If you are studying in Canada on a study permit, you may wonder how to extend your stay beyond the allowed length of time. You may have been told that you can’t extend your status without returning home, but that isn’t true! There are several ways to extend your Canadian study permit, and depending on your plan, some methods are easier than others. In this short and straight-to-the-point guide, you will be shown how to extend your study permit in Canada without stress.
When to Apply for a Canada Study Permit Extension
You should apply for a study permit extension before your current permit expires. You can apply up to 90 days before your permit expires. The application must be received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) no later than the expiry date on your current permit. If you submit your application after your permit has expired, you will lose your student status and won’t be able to continue studying unless your student status is restored.
4 tips to keep in mind when it comes to extending student permits in Canada:
- Start the process early, it can take up to 90 days to get an extension.
- Make sure you have all the required documents, a complete list can be found on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.
- You will need to pay a renewal fee of 200 CAD.
- Submit your application online or by mail- once you have everything ready, you can submit your application through the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.
How to Extend Study Permit in Canada
The process is relatively simple, and the best part? Everything can be done online, you will only be allowed to apply for an extension in person if you have a disability or the online application has an issue.
But the recommended path to take is the online application, why? Because your application will be processed quickly, it doesn’t attract a courier fee and you will be able to get status updates directly in your online account.
Steps to take when trying to extend your Canada study permits are as follow:
- 1. Make sure you have a scanner or camera to create more copies of your documents. An active credit or debit card is also required for payments.
- 2. If you feel lost and don’t know what to do next, read the onboard instruction guide as it explains how to fill each field of the form correctly without any error.
- 3. After filling out the form, the next step consists of question sets for you to answer. Give a genuine answer to these questions as they will be used to make a unique checklist for you.
- 4. This is the final step. Here, you just need to calculate the processing fee and make payments. Once that’s done, your study permit will be renewed.
After extending your study permit, as an international student, there will be a time when you want to travel back to your home country for some reasons. And once you leave Canada, even though your study permit expiry date has been extended, you won’t be allowed to enter Canada again unless you get a visitor visa. In the next section, you will be guided to get a valid visitor visa or temporary resident visa to gain entry.
How to Apply for a Canada Tourist Visa
- The first step is to check whether you’re eligible to travel to Canada. You check your eligibility on the official IRCC portal
- After eligibility, get your supporting documents ready for a visitor visa applicant. Such documents are proof of vaccination, financial account statement, any form of valid ID, and others as indicated by the IRCC
- After assembling all required documents, visit the IRCC portal, create an account online, submit the documents and pay the fees incurred
- The next step will ask for your biometrics detail such as fingerprints and passport photo
- After providing the last step details, click submit and your tourist visa will start processing. You will then be notified if approved or not
Conclusion
Applying to extend your study permit is a simple process that can be done online. Make sure you have all the required documents, including your letter of acceptance, before you begin the application. Once you have everything ready, the process should take no more than a few days. And that’s it! You’ve successfully extended your study permit and can now continue enjoying all that Canada has to offer.
REFERENCES
- Cic.gc.ca – When to Apply for a Canada Study Permit Extension
- Canada.ca – How to extend study permit in Canada
- Visaguide.world – How to apply for a Canada tourist visa
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