The timing rule
If IRCC receives your application to extend or change your work permit before the permit expires, you are legally allowed to stay in Canada while it is processed. Online applications must be submitted before midnight UTC on the expiry date. Paper applications follow a separate date-received rule explained on the same IRCC page, so leave a margin if you mail yours.
Working while you wait
You can keep working under the same conditions as your current permit. With an employer-specific permit, that means the same employer, job and work location; open permit holders can usually change employers or jobs unless conditions are listed. You cannot start a new job with a new employer until the new permit is approved, unless you have another authorization to work. If you applied for a study permit or a visitor record instead, you can only work until your current work permit expires.
Travelling during processing
You can leave Canada and come back, but the result differs. If your application is approved while you are away, you can work as soon as you re-enter. If it is still being processed, you may re-enter as a visitor and cannot work until the renewal is approved. A work permit is not a travel document, so you may also need a visa or an eTA.
Letters and other documents
IRCC’s letter lists an expiry date 365 days from the date it received your application. If IRCC has not finalized the application by that date, you can still keep working until a decision is made. Provincial documents such as a driver’s licence or health card usually cannot be renewed on maintained status, and you should wait for the new permit before updating your SIN expiry. Temporary resident permit applicants do not keep their status while waiting.
What to record in your tracker
Save the submission confirmation with the date and time in UTC, your current permit’s expiry date and conditions, and IRCC’s letter. Log every trip outside Canada with its dates. If your status expires or an application is refused, read IRCC’s current instructions straight away: whether and how status can be restored is set by official rules, not by your tracker.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change employers on maintained status?
Not with an employer-specific permit until the new permit is approved, unless you have another authorization to work.
What if processing goes past the date on my letter?
IRCC says you can keep working until a decision is made.
Do temporary resident permit holders get maintained status?
No. IRCC says TRP applicants cannot maintain temporary resident status while their application is processed.
Official sources
- https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/extend/apply.html
- https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/extend/travel-outside-canada.html
- https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/extend/after-apply.html