Your study permit carries an expiry date and a set of conditions: enrol at a DLI, remain enrolled, and make progress toward completing your program. If you apply to extend before the permit expires, you can generally continue studying under the same conditions while IRCC decides, a position known as maintained status. Apply after the expiry date and you are out of status the moment it passes: you must stop studying and working, and any co-op permit or family member’s permit that depends on yours is affected too.
Restoration is the remedy for lost status. Under current rules you must apply within 90 days of the day your status expired, you must still meet the requirements of the permit you are seeking, and you must not have breached any other condition. A restoration application is paired with a new study permit application, and you cannot resume studying until both are approved. Missing the 90-day window generally means leaving Canada and applying again from outside.
The most common reasons students lose status are simple: a permit expiry date that was never checked against the program end date, an extension submitted with an incomplete enrolment letter that was returned, or a change in program or institution that went unreported. We check the dates, gather the enrolment and academic evidence that shows you are meeting the conditions of your permit, and file the application so the officer sees a student in good standing.
Who this is for
- Students whose program will run past the expiry date on their study permit
- Students whose permit has already expired and who are within 90 days of losing status
- Students who changed programs, took a leave or failed a term and are unsure whether they still meet permit conditions
- Students with a co-op work permit or accompanying family members whose status is tied to the study permit
What we do
- Audit your permit, passport, enrolment status and program end date to confirm what must be filed and by when
- Prepare and file the study permit extension with a current enrolment letter, transcripts, proof of funds and an explanation of any change in program length
- File restoration of status together with the new permit application within the 90-day window
- Explain any gap, failed term, leave of absence or program change in a way that addresses the officer’s concerns about compliance and progress
- Coordinate extensions or restorations for a co-op work permit and for accompanying family members
- Advise on what you can and cannot do while the application is pending, including study, work and travel
How it works
- 1
Status check
We confirm your current status, the exact expiry date and whether you are inside the extension window or the 90-day restoration window.
- 2
Evidence gathering
We obtain the enrolment letter, transcripts, funds evidence and any explanation needed for a change in your studies, and review them for consistency with your file.
- 3
Filing
We submit the extension or restoration application through the correct portal, pay the correct fees and confirm receipt so your maintained status or restoration period is documented.
- 4
Follow-up
We respond to any IRCC request for further documents and tell you clearly what you are permitted to do until the decision arrives.