How can I extend my stay as a student?

If you want to study in Canada longer, you need to extend your study permit.

You should apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before your current permit expires. However, we recommend you apply more than 30 days before it expires.

If you need to renew your Social Insur ance Number (SIN) or health insurance, you need a valid study permit. If you wait until there are only 30 days left, you may have problems renewing these, because your study permit will be expiring.

Check the processing times to find out how long it may take to have your study permit extended.

Find out how to apply to extend your study permit.

If your study permit has already expired

If you applied to extend your study permit before it expired, but haven’t received a decision on your application, you’re allowed to stay in Canada because you’ve maintained your status. This means you’re a temporary resident until we decide on your application. You can keep studying until you get a decision on your application.

If you haven’t applied to extend your study permit, you lost your status in Canada. You can’t continue or restart your studies until we’ve restored your status and issued a new study permit. You have 90 days to apply to restore your status and extend your permit. There’s a CAN$200 fee to restore your status, as well as a CAN$150 fee for the new study permit. Find out what to do if your study permit has expired and you haven’t applied to extend it.

If you’re planning to travel outside of Canada

Make sure you have the travel document you need to be able to re-enter Canada. You must have a valid travel document to be able to re-enter the country.

Learn more about travelling outside of Canada when you’ve applied to extend your study permit.

If you’ve applied for a different permit

If you were a student, but you’ve applied for a work permit instead, you can’t keep studying while you wait for a decision on your application. You also can’t work until we’ve approved your application. You can stay in Canada as a temporary resident until you get a decision on your application.

See How can I extend my stay as visitor? and How can I extend my stay as a worker?