Stay in Canada Legally - Extend Your Stay

Some temporary residents in Canada are confused about how long they can stay in the country. These temporary residents include tourists, workers, and students.

I often meet people who think that the best way to stay in Canada is to keep quiet and hope the government doesn't notice them. This is especially true for those who have already applied to extend their visa once and don't want to bother with another application. What they don't realize is that staying in Canada without extending your legal status is breaking the law, and that it can lead to serious problems, like getting detained. To stay in Canada, you must have a valid immigration status, and temporary residents must apply to extend their status if they want to keep living here.

Merely applying for a status extension gives you "maintained" status until you hear back about your application. To maintain your temporary status, you only need to apply before your previous status expires. While you have maintained status, tourists, students, and workers can keep doing what they were allowed to do before the expiry of their previous document. For example, if you applied to extend your work permit, you can keep working for the same employer that you had on your expired work permit. The same goes for students waiting for their study permits to be extended.

However, if you leave Canada before your application is decided, your extension application will be canceled. This means that when you return to Canada, you'll need to start a new application for temporary residence, causing delays and interruptions in your time in Canada. So, deciding to leave Canada should be thought through carefully, especially if you have long-term immigration goals like becoming a permanent resident or citizen. We're here to help you understand your options and guide you toward the best outcomes for your situation, use our assessment forms to check if you qualify for one of the temporary resident permits.