Maintained status: can you keep working while your permit is renewed?

Your work permit expires Friday, your renewal is still in processing, and your manager wants to know if you can come in Monday. That's the question maintained status answers. The short version: if you applied before your permit expired and you haven't left Canada, you can usually keep working under your current conditions. The details matter, and they're below, based on IRCC pages checked on October 17, 2026.

The three conditions

1. You applied before the expiry date on your current permit.
2. You applied for the right thing: an extension or change of your temporary status. A permanent residence application, a study permit or a visitor record doesn't keep your work authorization alive.
3. You stay in Canada. Maintained status doesn't travel with you.

Temporary resident permit applicants don't get maintained status at all, IRCC notes.

What you can do at work

• Extension of an employer-specific permit: same employer, same job, same work location until IRCC decides.
• Extension of an open permit: you can usually change employers, jobs or locations, unless your permit lists specific conditions.
• Application to change employer or job: you keep working for the employer on your original permit. You can't start the new job until the new permit is approved, unless you request and receive an authorization to work while it's processed.
• Application for a study permit or visitor record: you can work only until your current work permit expires.

What to show your employer

IRCC explains what proof you can give your employer, depending on whether you applied online or on paper. Keep the submission confirmation and acknowledgement of receipt. For the employer, the useful facts are the expiry date of the old permit, the date the new application was submitted and what it asks for.

Your social insurance number expires on the same date as your work permit. IRCC says you can keep working with an expired SIN until a decision is made, then update it once you receive the new permit.

Things you can't do

• Renew provincial documents. IRCC warns that you usually won't be able to renew your driver's licence or health card while on maintained status. Renew them before your permit expires.
• Travel and come back to work. If your renewal is still pending when you return, you may be admitted as a visitor and can't work until it's approved, unless you're eligible to apply for a work permit at the port of entry. A work permit isn't a travel document either: you may need a visa or an eTA to come back.
• Count on it after a refusal. Maintained status ends with the decision. If your old permit has expired, stop working and look at restoration right away.

Students

If you apply to extend or change your study permit before it expires, you can stay in Canada while it's processed. If you apply after it expires, you can stay but can't study until your status is restored and you receive the new permit. Off-campus work has its own conditions: see our guide on working while studying.

Maintained status vs restoration

Applied on time: maintained status. Applied late: restoration, which has its own deadline and fee, and no right to work or study while it's processed. Our article on restoring your status within 90 days covers it. Family members with you must each apply for their own status.

Avoid needing it for long

IRCC recommends applying to extend a work permit at least 30 days before it expires and checking current in-Canada processing times. For Working Holiday participants, the permit generally can't be extended, so the right application is usually a different permit: see staying in Canada after IEC.

Not sure which situation you're in? You can describe it here or book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Is "implied status" the same thing?

Yes, it's the older name. IRCC now uses "maintained status".

My employer wants to change my job title during the renewal. Can they?

On an employer-specific permit, you must keep the same job and work location until the new permit is approved. A change to the job usually means a new application and waiting for approval.

Can my spouse keep working on their open permit while mine is renewed?

Only if they applied on time for their own permit. Each person needs their own application to benefit from maintained status.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 17, 2026:

• IRCC — What to do if your work permit expires
• IRCC — Travel outside Canada while your work permit is renewed
• IRCC — What to do if your study permit expires