care occupations
NOC 2021 codes
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors (NOC 31300)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301)
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (NOC 31100)
- Specialists in surgery (NOC 31101)
- Police investigators and other investigative occupations (NOC 41310)
- General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102)
- Nurse practitioners (NOC 31302)
- Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals (NOC 31303)
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists (NOC 32103)
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (NOC 31209)
- Pharmacists (NOC 31120)
- Medical laboratory technologists (NOC 32120)
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations (NOC 33101)
- Medical radiation technologists (NOC 32121)
- Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists (NOC 32123)
- Licensed practical nurses (NOC 32101)
- Paramedical occupations (NOC 32102)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102)
- Home child care providers (LMIA-required in-Canada applicants) (NOC 44100)
- Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (LMIA-required in-Canada applicants) (NOC 44101)
You may be eligible for even faster processing if you
- have a full-time and non-seasonal job offer in one of the three eligible NOCs
- NOC 31100 – Specialist in clinical laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
- have a support letter from a Canadian province or territory
- The letter nominates you as a permanent residence applicant through the Provincial Nominee Program.
- meet the general eligibility requirements to apply for a work permit, depending on where you apply from
Step 3: Pay the fees
We’ll ask you to pay your fees at the end of your application.
In most cases, your fees will include processing fees for you and anyone you include on your application.
Some applicants may be exempt from paying some or all work permit application fees.
Total fees
| Type of fee | Amount | Who needs to pay this fee |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit processing | $155 | All applicants |
| Open work permit fee | $100 | Open work permit applicants |
| Biometrics fee | Individual: $85 Family: up to $170 (if you’re eligible) |
Check if you need to give biometrics |
Step 4: Submit a complete application
Make sure you submit a complete application in your IRCC secure account. Your application may be refused if you’re missing documents or other required information.
If you need to leave Canada and plan to return
If you applied to renew your work permit before it expired, you can leave Canada and come back, but there are some things you need to know.
Step 5: Give your biometrics again after you apply If applicable
Even if you already have valid biometrics, you may want to give them again.
You might want to give your biometrics again before they expire if
- your biometrics will expire soon
- We can’t issue you a work permit that’s valid for longer than your biometrics.
- you applied for permanent residence and your application was refused
- you only gave partial biometrics with your application (fingerprints or photo)
To give your biometrics
- Pay the biometrics fee when you apply.
- Wait for your biometrics instruction letter and then book your biometrics collection appointment as soon as you can to avoid processing delays.