Extend your work permit in Canada: how to renew or change it from inside Canada

Your work permit is about to expire and you want to stay in Canada? Before you fill out anything, be clear about what you are asking for: an extension of the same permit, a change of its conditions (a new employer or job), or a different permit altogether. The right application depends on your permit type, your employer, your eligibility and, in Québec, the provincial documents. Applying before expiry also decides whether you keep your status, and whether you may keep working, while IRCC processes the file. Here is how to sort it out, based on IRCC pages consulted on October 17, 2026.

Key takeaways

Question	Short answer
Extend my permit or apply for a different one?	Extend it if you are continuing under the same conditions and remain eligible. A new employer or category calls for a new permit.
Can I apply from inside Canada?	Only if you fall into one of IRCC’s inside-Canada categories.
Can I keep working while it is processed?	If you applied before expiry and stay in Canada, generally yes, under your current permit’s conditions.
Can I start with a new employer while I wait?	Not automatically: you need the new permit or written authorization from IRCC.
My permit has already expired?	Stop working. Restoration, within 90 days, is a separate process.
What is different in Québec?	LMIA-based jobs also need a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).

Extend, change conditions, or apply for a different permit?

An extension lets you keep working after your current permit ends, under the same terms. A change of conditions asks for different terms, such as a new employer or occupation. A new permit category means qualifying under that category’s own rules.

Your situation	Likely route	Watch out
Same employer, same job	Extend your current permit	Bring current evidence: offer, LMIA or exemption
Employer-specific permit, new employer	New employer-specific permit, or interim authorization if eligible	Do not start the new job just because you applied
From an employer-specific permit to an open one	Apply under an open work permit category you qualify for	Ticking “change of conditions” does not make a permit open (see who qualifies for an open work permit)
Post-graduation work permit ending	Check whether it can be extended or whether you need another category	A PGWP is generally not renewable

Identify the permit category before you start the forms. Our overview of Canada work permit options compares employer-specific and open permits.

Who can apply from inside Canada?

Most people cannot apply for a work permit from inside Canada. According to IRCC’s eligibility page (updated August 5, 2026), you can if, among other situations:

• you have a valid work or study permit;
• your spouse, common-law partner or parent has a valid work permit, or a study permit;
• you are eligible for a post-graduation work permit and your study permit is still valid;
• you or a family member are in Canada waiting on a permanent residence decision;
• you have a temporary resident permit valid for 6 months or more;
• you are a Québec skilled worker who applied under the PSTQ.

A visitor visa or an eTA is not a work permit.

How to renew from inside Canada

1. Check your expiry date and eligibility. IRCC asks you to apply at least 30 calendar days before your current permit expires; see its extension page. That gives you time to gather documents; it does not guarantee a decision before expiry.
2. Choose the right route: same permit, changed conditions, or a different category.
3. Gather the documents on the checklist for this application, which may differ from your last one.
4. Apply online and pay. Fees start at $155; confirm the amount for your case before paying.
5. Keep proof of submission and payment, and watch your IRCC account for requests.

Processing times vary by application type: check IRCC’s tool when you prepare the file and build in a margin.

Employer-specific permits and Québec

An employer-specific permit limits you to the employer, occupation and conditions on it. To extend the same job, your employer usually provides an updated offer and whatever the program requires:

• under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a new LMIA when one is required and, in Québec, a new CAQ (IRCC’s document list asks for a CAQ for paid work in Québec of more than 30 days);
• under the International Mobility Program, an LMIA-exempt offer that matches an exemption code.

If the LMIA is still being processed, the rule is strict: IRCC lets you apply for an extension without the LMIA only if your current permit expires in less than two weeks. In Québec, start early: the province advises beginning at least six months before expiry, since the employer needs a new LMIA and you need a new CAQ. See our Québec LMIA and employers pages.

A worked timeline in Québec

Yan works as a machinist in Sherbrooke on an employer-specific, LMIA-based permit that expires on May 31, 2027. His employer wants to keep him in the same job.

• December 2026 (about six months ahead, as Québec advises): the employer starts the new LMIA, filed with Service Canada and the MIFI; Yan renews his passport, which would have expired in 2028.
• Once the LMIA is filed: Yan applies for his new CAQ.
• With the positive LMIA and the CAQ in hand: Yan applies online to extend his permit, ideally well before May 1, 2027, which is the 30-day mark IRCC asks for.
• June 2027, decision still pending: because he applied before May 31 and stays in Canada, he keeps working for the same employer, in the same job, under his old permit’s conditions.

The two-week exception for a pending LMIA exists, but it is a last resort, not a plan. Starting in December is what keeps it from being needed.

A PSTQ candidate with an employer-specific permit expiring in 2026? A federal measure lets you stay with the same employer for up to 12 more months, without an LMIA: see the 12-month permit for PSTQ candidates.

Changing employers without losing the right to work

With an employer-specific permit, applying for a new employer does not let you start with them. You need the new permit, or written authorization from IRCC to work for that employer while the application is processed. For requests to change jobs or employers, IRCC says it should respond in about 10 to 15 days. See changing jobs on an employer-specific permit.

Before you quit, compare your permit’s conditions with the new offer, check whether the new employer needs an LMIA or an exemption and, in Québec, whether a CAQ is required. French speakers eyeing a job outside Québec can look at Francophone Mobility.

Maintained status: staying is not always working

If you apply to extend your permit before it expires and stay in Canada, you have maintained status while IRCC decides. If you keep working, you follow your existing permit’s conditions, employer and occupation included.

Applying for new conditions does not let you work under them. And an application returned as incomplete can cost you maintained status: do not submit counting on adding a key document later.

If your permit expires before you apply

Stop working. You may be able to apply to restore your status within 90 days of losing it, but you cannot work while restoration is pending.

Your passport caps your permit

A permit is generally not issued beyond your passport’s expiry date. If your passport expires soon, renew it before applying to extend, so you do not get a shorter permit than you could otherwise qualify for. Renewing your passport does not extend your permit by itself.

Post-graduation work permits

A post-graduation work permit is not renewed like an employer-specific permit. An extension is possible notably when it was issued for a shorter period because your passport expired earlier. Otherwise, you need another category: an employer-specific permit, an open permit in a specific category, or the bridging open work permit if you have applied for permanent residence.

Travel while an extension is processing

Leaving Canada while your extension is pending can affect your ability to work when you return. Re-entry is a separate decision, and a work permit is not a visa or an eTA. Check IRCC’s instructions before making travel plans.

After approval, refusal or a change in plans

When the new permit arrives, read it carefully: employer, occupation, location, dates, conditions. If the application is refused, read the reasons and stop working once your previous authorization has ended; do not resubmit the same file without addressing the reasons. See our pages on a refused visa or permit and complex cases.

A permanent residence application does not extend a work permit. For longer-term plans, see permanent residence pathways, the Québec Experience Program, the PSTQ and Express Entry. To review your situation before your permit expires, you can describe your situation or book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Does renewing my work permit renew my visitor visa or eTA?

No. Check your travel document’s validity separately before any trip.

Can I switch to an open work permit by selecting that option?

No. You first need an open work permit category that applies to you.

Can my employer submit the extension for me?

Your employer handles its part (offer, LMIA or exemption); the work permit application is yours. Coordinate so the information matches.

My job offer changed after I applied. What now?

Tell IRCC about a material change, such as a new employer or job, through its official channel. An approval based on the old offer does not cover new terms.

Can I apply for permanent residence instead?

You can pursue it separately if you qualify, but it does not extend your work permit. Keep your temporary status valid in the meantime.

Does my extension cover my spouse and children?

No. Each family member applies for their own status before their own document expires. A spouse’s open work permit, a child’s study permit or a visitor record each follows its own rules and deadlines.

How long does an extension take?

It depends on the application and changes over time. Check IRCC’s processing-times tool when you prepare the file, and remember that applying before expiry, not a fast decision, is what protects your status.

What should I check before I submit?

Your permit’s expiry date, your passport’s expiry date, the route (same conditions, new conditions or another category), your employer’s documents (offer, LMIA or exemption, CAQ in Québec), the checklist for this application, and the fee. Then keep the confirmation.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 17, 2026:

• IRCC — Extend or change the conditions on your work permit
• IRCC — Apply for a work permit from inside Canada: eligibility
• IRCC — Change jobs or employers
• IRCC — Apply to extend your work permit
• IRCC — House committee, April 30, 2026