How to Extend Your Open Work Permit in Canada: Fees and Timing

To extend an open work permit in Canada, submit an online application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) using form IMM 5710 at least 30 days before your current permit expires, pay the CAD $255 fee, and keep working under the same conditions while you wait for a decision. IRCC currently lists processing at roughly 255 days for in-Canada applications, so the earlier you file, the better.¹

When to Apply and the Deadline That Actually Matters

IRCC must receive your application before midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the day your permit expires. UTC doesn’t shift for Canadian time zones, so in Vancouver (Pacific Time) that cutoff lands at 4:00 p.m. local time on your expiry date. Submitting at 11 p.m. Pacific on the day your permit ends is too late.²

IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days ahead. That buffer matters because biometrics, document uploads, and passport renewal can each eat days you didn’t plan for.

Who Still Qualifies for an Extension

You need to still fall into a category that entitles you to an open work permit, hold valid temporary resident status, and have complied with the conditions on your existing permit. Working without authorization or breaching a condition can cost you your status, which blocks a straightforward extension.³⁴

Spousal Open Work Permit Holders

Since January 21, 2025, only spouses of workers in TEER 0, TEER 1, and select TEER 2 and TEER 3 occupations qualify for a spousal open work permit. If your partner’s occupation code no longer appears on IRCC’s eligible list, your extension may be refused. Check the current list before you file.⁵

Post-Graduation Work Permit Holders

A PGWP generally cannot be renewed for a second full term. There is one narrow route: if your passport expired before you received the full PGWP duration you were entitled to, you can apply on paper to extend it after obtaining a new passport that covers the remaining eligible period.⁶

Permanent Residence Applicants

If your open work permit is running out and you already have a permanent residence application in progress, a bridging open work permit (BOWP) can fill the gap. You’ll need the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter IRCC sent to your account after receiving your PR application, and you upload a copy with your BOWP application. Qualifying streams include Express Entry categories, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Quebec skilled worker class, caregiver pathways, the Agri-Food Pilot, and Quebec investors. Select “Open work permit” as the type; the total fee is the same CAD $255.⁷

What You Need Before You Start

The application form is IMM 5710, “Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker.” It captures your name as it appears on your passport, date of birth, country of birth, and other personal details.⁸

Gather these before opening the online portal:

A passport valid beyond the period you’re requesting. If it expires soon, renew it first.
Your current work permit, including the permit number.
A recent digital photograph meeting IRCC specifications.
Proof of funds, such as bank statements, showing you can support yourself.
Form IMM 5707 (Family Information) if applicable, covering your spouse, parents, and children.

Fees

The standard cost is CAD $255: a CAD $155 work permit processing fee plus a CAD $100 open work permit holder fee.⁹ Add CAD $85 if you need to give biometrics.¹⁰

Some groups pay less. Refugee claimants, protected persons and their family members, vulnerable workers, destitute students, and victims of family violence holding a temporary resident permit for at least 180 days are exempt from both fees. Others, including temporary resident permit holders and failed refugee claimants who need to support themselves, are exempt only from the $100 open work permit fee and still pay the $155 processing fee.¹¹

Submitting the Application

Applications go through IRCC’s secure online account. Create one if you don’t already have it. You’ll need a scanner or camera to digitize documents and a credit or debit card to pay.²

The portal walks you through screening questions, then generates a personalized document checklist based on your answers. Upload your forms and supporting documents to match that checklist, pay, and submit. A confirmation appears in your account when the application goes through.

Biometrics

Applicants aged 14 to 79 generally need to provide fingerprints and a photograph. After you submit and pay, IRCC sends a biometric instruction letter (BIL) to your account confirming the requirement and explaining how to book.¹² You have 30 days from receiving the BIL to attend a designated collection site in person. Booking is free, and delays here can hold up the whole application.¹³

If you gave biometrics for a previous application and they’re still valid, you don’t need to give them again. You can confirm your status through the IRCC Check Status Tool.¹⁴

Working While You Wait: Maintained Status

If IRCC receives your application before your current permit expires, you enter maintained status (sometimes called implied status). You can legally stay in Canada and keep working under the same conditions as your original permit until IRCC decides.¹⁵

To prove it, IRCC issues a WP-EXT letter to your account after you apply online. The letter confirms you’re authorized to keep working and shows an expiry date set 365 days from the date IRCC received your application. Print it and attach it to your expired work permit, or show it electronically when an employer or health insurance provider asks. If IRCC still hasn’t decided by the time the letter’s date passes, you remain authorized to work; that date is an administrative convenience, not a hard cutoff.¹⁶

You won’t receive a WP-EXT letter if you applied after your permit already expired, if you’re applying for your first Canadian work permit, or if you submitted on paper. That’s one more reason to apply online.

Travel While Your Extension Is Pending

Leaving Canada on maintained status is risky. IRCC’s rule is that you stay in Canada and continue working under the same conditions as your original permit. Travel abroad can cost you the authorization to work until the extension is actually approved, even if you can re-enter as a visitor.¹⁵

Flagpoling, the practice of briefly crossing into the United States and returning to a Canadian port of entry to have a new permit issued on the spot, is largely no longer available. Since December 23, 2024, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has stopped processing flagpoling requests for most work and study permit holders. Exceptions remain for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, workers under certain free trade agreements, and people with pre-existing CBSA appointments. For most others, the only path is through IRCC online.¹⁷

If you do need to travel and return by air, you’ll need either a valid temporary resident visa (TRV) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA), depending on your nationality. An eTA costs CAD $7 and is usually approved within minutes.¹⁸

Processing Time and Decision

IRCC currently lists a processing time of about 255 days for online work permit extensions from inside Canada. That figure changes regularly, so check IRCC’s processing times page before you apply for the most current estimate.¹⁹

The decision arrives in your IRCC account. Approval means a new work permit document with updated conditions and validity dates. A refusal will include the reasons IRCC declined the application.

There is no formal appeal for refused temporary residence applications. Your realistic options are to re-apply if your circumstances have changed or you have new information that addresses the refusal, or to file an application for leave and judicial review with the Federal Court of Canada if you believe the decision was legally unreasonable or procedurally unfair.²⁰

If Your Permit Already Expired

Missing the deadline doesn’t automatically end your options, but the window is short. You can apply for restoration of status within 90 days of losing your status, provided you met all the conditions on your original permit before it expired and didn’t work illegally after it lapsed.²¹

Restoration costs more than a standard extension. You pay the regular work permit and open work permit fees plus a separate restoration fee, and each family member who lost status applies and pays separately. One key difference from maintained status: during restoration you are not authorized to work until IRCC approves the application.

After the 90-day window closes, restoration is no longer available. You would need to leave Canada and apply for a new work permit from outside the country.

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit: How to Apply
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Government of Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions of Your Work Permit
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide 5553 – Applying for a Work Permit Inside Canada
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Open Work Permits for Family Members of Foreign Workers: Who Can Apply
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Bridging Open Work Permit for Permanent Residence Applicants
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Canada.ca. Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker (IMM 5710)
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees
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Government of Canada. Work in Canada Temporarily – Fee Exemptions
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Biometrics: How to Give Your Fingerprints and Photo
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Biometrics Where to Give Your Fingerprints and Photo
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Government of Canada. Find Out if You Need to Give Biometrics
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Can I Keep Working If My Permit Expires?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. After You Extend
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Canada Border Services Agency. Ending Flagpoling for Work and Study Permits at the Border
18
Government of Canada. Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): How to Apply
19
Government of Canada. Check Current IRCC Processing Times
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Do I Get Help If My Temporary Residence Application Is Refused?
21
Government of Canada. Restore Your Status and Get a Work Permit