Canada Work Permit Extension and Condition Changes

If you are working in Canada and your work permit is approaching expiry, or your employment circumstances are changing, you may need to extend your work permit or apply to change its conditions.

This may involve more than requesting additional time. A change of employer, occupation, work location or employment conditions can affect which application is required and when you may begin working under the new arrangement.

Anka Canada Immigration Consulting can review your current permit, status and employment situation to help determine the appropriate application before changes are made.

Services are provided by Volkan Sacilik, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence No. R1042981.

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When Do You Need to Extend or Change a Work Permit?

You may need to apply if:

• your current work permit will expire soon;

• you want to continue working in Canada;

• you have an employer-specific permit and want to change employers;

• your occupation or work location is changing;

• you need a condition on your permit changed or removed.

IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before your current work permit expires. A work permit also generally cannot be issued beyond the validity of your passport.

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What Happens If You Apply Before Your Permit Expires?

If IRCC receives a qualifying extension or change-of-conditions application before your current status expires, you can generally remain in Canada while the application is processed.

If you are extending your existing work authorization, you may also be able to continue working under the same conditions as your current permit while waiting for a decision. For an employer-specific work permit, this generally means the same employer, job and work location.

This distinction is important: maintained status does not automatically authorize you to begin working under new conditions.

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Changing Employers or Jobs

If you hold an employer-specific work permit and want to change employers or jobs, you generally need to apply for a new work permit.

In some circumstances, eligible workers already in Canada can request authorization from IRCC to begin working for the new employer before the new work permit is approved. Without that authorization, the worker normally must continue under the conditions of the existing permit until the new application is approved.

The new employer may also need to complete steps such as obtaining an LMIA or submitting an LMIA-exempt offer through the Employer Portal before the worker applies.

 

Other Conditions That May Need to Be Changed

Work permits can contain restrictions relating to matters such as:

• the employer;

• occupation;

• work location;

• type of work permitted;

• medical restrictions affecting work in certain occupations.

For example, a person whose permit restricts work in health care, child care or similar settings because a medical examination was not completed may need to obtain the required medical exam and apply to have the condition changed.

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What If Your Work Permit Has Already Expired?

If your work permit and temporary resident status expired before you applied, a routine extension may no longer be available.

In many cases, a person may apply to restore their status as a worker within 90 days of losing status, provided the applicable restoration requirements are met. A person who has lost worker status must generally stop working until authorization is restored.

This is why confirming the actual expiry date and choosing the correct application before filing can be particularly important.

 

Common Issues to Watch For

Applications can become more complicated when:

• the applicant assumes that maintained status allows work for a new employer;

• employer documents or LMIA/LMIA-exempt requirements are incomplete;

• the work permit expires before the correct application is submitted;

• employment conditions change without first obtaining the required authorization;

• passport validity limits the requested extension;

• previous immigration information is inconsistent with the new application.

Reviewing these issues before filing can help avoid using the wrong application or unintentionally working outside the conditions of an existing permit.

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How Anka Canada Immigration Consulting Can Assist

Anka can review your current work permit, immigration status and proposed employment arrangement to determine whether you need an extension, a new employer-specific permit or another change to your existing conditions.

Where retained, we can also review employer documentation, prepare the application and identify timing or status issues that should be addressed before the employment change takes place.

The objective is to make sure that the immigration application matches the change you actually intend to make.

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Important Information

Canadian work permit rules and eligibility requirements can change. The appropriate application depends on the worker, employer, current status and proposed employment. Information on this page is general and does not guarantee approval.