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Extensions & status · Restoration of status

Restoration of status: the 90-day window.

If your permit expired before you applied, or your application was refused, you may still be able to stay. You have 90 days from the day your status ended, and you cannot work or study while you wait.

Check my dates ↓How it works
A small brass sand timer with most of the sand fallen, beside a navy passport and an open folder on a pale maple desk
  1. ValidYour permit has not expired. Apply for the next one before it does.
  2. Maintained statusYou applied in time. Stay, and keep the same conditions, until IRCC decides.
  3. Restoration windowStatus ended. You have 90 days to apply to restore it, and cannot work or study.
  4. Out of statusMore than 90 days have passed. Restoration is no longer open.

The short answer

If your status as a visitor, worker or student ended because your permit expired or an application was refused, you may apply to restore it within 90 days, provided you did not work or study without authorization. Restoring as a worker costs $401.25. You must stay in Canada, and you cannot work or study until IRCC restores your status.

Checked against IRCC sources · October 25, 2026

Who can apply for restoration?

You can apply if you lost your status as a visitor, worker or student in the last 90 days, you are still in Canada, and you meet the requirements for the status you want.

  • You may qualify if your permit expired before you applied for a new one, or your extension or new-permit application was refused.
  • You do not qualify if you worked or studied without authorization, if you held a temporary resident permit (you would apply for a new one), or if more than 90 days have passed.

A worker or student who no longer needs a permit can restore as a visitor.

When does the 90-day clock start?

On the day you lost status: your permit’s expiry date if you had not applied, or the date of the refusal if you had. If an application was returned as incomplete, the clock runs from the original expiry date.

IRCC must receive the application within the 90 days; online, that means before midnight UTC on day 90. The planner below counts it for you.

Can I work or study while restoration is pending?

No. You must stop working or studying when your status ends, and you cannot resume until your status is restored and any new permit is issued.

You must stay in Canada while IRCC decides. If you leave, the application is refused and the fee is not refunded.

How much does restoration cost?

These are IRCC’s fees per person:

  • Restore your status as a worker, with a new work permit: $401.25
  • Restore your status as a student, with a new study permit: $396.25
  • Restore your status as a visitor: $246.25

An open work permit adds the $100 open work permit holder fee, and biometrics ($85) may apply.

What if more than 90 days have passed?

Restoration is no longer available, unless you are a worker with an eligible provincial or territorial support letter. IRCC’s instruction is to leave Canada and apply again from outside.

Speak to a licensed RCIC before you do anything else.

Can restoration be refused?

Yes. IRCC can refuse if you no longer meet the requirements for the status you want, or if you did not comply with other conditions of your stay. If it is refused, you will have to leave Canada.

Worker applications include a letter explaining why you stayed longer than allowed, so a clear, complete explanation matters. IRCC aims to decide within 5 months of a complete application.

Your dates

How many days do you have left?

Enter the date your permit expired, or the date of a refusal. The planner counts your restoration deadline and shows what else is open.

1 · The permit you hold (or last held)
2 · Its expiry date
3 · Have you applied for a new permit or an extension?
4 · What else applies to you?

Tick any that are true. These decide which options the planner shows.

A planning guide built only from the IRCC rules on this page, not legal advice. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Your status today

Waiting for a date

Enter your permit’s expiry date to see where you stand.

The planner shows your status today, the deadlines that apply to you, and the options worth checking, in order.

    Book a consultation → Send this to us on WhatsApp

    Rules checked against IRCC on October 25, 2026.

    Questions

    More on restoration.

    Do I need to leave Canada while restoration is processed?
    No. You must stay in Canada while IRCC decides; leaving means the application is refused. You cannot work or study until your status is restored.
    Can I restore my status and change to a different permit?
    Yes. You apply to restore your status together with the permit you now qualify for. A worker or student who no longer needs a permit can restore as a visitor.
    Can I apply for restoration at the border?
    No. Restoration cannot be applied for at a port of entry.
    What happens if restoration is refused?
    IRCC’s instruction is that you will have to leave Canada. Get advice immediately if this happens.

    Checked against

    Official sources, October 2026.

    Talk to an RCIC

    Status ended? Count the days now.

    Restoration has a hard deadline. Send us the date your status ended and a licensed RCIC will tell you what to file and when.

    Book a consultation →WhatsApp us

    eligibility review

    Find out where you actually stand.

    Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.

    1. 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
    2. 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
    3. 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply

    CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.