Restore your status and get a work permit

The expiry date on your work permit is the date you must stop working in Canada. In most cases, it’s also the date your temporary resident status expires in Canada.

You’ll lose your status if

• it expires before you apply to extend or change it
• you don’t respect the conditions on your work permit

On this page

• If you lose your status
• Who can apply
• How to apply
• After you apply

If you lose your status

You must stop working.

If you want to stay in Canada and start working again, you must apply to restore your status and get a new work permit.

If your family members also lost their status

If your family members are with you in Canada and they also lost their status, they must each apply separately to get it restored. Each family member must pay the restoration fee for their application. There is no group or family rate.

If your family member had a work permit, they can follow the instructions below. If your family member was a visitor or student, they can follow the instructions that apply to them:

• Students
• Visitors

If you want to change your permit and restore your status

If your permit and status have expired, you must restore your initial permit and status first. After that, you can apply for a different permit.

Example: You want to apply for a post-graduation work permit, but your study permit has expired

You can restore your status as a student and apply for a post-graduation work permit, if you’re eligible for one.

The rest of the instructions on this page do not apply to you. Find out how to apply and pay the correct fees.

Example: You want to apply for a study permit, but your work permit has already expired

If your work permit has already expired, you need to apply to restore your

• status and
• authorization to work

If you’re eligible for one, you can apply for a study permit at the same time. Our online application system will give you an application form for a study permit. If an officer approves your application, they will restore your status and authorization to work, and then process your study permit application.

Pay the right fees

Our online application system will ask you to pay the fees for

• a study permit
• restoring your status
• biometrics (fingerprints and photo)
  • Find out if you need to give your biometrics (opens in a new tab).

It won’t ask you for the work permit processing fee (CAN$150). To avoid processing delays, you should pay this fee separately and upload your receipt in the “Client information” section of your document checklist.

Who can apply

You can apply to restore your status if you

• apply within 90 days of losing your status
• met the requirements for your stay (for example, you didn’t work illegally)
• met all the conditions listed on your expired permit before it expired

If it’s been more than 90 days since you lost your status

If you lost your status more than 90 days ago and haven’t applied to restore it, you’ll need to

• leave Canada
• reapply from outside Canada if you want to work in Canada again

If you’re a foreign worker with a letter of support from a participating province or territory

You can apply to restore your status if you

• are a foreign worker applying for an open work permit
• have an open work permit support letter from a participating province or territory(opens in a new tab) confirming you’ve been placed in either
  • the province or territory’s Expression of Interest pool or
  • application inventory process under the Provincial Nominee Program

You’re exempt from meeting the following conditions that usually apply to restoration applicants:

• You don’t have to apply within 90 days of losing your status.
  • You can apply to restore your status even if you lost it more than 90 days ago.
• You don’t have to meet the requirements of your stay listed on your expired permit.
• You don’t have to meet the conditions on your expired work permit prior to expiry.

Find out if you’re eligible and how to apply.

Date and time we receive your application

We must receive your application to restore your status no more than 90 days after your status expired. The way we decide the date and time your application was received depends on how you applied.

1. If you apply online: You must submit your application before midnight UTC no more than 90 days after your status and permit expired.
   • Our online application system uses coordinated universal time (UTC).
   • Make sure you know the difference between your local time and UTC.
2. 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 the 90-day period is over, we’ll count back 7 days and use that as the date received.

There’s no guarantee we’ll approve your application

• to restore your status, or
• for a new work permit

If your application is refused, you’ll have to leave Canada.

How to apply

Before you apply, make sure your employer has completed all the required steps.

In most cases, you must apply online to restore your status and get a work permit.

How applying online helps you

• No courier fees or mail delivery time—we get your application instantly.
• You can make sure your application is complete before you submit it.
• 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.

Step 1: Make sure you have what you need

To apply online, you’ll need

• a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of your documents, and
• a valid credit or debit card

Step 2: Read the instruction guide

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.

Special steps to take when you fill out your application

1. On the form IMM 5710, in the first section under question 3, “I am applying for one or more of the following:”, make sure you also choose
   • Restore my status as a worker
2. On a separate page, give details of your situation and clearly explain why you stayed in Canada longer than allowed.
   • If you apply online, you can upload this page in the “Client information” section under “Optional documents”.

Credit cards and prepaid cards

We accept credit cards and prepaid cards from:

• Visa^®
• MasterCard^®
• American Express^®
• JCB^®
• UnionPay^® (for online applications only; debit cards not accepted)

If you use a prepaid credit card, keep it for at least 18 months after you pay to make refunds easier. Find more on prepaid cards.

We also accept all Visa Debit cards.

The card you use doesn't have to be in your name. The cardholder’s name will appear on the receipt but it does not need to match your application.

Debit cards

It must:

• be from a Canadian bank using INTERAC^® Online, and
• be registered for online banking through your bank’s website.

We also accept all Debit MasterCard^® and Visa^® Debit cards. If your card has the Visa Debit logo on it, alone or with the INTERAC^® Online logo, select Visa Debit as your payment method.

The card you use does not have to be in your name. The cardholder’s name will appear on the receipt but it does not need to match your application.

Step 3: Prepare your answers for the online tool

Before you can upload your forms, you must answer some questions. We use your answers to create a personalized document checklist for you.

Step 4: Know the fees you have to pay

We’ll ask you to pay your fees at the end of your application. To restore your status and get a work permit, you can expect to pay these fees:

• restoration ($229)
• work permit processing ($155)
• open work permit holder ($100) if you’re applying for an open work permit
• biometrics ($85) if you need to give your biometrics

Step 5: Create your online account or sign in

You need an account to apply online. You can use your account to

• pay your fees
• submit your application
• check your status

Create an account or sign in

If you can’t apply online

You can submit a paper application if

• you can’t apply online because of a disability or
• there’s a problem with the online application

Find out what to do if you can’t apply online.

After you apply

You may stay in Canada while we make a decision on your application. Normally, you aren’t allowed to work until your status has been restored and your new work permit issued.