Restoration of status allows eligible visitors, workers and students who have lost temporary resident status to ask IRCC to restore it from inside Canada. Under the ordinary rules, you must apply within 90 days of losing status, and approval is not guaranteed.
Submitting the application does not immediately restore your status or let you resume work or study. Your next step depends on when your status ended, why it ended and whether you still meet the relevant requirements.
You may qualify for restoration of status if you are still in Canada, apply within the applicable deadline and meet the requirements for your intended stay. You must also satisfy the rules concerning previous compliance.
A pending restoration application generally allows you to remain while IRCC decides, but does not give you maintained status or continued work or study authorization.
Losing status affects more than the expiry date on a document. It can interrupt employment or studies and create a deadline for deciding whether restoration is available.
The practical priority is to establish your status history before choosing an application. Someone whose permit expired without a timely extension may have a different deadline from someone whose extension was refused after a period of lawful continued stay.
Restoration is a process for regaining temporary resident status after it has been lost. It is different from extending status that is still valid.
It is also different from maintained status, which can arise from a qualifying extension application submitted before expiry. Restoration applicants cannot assume they have the same rights as someone waiting under maintained status.
Restoration does not erase past non-compliance or guarantee approval of a new permit. IRCC assesses whether the applicant meets the relevant criteria.
Under the ordinary rules, applicants must:
Not every breach can be addressed through restoration. Unauthorized work or study can make someone ineligible, so the reason status was lost matters as well as the deadline.
Temporary resident permit (TRP) holders are not eligible for this restoration process. A TRP is a specific document and should not be confused with an ordinary visitor visa.
The ordinary deadline runs from the date temporary resident status was lost, not from the date you noticed the problem.
If you had maintained status after a timely extension application and IRCC later refused that application, the restoration period generally begins when the refusal ends your status.
An application returned as incomplete is different. It is treated as though it was never submitted, so the deadline may run from the end of your original authorized stay.
For online applications, IRCC uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Submit before the applicable UTC deadline rather than relying on midnight in your local time zone.
The 90-day period is an application window, not an extra period of work or study authorization.
Targeted public policies may create exceptions for particular applicants. For example, eligible temporary residents affected by qualifying natural disasters in Canada can have up to six months to apply under current special measures.
An exception only applies if you meet its specific criteria. If you are beyond the ordinary deadline, check current official measures before assuming restoration is available.
Eligible former workers and students may apply to restore temporary resident status as visitors if they no longer need or qualify for work or study authorization and meet the visitor requirements.
This can be relevant when someone wants to remain temporarily but cannot continue their previous employment or studies. It does not allow them to keep working or studying.
A visitor record concerns your authorized stay inside Canada. Applying to restore visitor status is different from submitting an ordinary extension before your existing status expires.
If you want to resume employment, you must also meet the relevant work permit requirements. Restoration alone is not a replacement for a work permit.
Most applicants apply online. Follow the instructions for the status and authorization you are seeking.
Review your previous permit, visitor record, entry information and any IRCC decisions. Establish when your authorized stay ended and whether a timely extension affected that date.
Decide whether you are seeking restoration as a visitor or restoration together with work or study authorization. Check eligibility before selecting the form.
Explain what happened, when it happened and why you remained in Canada. Keep your account factual and consistent with the documents.
Your supporting documents may include identity records, previous immigration documents, decision letters, proof of funds and evidence supporting the requested permit. Use the checklist for your specific application.
Select the restoration option where instructed, pay all applicable fees and retain your submission confirmation.
Family members who also lost status generally need separate restoration applications and fees.
The restoration fee is separate from the fee for a new work or study permit. Standard IRCC fees checked in October 2026 are:
An additional CAD 100 open work permit holder fee applies where required. Biometrics or other applicable fees may also increase the total.
Fees can change. Check the official IRCC fee list before paying and confirm whether any exemption applies.
Generally, no. If you lost your status and authorization, you must not resume work or studies until restoration is approved and the required permit is issued.
IRCC allows eligible applicants to remain in Canada while a restoration application is being decided. However, filing the application does not itself restore temporary resident status.
In practice, plan for living expenses without relying on employment income during the waiting period. Tell your employer or institution about the interruption and check what documents they require before you return.
IRCC publishes a service standard of five months for a final decision on a complete restoration application. This is a service standard, not a guaranteed processing time for your case.
Requests for additional information and individual circumstances can affect the outcome and timing. Check current official guidance and avoid committing to a work or study restart date before receiving the necessary approval.
Restoration is an in-Canada process. You must remain in Canada while the application is processed. IRCC guidance states that leaving during processing makes you ineligible and the restoration application will be refused.
You cannot obtain restoration at a port of entry. If travel is necessary, assess the consequences before leaving rather than assuming you can return and continue the same application.
If IRCC refuses your restoration application, you generally have to leave Canada. Review the decision carefully to understand why the application failed.
A visa refusal and a restoration refusal can involve different procedures and consequences. Do not assume that reapplying automatically provides permission to remain or that every refusal carries an appeal right.
Use the date status was lost. A refusal after maintained status and an incomplete application can produce different timelines.
Submitting restoration does not preserve the work or study rights you had before losing status.
Restoring status as a visitor does not authorize employment. Choose the route based on what you qualify for and what you need to do.
A useful explanation gives dates, relevant circumstances and supporting evidence. It should allow IRCC to understand the sequence of events.
These articles explain related status procedures and application preparation:
Normally, restoration is unavailable after the ordinary deadline. A targeted public policy may provide an exception if you meet its requirements. Otherwise, you generally need to leave Canada.
Eligible applicants may remain while IRCC decides the restoration application. However, their status is not restored simply because they applied, and work or study generally cannot resume.
Yes, if they meet the visitor and restoration requirements. Visitor status does not authorize them to continue employment.
No. IRCC assesses eligibility, compliance, the explanation provided and the requirements for the requested stay or permit.
Yes, family members who also lost their status generally need to apply separately. Each must meet the relevant requirements and pay the applicable restoration fee.
Restoration of status offers eligible temporary residents a way to ask IRCC to restore their status after it has been lost. Applying within the applicable deadline, meeting the relevant requirements and choosing the correct visitor, worker or student route are central to the application.
Before applying, confirm when your status ended and check that your explanation and supporting documents meet IRCC’s requirements. Since immigration requirements and procedures can change, always check the latest guidance on the official Government of Canada website.
If you need support checking your eligibility for restoration of status or preparing your Canadian immigration application, book a consultation with Canada GMC.
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