Extend your work permit

For all work permit holders from visa-exempt countries:

A work permit is not a visa. It does not give you the right to board your flight to Canada. Along with your permit, you will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to Canada.

If you are from a visa-exempt country and received your work permit before August 1, 2015, you will need to apply for eTA if you leave Canada and return by air.

If you received your initial permit on or after August 1, 2015, you were automatically issued an eTA along with your permit.

If you renew a work permit, an eTA is not automatically renewed or issued to you. You need to apply for one separately. See Extend your work permit.

If you want to extend your stay in Canada as a worker, check the expiry date on your work permit, and make sure you apply before that date. Complete the Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada at least 30 days before your current permit expires.

If you are from a visa-exempt country and you received your initial study permit:

before August 1, 2015 you will need to apply for an eTA.
on or after August 1, 2015, you already have an eTA. It was automatically issued to you when your initial work permit was issued, and is valid for 5 years or until your passport expires. If your eTA is still valid, you do not need to apply for another eTA. If it is not, you will need to apply separately for an eTA. Use the eTA Check Status Tool to find out if your eTA is still valid.

If you renewed your work permit after August 1, 2015, you will need to apply for an eTA, if you do not already have one.

If you are from a visa-required country, make sure that your visa is valid to cover the period of your extension. If not, you will need to apply for a new visa.

You must apply to extend your work permit if you want to stay in Canada for any of the following reasons:

Your job is extended or changes

If your job is extended or changes, you must apply to extend or change the conditions of your existing work permit before it expires.

Find out how you will renew your work permit

There are two ways to apply:

Apply online

To apply online you must have access to a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of your documents for uploading and have a valid credit card for payment. Apply online.

If you provide an email address on your application, please check your email account often for automated emails from IRCC regarding your case. Some spam filters block these emails. Make sure that emails from IRCC are not blocked. If you are not sure whether emails from IRCC are being sent, please check your account often.

Apply on paper

The package includes the application guide and all the forms you need to fill out. Download the application package.

You are offered a different job in Canada

If you are offered a different job in Canada, you must apply for a new work permit.

Do not start your new job without a new work permit.

Determine how you will apply to renew your work permit

There are two ways to apply:

Apply online

To apply online, you must have access to a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of your documents for uploading and have a valid credit card for payment. Apply online.

Apply on paper

The package includes the application guide and all the forms you need to fill out. Download the application package.

You want to live and work in Canada permanently

A work permit lets you work in Canada temporarily.

If you want to stay in Canada permanently, you must qualify under one of the permanent resident categories. Learn about the permanent resident categories.

You want to leave Canada and then re-enter

If you leave Canada after working in this country and then want to return to Canada to work, you must have a valid passport or travel document and a valid work permit – that is, the period initially authorized for your entry or any extension to it, as a visitor, student or worker has not expired.

If you are from a visa-exempt country and received your work permit before August 1, 2015, you will need an eTA if you plan to travel from and return to Canada by air.

If you are a citizen of a visa-required country travelling by any means, you will need:

a valid visa, unless you are returning directly from a visit solely to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, and
a valid permit – that is, the period initially authorized for your entry or any extension to it, as a visitor, student or worker has not expired.

Possession of these documents or an eTA or a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed back into Canada. You must show the border services officer that you meet all the requirements before you will be allowed to re-enter Canada.

For citizens and permanent residents of the United States

If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport or travel document to enter or return to Canada. However, you must carry proper identification.

U.S. permanent residents who receive their work permit before August 1, 2015 will need an eTA if they plan to travel from and return to Canada by air. As the eTA is linked to the passport used when you apply for the eTA, you must travel with that passport in order to return to Canada by air.

If you are a permanent resident of the United States, you do not need a passport or travel document if you enter or return to Canada from the United States by land or sea. However, you must carry proper identification.

You will be allowed to extend your work permit for a period of time that adds up to – but does not exceed – the maximum of four years of work in Canada. Find out more about the four-year maximum.

If you have applied to extend your status and an emergency situation requires you to travel outside Canada before you get your new permit, find out about Canada’s re-admittance conditions.