Restoration of Status
RESTORATION OF STATUS IN CANADA
If you came to Canada on a visitor visa, study permit or a work permit, but failed to apply for an extension before the expiry of your permit, you are out of status. A failure to apply for an extension may have resulted from an oversight, a misreading of the rules or an error. If you act quickly, however, you may be able to remedy this problem by requesting that Citizenship and Immigration Canada restore your status.
Section 182 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act allows for a ninety (90) day, non-extendable grace period during which a visa holder may submit an application for a restoration of his or her original immigration status (visitor, student or worker). This option is not available if an applicant leaves Canada, in which case he or she would need to apply for a new visa. Furthermore, not everyone can benefit from the restoration provisions. Only those applicants who continue to meet the initial requirements for their stay, who remain within 90 day restoration period and who comply with certain legislative conditions will be eligible.
Lastly, it is possible to change the terms and conditions of your stay through the restoration process (i.e. from visitor to student) as long as you meet the conditions for the issuance of a newly requested permit.
How We Can Help
If you have recently lost your immigration status in Canada, time may not be on your side.