Extend your stay as a visitor

If you want to extend your stay in Canada, you must apply to do so. Check your temporary resident status to make sure you apply before the expiry date. This will be on your study or work permit, the stamp in your passport or, if you do not have a stamp in your passport, 6 months from the day you entered Canada. You should apply 30 days before your status expires to:

• Extend your visitor, student or work status,
• Change your permit type (for example, from a study permit to a work permit) or
• Change your permit condition(s) (for example, if you are studying and you want to change schools, or if you are working and you want to change jobs).

1. Implied status

If you apply to extend your permit, and your visitor visa expires while you are waiting for a decision, you still have temporary resident (visitor) status. This is known as implied status.

2. Working or studying in Canada

Most visitors to Canada cannot work or study in Canada without a permit.

If you are visiting Canada and you want to work or study, you have a few options if you still have legal status in Canada.

For a new work permit, you can apply:

• From your home country or another country where you are lawfully admitted or
• In person or by mail at the Visa Application centre in New York.

For a new study permit, you can apply:

• From your home country or another country where you are lawfully admitted or
• In person or by mail at the Visa Application Centre in Los Angeles.

In some cases, you are allowed to work or study without a permit. For more information, see:

• Study in Canada without a work permit:

» If you wish to study in a short-term course or program
You do not need a study permit if you plan to take a course or program in Canada that lasts six months or less. You must complete the course or program within the period authorized for your stay in Canada.

» Foreign representatives to Canada
If you are a family member or staff member of a foreign representative to Canada accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), you may not need a permit to study in Canada. You should contact your embassy in Canada. Your embassy can contact the Office of Protocol at DFATD to find out whether you need a study permit.

» Members of foreign armed forces
If you are a member of a foreign armed force under the Visiting Forces Act, you do not need a permit to study in Canada. If your family members, including minor children, want to study in Canada, they must meet the requirements.

» Foreign nationals who are Registered Indians in Canada
If you are a citizen of another country who has Registered Indian status in Canada, you do not need a permit to study in Canada.

• Work in Canada without a work permit:
  Check the link below to see if you are qualified:
  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-nopermit.asp

3. Getting a visitor visa from within Canada

If you are currently a temporary resident in Canada with a valid status (i.e. study or work permit), you can apply for a new visitor visa to return to Canada before you leave.