Canada Work Permit Renewal: How to Extend and Keep Working

The expiry date on a Canadian work permit arrives faster than most people expect. Handle the renewal well and your working life carries on without a break. Handle it late and you can lose your status, your income and sometimes your path to permanent residence.

This guide covers extending or changing a work permit from inside Canada as of September 2026: when to apply, how maintained status works, how to change jobs, what travel does to your status and what to do if your permit has already expired. If you're applying for your first permit from abroad, start with our guide on how to apply for a Canada work permit.

When you need to apply

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) says you must apply to extend or change your work permit if it will expire soon, or if you want to change your employer or other conditions listed on it. Common reasons include:

• your permit is about to expire and your job continues
• you have a new job offer from a different employer
• your employer has a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for a different role
• you want to remove a medical condition from your permit
• your post-graduation work permit needs extending because your passport was too short when it was issued

Open work permit holders can change employers at any time while the permit is valid. They still need to extend before the permit expires.

Timing: the 30-day rule and the midnight UTC deadline

IRCC's guidance is to apply at least 30 days before your current permit expires. It also suggests comparing your expiry date with the current processing time for in-Canada work permits, so your application is decided before, or soon after, your permit runs out.

The hard deadline is different and stricter. To keep your status, IRCC must receive your application before your permit expires:

• Online: you must submit before midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the day your permit expires. IRCC's system uses UTC, so in Canada that deadline falls in the afternoon or evening of your expiry date, local time, not at your local midnight.
• On paper: the application is stamped when it arrives at the processing centre. If it arrives after expiry, IRCC counts back seven days and uses that as the received date.

Check your passport first

IRCC won't extend your work permit beyond your passport's expiry date. If your passport expires soon, renew it before you apply, or you may get a shorter permit than you need.

Maintained status: working while you wait

If you apply before your permit expires and it then runs out during processing, you're on what IRCC calls maintained status. You can stay in Canada legally until a decision, and you're authorised to work without a permit, as long as you stay in Canada.

The catch is the conditions. You must keep working under the same conditions as your current permit. For an employer-specific permit, that means the same employer, the same job and the same work location. Open work permit holders can usually change jobs, unless specific conditions are listed.

A few practical side effects to plan for:

• Provincial documents. While on maintained status you usually can't renew documents such as a driver's licence or health card. Renew them before your permit expires if you can.
• Social Insurance Number (SIN). Your SIN expires with your permit. You can keep working with an expired SIN until the decision, but you can only update it after you receive your new permit.
• Proof for your employer. If you apply online, most applicants get a work permit extension letter (WP-EXT) confirming they can keep working. IRCC says post-graduation work permit holders don't get this letter, and paper applicants don't either.

Step by step: extending your work permit online

1. Confirm your employer's part. For an LMIA-based permit, you usually wait for your employer's positive LMIA decision letter. For LMIA-exempt jobs, your employer submits an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and gives you the number.
2. Check your passport's expiry date.
3. Sign in to your IRCC secure account and answer the questionnaire to get your document checklist.
4. Complete the IMM 5710 form, the Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker, and read the instruction guide.
5. Upload your documents, such as your job offer, the LMIA letter or offer of employment number, your passport and current permit.
6. Pay the fees by credit or debit card.
7. Submit well before your expiry date, and keep your submission confirmation.
8. Give biometrics if your instruction letter asks for them.

If your LMIA hasn't arrived yet

IRCC allows a narrow exception. You may be able to apply before you receive the positive LMIA, or a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) in Quebec, if all of these apply: your permit expires in two weeks or less, your employer has submitted a complete LMIA or CAQ application, and you submit the missing documents within 90 days. IRCC's current instructions ask you to enter a special code in the job title field of your form. Follow the exact wording on the IRCC page, because the code is updated.

Changing jobs or employers

If you hold an employer-specific permit and want to change jobs or employers, you must apply for a new work permit. You can't simply start the new job.

IRCC does offer a way to start sooner. After you apply for the new employer-specific permit, you can use the IRCC web form to request authorisation to work for the new employer while your application is processed. You must paste the text IRCC provides, including its priority code, and fill in your details. IRCC says it should reply by email in about 10 to 15 days for online applications, and longer for paper ones. That email isn't your work permit.

If you lose your job

IRCC says you must stop working, get a new job offer and apply for a new permit while you're still in Canada. If you applied before your permit expired, you may be able to use the work authorisation process above. If you can't find a new offer, you need to leave by the date printed on your permit.

Travelling while your renewal is pending

IRCC says you can leave Canada and come back after applying, but it can affect your right to work. If your renewal is approved while you're away, you may re-enter as a worker and start work straight away. If it's still being processed, you may only be allowed back as a visitor, and you can't work until it's approved.

A work permit isn't a travel document either. You'll need a valid passport and a visitor visa or electronic travel authorisation (eTA), depending on your nationality.

If your permit has already expired: restoration

If your status expired before you applied, or you broke your permit's conditions, you lose status and must stop working. IRCC lets you apply to restore your status if you:

• apply within 90 days of losing status
• met the requirements of your stay, for example you didn't work illegally
• met all the conditions on your permit before it expired
• aren't a temporary resident permit holder

You can stay in Canada while IRCC decides, but you can't work until your status is restored and your new permit issued. There's no guarantee of approval, and if you're refused you'll have to leave. On the application, you choose "Restore my status as a worker" and explain in writing why you stayed longer than allowed.

If more than 90 days have passed and no exception applies, IRCC says you'll need to leave Canada and apply again from outside.

Fees and costs

At the time of writing (September 2026), IRCC's fee list shows:

Each family member who lost status must apply and pay separately. There's no family rate for restoration.

Think about the costs around the renewal too. A gap in your SIN or health card can create problems with payroll and medical bills, so keep your provincial coverage and documents current. If your hours or income drop during a job change, having two or three months of expenses saved gives you breathing room.

Scams and risky advice

People in a renewal crunch are prime targets. The Government of Canada warns you may be getting scammed if someone:

• promises you a work permit or a job offer if you pay them
• tells you they'll help you become a permanent resident if you work for them
• says you can stay in Canada much longer than your permit allows
• asks for documents or payment through social media

Unauthorised work can lead to removal, a five-year ban and damage to future applications, including permanent residence. If an employer is abusing you, you can report them to Employment and Social Development Canada, and you can't be punished for contacting labour standards offices.

Planning ahead: from renewal to permanent residence

Every renewal is a chance to think about the longer game. Canadian skilled work experience can count towards permanent residence programs such as the Canadian Experience Class, and our guide to the Federal Skilled Worker Program explains how Express Entry works. Keeping your status unbroken protects that experience.

Your renewal checklist

• Note your permit expiry date and your "must leave by" date, if one is printed.
• Check your passport is valid well beyond the new end date you want.
• Ask your employer early about a new LMIA or offer of employment.
• Renew provincial documents, like your health card and driver's licence, before expiry if possible.
• Apply online at least 30 days before expiry, and never after midnight UTC on the expiry date.
• Keep your submission confirmation and any WP-EXT letter for your employer.
• If you're changing employers, request work authorisation through the IRCC web form.
• Avoid international travel while your permit is expired and your renewal is pending.
• If your status has lapsed, stop working and apply to restore within 90 days.

For more on preparing a strong file, see our six steps to an easier work permit application. A renewal done early is usually a renewal nobody notices.