A visitor record lets you extend your authorised stay in Canada as a visitor. If you want to stay beyond your current deadline, you normally need to apply before your visitor status expires. It is different from a visitor visa and does not guarantee that you can re-enter Canada after travelling abroad.

Whether you are spending more time with family or changing from worker or student status to visitor status, start by checking when your current permission to stay ends.

Quick Answer

To extend your stay as a visitor, apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a visitor record before your current status expires. IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before that date.

Most applicants apply online. The visitor extension fee is CAD100 per person. You will need to explain why you want to stay longer, show how you will support yourself and provide the documents requested in your application checklist.

If approved, your visitor record will show your new expiry date. The length of the extension is decided by IRCC.

Why This Matters

Your visa expiry date and your deadline to leave Canada can be different.

For example, a visitor visa valid for several years does not mean you can remain in Canada continuously for those years. Your permitted stay depends on the conditions set when you enter Canada or on a later immigration document.

Knowing the correct deadline helps you apply on time and avoid losing your status.

What Is a Visitor Record?

A visitor record is a document that sets out your permission to remain in Canada as a visitor, including the date that permission ends. It may be issued at the border or after IRCC approves an application to extend your stay.

When you apply for an extension from inside Canada, you are asking for more time as a temporary resident. You are not applying for permanent residence.

Check the expiry date and any conditions on the document when you receive it.

Visitor Record vs Visitor Visa: What Is the Difference?

These documents serve different purposes:

• Visitor visa: Allows a visa-required traveller to travel to Canada and seek entry. Its expiry date does not determine how long you can stay after entering.
• Electronic travel authorization (eTA): Allows eligible visa-exempt travellers to fly to Canada and seek entry. It does not extend your visitor status.
• Visitor record: Records or extends your authorised stay in Canada. It is not a visa and does not guarantee re-entry.

If you need more time inside Canada, check the visitor extension process. Applying for a new travel document does not replace an application to extend your status.

When Should You Apply to Extend Your Visitor Status?

IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days before your status expires. That is a planning recommendation. To use the ordinary extension process and maintain your status while waiting, you must submit a qualifying application before your current status expires.

Find your deadline by checking:

• A departure date written in your passport.
• The expiry date on an existing visitor record.
• The expiry date on your work or study permit if you are changing to visitor status.

For most visitors without a different authorised date, the permitted stay is up to six months from entry, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Special arrangements, such as super visa stays, can differ.

Do not calculate your deadline using the expiry date printed on your visitor visa.

How Do You Apply for a Visitor Record?

Most people must apply online. IRCC provides paper application exceptions for people who cannot apply online because of a disability or a problem with the online application.

The usual steps are:

1. Check your current status and expiry date.
2. Follow IRCC’s visitor extension instructions and answer the online eligibility questions accurately.
3. Complete the required forms, including IMM 5708 where requested.
4. Upload the documents in your personalised checklist.
5. Pay the applicable fees and submit the application.
6. Save your submission confirmation and monitor your account for messages.

Starting a draft or paying a fee is not the same as submitting the application. Leave time to correct upload problems and missing information.

Each family member who needs an extension must have their own application form and applicable fee, even when the family applies together.

A clear letter of explanation can connect your circumstances with the evidence. Explain the reason for the extension, the dates requested and how you will cover your expenses.

For example, someone extending a family visit could describe the additional time needed and provide evidence of accommodation and financial support.

Use the checklist for your application when gathering your application documents. General document guides cannot replace that checklist.

How Much Does It Cost, and How Long Does It Take?

The visitor extension fee is CAD100 per person. Additional fees may apply if you need to provide biometrics.

Processing times vary. Check IRCC’s current processing-time tool when preparing your application, and avoid making plans around a guaranteed decision date.

If your application is approved, IRCC says the visitor record should arrive by mail within six weeks of the decision. That delivery period is separate from the time needed to assess your application.

There is no automatic six-month extension. IRCC decides the period granted, and your passport validity can limit it.

What Happens While Your Application Is Pending?

If you submit a complete, qualifying extension application before your status expires and remain in Canada, you can generally stay while IRCC makes its decision. This is called maintained status.

Keep proof of submission and follow the conditions that apply to you. An application returned as incomplete is considered never submitted, which can affect your status if your original permission has expired.

If IRCC refuses the application after your original status expires, your maintained status ends when the decision is made. Check your next steps promptly.

Can You Work or Study With a Visitor Record?

A visitor record does not itself give you permission to take a job or undertake studies that require a study permit. Separate work or study exemptions may apply in specific circumstances.

If you apply to change from worker status to visitor status, that application does not extend your work permission beyond your work permit’s expiry. The same distinction matters when changing from student status.

A permanent residence application also does not automatically extend temporary status. If you are visiting during spousal sponsorship, check your visitor deadline separately from the sponsorship timeline.

Can You Travel Outside Canada With a Visitor Record?

A visitor record is not a travel document and does not guarantee that you can return to Canada.

Depending on your nationality and how you travel, you may need a valid visitor visa or eTA, as well as a valid passport. A border officer still decides whether to admit you.

If your extension is pending, do not assume that leaving Canada preserves your maintained status or guarantees admission for the same period. Check the consequences before booking travel.

What If Your Visitor Status Has Already Expired?

A late application is not an ordinary visitor extension.

You may need to apply for restoration of status, generally within 90 days of losing your status, if you meet the relevant requirements. Restoration has different rules and fees, and approval is not guaranteed.

Submitting a restoration application does not give you maintained status. Establish the date your status ended before deciding which application to make.

Common Mistakes

• Using the visitor visa expiry date as the deadline to leave Canada.
• Waiting until the last day to submit.
• Assuming a saved online application has been submitted.
• Requesting more time without explaining the reason or showing financial support.
• Assuming a visitor extension allows continued work after a work permit expires.
• Treating a visitor record as permission to re-enter Canada.
• Forgetting that accompanying family members may need separate applications.

Where to Go Next

• Maintained Status in Canada: Can You Stay and Work?
• Restoration of Status in Canada: What Happens After It Expires?
• How to Write a Letter of Explanation for Canada Immigration
• The Ultimate Guide to Gathering the Documents Needed for a Canadian Visa
• How to Renew a Spouse Visa in Canada: 2026 Guide