Extend Your Study Permit

You need to extend your study permit at least 30 days before it expires.

The expiry date is in the top right corner of your permit. You can’t extend your study permit beyond the expiry date on your passport.

If you apply before your permit expires, you can stay in Canada under the same conditions as your current study permit until you get a decision.

You should apply to extend your study permit if you plan to travel outside Canada and your permit will expire while you are travelling.

If your study permit expires, and you haven’t applied for an extension, you must leave Canada.

If you will finish your studies earlier than you expected

Your permit will expire 90 days after the day you complete your studies, no matter what the expiry date on the permit is. The 90 days begin:

• on the date you get the first notification from your school (such as an email, letter, transcript, etc.) that you completed your program or
• when you get your degree, diploma or certificate.

If you can’t prove the date you were first notified by your school, we will use the earliest issue date on the document. We may need to confirm this date with your school.

If you want to keep studying, you must apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before your permit expires.

If you will finish your studies later than you expected

You must apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before the original expiry date.

If you want to stay in Canada but you are no longer studying

You have a few options:

• apply for a work permit, if you finished studying and are eligible for a post-graduate work permit
• apply to change your status and stay in Canada as a visitor or
• leave Canada.

What to do if your permit has expired

You have lost your status if you are still in Canada and:

• the expiry date of your permit passed before you had applied for
  • a new study permit
  • a work permit, or
  • to stay in Canada as a visitor
• you didn’t respect the conditions of your permit.

In some cases, you may apply to restore your status as a student. To apply, you must:

• submit your application within 90 days of losing your status
• keep meeting the requirements for your stay
• have met all the conditions listed on your permit, and
• pay your fees
  • restoration ($200) and
  • study permit ($150)

If you are eligible, follow the instructions under How to extend your study permit, but:

• on the form IMM 5709, under section 3 “I am applying for one or more of the following:”, select both:
  • An initial study permit or extension of study permit, and
  • Restoration of temporary resident status as a student
• Give details of your situation and the reason you stayed in Canada longer than allowed.

On your application, you must clearly and completely explain how you lost your status. There is no guarantee that we will accept your application.

If your family members have also lost their status, each must apply (and pay) to get it restored.

You may stay in Canada while we make a decision on your application. But, you aren’t allowed to study until your status has been restored.

An officer will review your application and tell you what else you need to do.

Along with your study permit, you need:

• a valid passport and
• an eTA (if you plan to travel to Canada by air)

You don’t need an eTA if you’re arriving by land or sea (for example, by car, bus, train or boat).

If you received your initial study permit before August 1, 2015, you need to apply for an eTA if you haven’t already done so.

If you received your initial study permit on or after August 1, 2015, you already have an eTA. We automatically issued it to you when we approved your initial study permit. It’s valid for 5 years or until your passport expires. See your letter of introduction for details.

Renewing your study permit

If we issue your renewed study permit on or after May 1, 2017, we will automatically issue you an eTA as well.

If we issued your renewed study permit before May 1, 2017 and you don’t already have an eTA, you will need to get one before you return to Canada by air.

If you’re a lawful permanent resident of the United States:

Lawful permanent residents of the U.S. need an eTA to fly to Canada. If you received your study permit before August 1, 2015, you need to apply for an eTA if you:

• don’t already have one and
• plan to travel from and return to Canada by air.

If you received your study permit on or after August 1, 2015, we automatically issued you an eTA.

Your eTA is linked to the passport you used to apply for your study permit. When flying to Canada you must travel with:

• the valid passport you used to apply for your study permit and
• your proof of status in the U.S. (like a valid Green Card)

You don’t need an eTA when driving to Canada or arriving by train, bus, or boat.  However, you you will need to provide proof of your U.S. lawful permanent resident status (such as your Green Card).

If you are from a visa-required country:

You’ll need a valid visa and a valid study permit to return to Canada to study. You don’t need a valid visa if you return directly from a visit only to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon. You must re-apply for a visitor visa if your visa:

• has expired; or
• was only valid for a single entry to Canada.

As of May 1, 2017, eligible citizens of select visa-required countries will receive an eTA when renewing their study permit. The eTA is electronically linked to the passport that you used to renew your permit and is valid for five years or until your passport expires. You can only use the eTA when you fly to, or transit through, Canada by air. You will receive a letter from us with information about your eTA number and expiration date.

Note: if you already have a valid visitor visa, you can use it to travel to Canada until it expires. A visitor visa will allow you to travel to Canada by any means: plane, car, bus, train or boat.

U.S. Citizens

United States citizens should carry:

• a valid U.S. passport when flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport
• the right travel documents when driving or arriving in Canada by train, bus or boat

Find out about Canada’s re-admittance conditions if you’ve:

• applied to extend your status and
• you need to travel outside Canada before you get your new permit because of an emergency.

Before you apply to extend your study permit:

Make sure your school is a designated learning institution (DLI).

If you got a study permit before June 1, 2014 and you are studying at a school that isn’t on the DLI list, you can:

• keep studying for the length of your current permit and
• extend your study permit to complete your program, but not past June 1, 2017. After that, you will need to enrol at a DLI.

If your school is no longer on the DLI list, you can keep studying for the length of your current permit. If you extend your study permit, you need to enroll at a DLI.

Apply to extend your study permit

There are two ways you can apply:

Apply online

To apply online you must have:

• access to a scanner or digital camera to make electronic copies of your documents for uploading and
• a valid credit card to pay with.