Work Permit Extension Application Process and Work in Canada

For any foreign worker in Canada, a work permit is an essential piece of document. It ensures that you can work and stay in Canada smoothly. However, the permit comes for a limited term. 

Thus, you have to extend your work permit before it expires. Filling out the Canada work permit extension application form and completing the paperwork may be daunting. 

But you do not have to worry at all. Immigration in Canada will make the process butter smooth. Before you get our help to submit your application, it is better to know about the process.

You can extend or change a work permit status as a temporary worker or a live-in caregiver. If your work permit is about to expire or needs changes, apply at least 30 days before the expiry date. 

Equip yourself with further information below about Canada’s work permit extension process.

Who Needs to Apply for a Work Permit Extension Application in Canada?

To enter your work permit, you must apply for a work permit extension application in Canada. This is evident. However, you must also extend the permit if you fall under these situations.

• If you change in the workplace.
• If you change an employee.
• If you change the type of job.

In any of these situations, you may need a new work permit to work and extend your stay in Canada. Besides these changes in your job status, a few conditions may also need a work permit extension application.

• New job position with different responsibility
• Change in pay

You can start your new job once you get your new work permit. Extending the work permit on time is essential to become a permanent resident or Canadian citizen. It will keep the transition process running.

When Should You Apply for a Work Permit Extension?

You must extend or renew your permit if you want to—

• Work beyond the expiration date indicated on your current work permit
• Work for one employer after you worked for another employer in Canada
• A new working condition that’s different from those on your current license: new tasks or responsibilities, change in the salary, another place of work, etc.

In other words, your work permit cannot continue, or you can only start to work once you have received a work permit associated with the new working conditions.

Ways to Extend My Work Permit in Canada?

If you want a residence in Canada, you must file for renewal under any of its PR or Permanent Residence Categories.

Then again, it could be that you have to leave Canada under some emergency and want to retain your position as an employee after you return. 

In that case, you can arrange for an extension of the permit. When you return, you may find that your work permit is still being processed.

You can enter Canada as a visitor, no longer a worker of the previous status. However, if the process is complete, you can resume work as soon as you re-enter Canada. 

All the while, you may be asked to prove your financial sustainability in the country. But if none of these happen and your process is never completed, you must request a new permit to start work again.

• Temporary Worker

If you are a temporary worker who needs to extend the end date of your work permit or change the conditions of his employment as mentioned in that work permit, you must apply before 30 days of the date listed. The application can be made on paper or online.

The law also requires you to apply if you are taking a new job or even the same job but under slightly different terms than the previous one, under a new employer. 

You are not allowed to start your new career as long as you don’t have your original permit, even if that means you cannot join your first day at work because you are supposed to get the license an hour later on the same day!

• Experience Gainer

Students or people from other countries may come to work in Canada to gain experience for a short time.

But a lot may happen in that time. You may have finished your working experience before it was due, and impressed by you, the employer now wants to extend his terms with you. Or you may have been fired from work.

The gravity of the problem may require you to have your work permit renewed or extended. In this case, you must apply under Form IMM5710E for the necessary procedures to commence.

• Caregiver

Currently, the program for Live-in Caregivers isn’t considering new applications for work permits other than those they previously had.

So if you are one of the previous applicants under this program and need renewal—good news for you!

You can have your application submitted either written on paper or through their website online and ask for an extension of the date.

Again, your permit might need no renewal. But if you have changed your employer and are currently working for someone new or have moved to a different location, you must update your work permit.

In that case, if you want, you can also ask the LCP (Live-in Caregiver Program) to change the terms of your employment.

And don’t forget the crucial part—you must apply for the extension of dates 30 days before the date listed. Sometimes, it takes longer than 30 days to finish the renewal process. 

As long as the renewal isn’t happening, your old status under the old dates will continue. So, if you want to play safe, you may apply before 30 days.

How to Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit

For Temporary Workers

Eligibility:

When you work under a specific employer, you may want to change your work permit status only if—

• Your job is extended
• There is any change in your pay or responsibility
• You are offered a different job
• You want to work for a new employer

Documents:

Before you apply for an extension or renewal of work permit, your employer must—

• Apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), Or
• Submit an offer of employment, and
• Pay the employer compliance fee when they don’t need an LMIA.

The Work Permit Extension Application Process

The entire application process includes both paperwork and document collection. If you miss any, the method may get long and tiring.

So, carefully take these steps in time:

Step 1: Getting Professional Help

It is best to get professional help from an immigration law firm. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recommends starting the process before your old permit expires. 

Step 2: Renewing Document

They suggest renewing the document at least 30 days before the old one expires. One of the parts of the process is getting the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Your employee will get it from Employment and Social Development Canada. 

This assessment allows employers to hire foreign workers over Canadian citizens or permanent residents. You need to get the LMIA long before you submit your work permit extension paper application or apply online. With the LMIA, applying for a work permit extension will be easy. 

Step 3: Getting Positive LMIA

Your employer must get a positive LMIA before proceeding to the extension process. When you have applied for an extension of the work permit, you are in implied status. 

This status bridges the gap between a work permit that is about to expire and a submitted application. You must maintain all the rules and regulations of your old permit until you get a new one. 

Step 4: Continuing Job

You can legally stay in Canada and continue your old job during the implied status. This Canada work permit extension application status will let you keep working and staying without any additional documents from IRCC.

4 More Things to Know Before You Apply to Extend

1. You can either submit a work permit extension online application or apply it on a paper form.

However, you must gather many documents to support your application in both ways. The application package varies with your immigration status in Canada. 

1. There are particular documents (e.g., passport, identity documents, immigration documents, etc.) that are common for every applicant. Nevertheless, if you are a worker or a student, your application will require particular papers to support it. 

Therefore, it is always better to get help from professional firms to fill out the Canada work permit extension application form and prepare the package.

1. This is not a job-specific permit; thus, you can work anywhere with this permit. An LMIA or offer of employment from Canada is not required for this permit. However, you have to pay the specific fee associated with the application. 
2. As this is an open work opportunity, you may gather more documents for the application. The fee for open work permit holders is CAN $ 100. You must pay the application fee for an extension, which is CAN $ 155.

5 Factors in Approving a Work Permit Extension

The primary consideration is whether you are still “temporary” and intend to return home after the expiration of the work permit or the termination of an extension.

The visa officer will also consider whether you became inadmissible based on criminal or medical factors.

If you have a work permit confirmed by ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada), the official will require a new confirmation for the job you wish to continue through an extension.

In summary, to approve or deny an application, the following factors are considered,

1. Time the applicant has been in Canada
2. Duration of the requested extension
3. Reasons to request it
4. Any evidence of a breach of the conditions required
5. Proof that the applicant has sufficient financial means

If the extension request is not approved, you have only one recourse to request a review from the Federal Court of Canada. 

Final Thoughts on Work Permit Extension In Canada

It is a dream of many to live and work in Canada. Like any other developed nation, the job market is competitive.

So, you will have many opportunities in it. If you want to work and prosper in Canada, getting a work permit and extending it accordingly is essential. 

Otherwise, your dream of becoming a Canadian citizen or permanent resident will take time.

Finally, note that the work permit extension application is a detail-oriented process. Thus, get professional help from an immigration law firm like  Immigration in Canada to make it easy.