SECU – Management of Expired and Cancelled Visas – April 30, 2026
Key Messages
Prior to being authorized into Canada as a temporary resident (TR) and issued a work or study permit, both Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and a border services officer must be satisfied that all persons meet all legal requirements, including requirements to work or study temporarily, and that they will depart Canada by the end of their authorized period of stay.
All foreign nationals who enter Canada are required to report to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for examination. While entry records are systematically captured in all modes, exit data is systematically collected in land and air modes only.
Once in Canada, TRs may make applications to IRCC to extend their authorized period of stay and renew their authorization to work or study in Canada.
All TRs are required to leave Canada once their authorized period of stay ends. Those who do not are subject to enforcement action, including removal from Canada, which is the CBSA mandate.
CBSA prioritizes the removal of foreign nationals who are inadmissible to Canada under serious grounds. IRCC assists by prioritizing pre-removal risk assessments (PRRAs) for these cases, allowing CBSA to enforce removal if a PRRA is rejected.
Key Facts and Figures
Under our managed migration system, temporary resident visas (TRVs) are subject to a high degree of scrutiny, which is reflected in approval rates.
As of February 28, 2026, approval rates for TR applications in calendar year 2026 are:
54% for TRVs (212K TRVs approved);
82% for work permits (40K work permits approved);
38% for study permits (9K study permits approved).
The 2025 global TRV refusal rate was 51%. This is in comparison to a 54% refusal rate in 2024 and a 39% refusal rate in 2023. The vast majority of TRV applications are refused because an officer was not satisfied the applicant would leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay.
The Department is also placing more emphasis on detecting fraud. Misrepresentation refusals come with a five-year ban from entering Canada, which discourages non-genuine applicants going forward.
Once in Canada, TRs who actively seek to maintain their status have relatively high approval rates.
As of February 28, 2026, approval rates for in-Canada renewals in calendar year 2026 are:
76% for visitor records (17K visitor renewals approved);
91% work permit renewals (224K work permit renewals approved); and
90% for study permit renewals (42K study permit extensions approved).
CBSA is responsible for in-Canada immigration enforcement activities. The removal of foreign nationals that are found inadmissible as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is an integral part of CBSA's security mandate. CBSA removed over 22,000 inadmissible people last fiscal year—an increase from approximately 17,000 the fiscal year before.
Entry/Exit Data
While Canada does not operate a traditional exit control regime—that is, requiring all departing travelers to present themselves to border officers—the CBSA-managed Entry/Exit Program collects biographic exit data for land and air travel. This data is accessed by IRCC to support various program integrity functions on a case-by-case basis, including:
Verifying residency requirements for citizenship and permanent resident card applications;
Supporting investigations of possible fraud in relation to immigration and citizenship programs.
IRCC is working with CBSA in their efforts to effectively monitor overstays.
In response to a recommendation in the 2026 Auditor General Report on International Student Program Reforms, IRCC and CBSA will develop a Government of Canada approach to reconcile information on students whose permits have expired and have not applied for other status or confirmed their departure.
Removals
Foreign nationals who remain in Canada and do not maintain their TR status are in contravention of IRPA and may have a removal order issued against them. Individuals subject to removal orders are expected to leave the country on their own. If they fail to leave the country, they may be subject to enforcement action, including removal from Canada.
CBSA is responsible for in-Canada immigration enforcement activities. The removal of foreign nationals that are found inadmissible as per IRPA is an integral part of CBSA's security mandate. CBSA removed over 22,000 inadmissible people in fiscal year 2025—an increase from approximately 17,000 in 2024.
Anyone ordered to be removed from Canada is entitled to due process before the law. An individual may appeal the decision to issue a removal order to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). If they do not benefit from appeal rights at the IRB, an application for a judicial review may be made through the Federal Court of Canada.
Once individuals have exhausted all legal avenues of appeal that delays a removal order, CBSA will begin preparing for their removal. If an individual fails to appear for either the removal interview or the scheduled removal date, CBSA can issue a Canada-wide warrant for their arrest. CBSA may also need to acquire travel documents on behalf of the individual being removed which often involves engaging with the individual's country of nationality.
CBSA has a risk-based approach to prioritizing removals:
Tier 1—Serious inadmissibilities (national security, war crimes, serious criminality, and organized crime);
Tier 2—Failed refugee claimants; and
Tier 3—All other inadmissibilities, including overstays.
Serious inadmissibility is a priority for IRCC to expedite the determination of a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA)—which some clients are eligible to apply for prior to removal. IRCC and CBSA are aligned to ensure those persons with serious inadmissibilities receive an expedited PRRA decision, which ensures enforcement of their removal from Canada as soon as possible in cases where their PRRA is rejected. The PRRA is intended to assess if the individual faces potential danger of torture, risk of persecution, risk to life or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment upon removal from Canada.
Visa Integrity Measures
Canada welcomes around 20M visitors each year who provide the country with significant social, cultural, and economic benefits. Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in recent years in misuse of visitor visas as a shortcut by people who want to remain long term.
Although the vast majority of visitors are legitimate, we know non-genuine visitors have an impact on the confidence of Canadians in the immigration system. It is essential that we balance the economic and cultural benefits of visitors with the need to ensure migration to Canada is well managed.
Securing the border and the perimeter starts at the point of document issuance and before someone reaches Canada. IRCC is working with partners to strengthen our visitor screening to ensure we are adapting to modern changes, including global crises that affect migration patterns, increased digital fraud, and organized human smuggling.
For example, Canada implemented a partial visa requirement for Mexican nationals in February 2024, after identifying an abuse of visa-free travel and a significant number of non-genuine asylum claims. This resulted in an almost immediate reduction of asylum claims from Mexican citizens at Canadian airports nationwide.
On January 31, 2025, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations were amended to include discretionary cancellation authorities which specify when an officer may cancel a TRV, electronic travel authorization (eTA), work permit, or study permit, on a case by case basis, strengthening the consistency and overall integrity of the cancellation process.
Under a renewed effort to detect fraud, the total number of applications refused for misrepresentation has increased significantly in the last year.
7.1% of all visitor visa refusals were for misrepresentation in 2025, higher than the overall average for 2024 (4.6%).
For travellers who are visa-exempt and who must apply for an eTA to visit Canada, IRCC will continue to strengthen the integrity of our screening through information sharing with international partners on eTA applicants.
Information sharing allows the Department to more accurately verify the identity of travelers and make better-informed immigration and border decisions, while facilitating the travel of known individuals to Canada.
Status in Canada
IRCC is responsible for processing applications to extend TR status in Canada, including applications to restore TR status. Restoration allows eligible applicants to regain their TR status, as long as they apply for it within 90 days of losing their status.
Individuals are expected to comply with the conditions of their entry into Canada, including leaving by the end of their authorized period of stay.
Foreign nationals who remain in Canada and do not maintain their TR status are in contravention of IRPA and may have a removal order issued against them.
Individuals subject to removal orders are expected to leave the country on their own. If they fail to leave the country, they may be subject to enforcement action, including removal from Canada.
CBSA's Inland Enforcement Officers undertake proactive investigations based on referrals received from IRCC and law-enforcement partners in order to identify and locate inadmissible individuals. Investigations are triaged ensuring high-risk cases (those inadmissible on security, human rights violations, criminality, and organized criminality) are prioritized.
IRCC has processes in place to share information with CBSA regarding inadmissibility concerns both overseas, through Comprehensive Security Screening, and in Canada, where required. Visa information, including cancellations and validity periods, is available in IRCC's Global Case Management System, which CBSA has access to and which interfaces with CBSA systems.
Persons who fail to legally maintain their status may also jeopardize their future admission to Canada.
Temporary Resident Visas Versus Status
TRVs are immigration documents that IRCC places in a person's passport or travel document to show that an applicant has been assessed by an IRCC officer, who is satisfied that they meet the requirements needed to travel to Canada. CBSA officers authorize TR status on entry after examination.
TRVs have a validity period; when this period ends the holder must apply for a new TRV before being able to travel to Canada. TRVs that are cancelled also cannot be used to travel to Canada.
Work or study permits are immigration documents issued to persons authorized to work or study in Canada, but they cannot be used to travel to Canada, like a TRV or eTA. Depending on nationality, a TRV or eTA will be issued at the same time a work or study permit is approved for foreign nationals applying outside of Canada.
Biometrics are valid for 10 years. Unless exempt from the biometrics requirement under IRPA, a foreign national must have valid (unexpired) biometrics on file for the duration of their visa or permit. Clients may need to re-enroll their biometrics at the application stage if they wish to be granted a visa or permit beyond the expiry date of their current biometrics on file.
