Restoration of Status in Canada: the 90-day rules

What are the current restoration of status rules and fees?

As of 5 October 2026, IRCC allows restoration for visitors, workers and students who apply within 90 days of losing status, charges a $246.25 restoration fee on top of any permit fee, and does not allow work or study until the application is approved.

The table lists each rule with the page it comes from and the day we read it.

Who can apply to restore their status in Canada?

A visitor, worker or student can apply if they apply within 90 days of losing status, are in Canada without status when they apply, met the requirements of their stay and the conditions on their expired permit, and do not hold a temporary resident permit (canada.ca and IRCC program delivery instructions, checked 5 October 2026).

• In Canada: you must be in Canada without status when you submit, and you must remain in Canada until IRCC makes a decision.
• Within 90 days: the application and the fee must reach IRCC within 90 days of the day you lost status.
• Requirements of your stay: IRCC gives working illegally as an example of failing them. A person who worked or studied without authorization is not eligible.
• Conditions on the expired permit: you must have respected them before the permit expired. IRCC lets people restore after breaching only the stay period or the type, employer or location of work, or the type, school, location or timing of study.
• No temporary resident permit: someone whose temporary resident permit (TRP) expired cannot restore and must apply for a new TRP. A TRP application does not give maintained status either.
• Students: an officer must not restore the status of a student who is not complying with the study permit conditions in section 220.1 of the regulations.

The rule is section 182 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations: an officer must restore status on an application within 90 days if the person meets the initial requirements for their stay, has not failed to comply with other conditions and is not the subject of a declaration under subsection 22.1(1) of the Act (Justice Laws website, regulations current to 21 September 2026, checked 5 October 2026).

How long do you have, and what starts the 90 days?

You have 90 days from the day your temporary resident status ended, which is the expiry date on your permit, or the "Must leave Canada by" date if your permit shows one, and an online application must be submitted before midnight UTC on the 90th day (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

The online system uses coordinated universal time (UTC), so an application filed in the evening in Alberta can already fall on the next day in UTC. IRCC tells applicants to know the difference between local time and UTC. Our permit expiry planner turns your expiry date into the dated deadline, and you should not leave it to the last day.

How much does restoration of status cost?

Restoration costs $246.25 per person, and the permit fee is added on top: $401.25 in total for a worker, $396.25 for a student and $246.25 for a visitor, with no group or family rate (IRCC fee list dated 21 September 2026, checked 5 October 2026).

Each family member who also lost status applies separately and pays their own restoration fee. A student who also wants a work permit pays the work permit fee as well, and IRCC processes the work permit after the restoration and study permit have been decided.

How do you apply for restoration with a work permit, study permit or visitor record?

You apply online, tick the restore option on the same application you would use to extend, explain in writing why you stayed longer than allowed and pay the restoration fee together with the permit fee, and the form depends on whether you are restoring as a worker, student or visitor (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

1. 01

   Count the days

   Find the exact day your status ended and the last day IRCC will accept the application, remembering that the online system runs on UTC.

2. 02

   Stop work and study

   From the day status ended you may not work or study, and doing either can make you ineligible to restore.

3. 03

   Choose the right application

   Pick worker, student or visitor restoration, and select the Restore my status option under section 3 at the top of the form.

4. 04

   Explain what happened

   Write a clear, truthful page on why your status lapsed and attach it where IRCC's checklist asks for it.

5. 05

   Pay the fees and submit

   Pay the restoration fee and any permit and biometrics fees, submit through your IRCC secure account and keep the confirmation that shows the date.

6. 06

   Stay in Canada

   Remain in Canada until IRCC decides, because leaving means the application must be refused.

If you want a different permit than the one that expired, IRCC says you must restore your initial permit and status first. A student whose study permit expired can restore and apply for a post-graduation work permit within 90 days of the permit expiring, paying the $255 PGWP fee and the student restoration fee online, and cannot work until the PGWP is approved (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026). Our PGWP guide, work permit extension guide, study permit extension guide and visitor record guide cover the main applications.

What can you do while IRCC decides on a restoration application?

You may stay in Canada while IRCC decides, but you may not work or study until your status is restored and any new work or study permit has been issued, even if you held an open or employer-specific permit before (IRCC program delivery instructions and canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

Do not work or attend classes to catch up in the meantime, because IRCC says a person who works or studies without authorization is ineligible to restore their status.

Can you leave Canada and come back?

Not while a restoration application is pending: if an officer determines you have left Canada during processing, the officer must refuse the application as you are no longer eligible, and the processing fees are not refunded (IRCC program delivery instructions, checked 5 October 2026).

• No restoration at the border: IRCC says restoration cannot be applied for or granted at a port of entry.
• Past 90 days: a worker who lost status more than 90 days ago and has not applied must leave Canada and reapply from outside Canada to work in Canada again.
• Visitors and students: IRCC's pages for these groups do not describe re-entry after leaving, so we do not state a rule for it here. Check your travel document needs and speak to a licensed adviser before you book a flight.

What happens if IRCC refuses restoration of status?

IRCC says that if your application to restore your status is refused you will have to leave Canada, and it gives no guarantee that it will approve the restoration or the new permit (canada.ca, restore your status, checked 5 October 2026).

This guide states IRCC's rules only. Wild Mountain Immigration does not handle appeals, court challenges or inadmissibility matters, so it is not a plan for overturning a refusal, and the best protection is a complete, truthful application filed well inside the 90 days.

How long does restoration of status take?

IRCC publishes no processing time for restoration of status: its processing-times tool has no restoration option, and its program instructions set a service standard of a final decision within five months of receiving a complete application (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

A service standard is a target, not a forecast, and we do not give you a number of days. The tool lists visitor extensions (visitor record), study permit extensions in Canada and work permit extensions in Canada, but nothing for restoration. See the processing times page for the figures IRCC does publish, and the IRCC toolitself for today's numbers.

What if more than 90 days have passed?

If you lost status more than 90 days ago and have not applied to restore it, IRCC says you must leave Canada and reapply from outside Canada if you want to work in Canada again (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

There is one narrow exception for foreign workers applying for an open work permit who hold an open work permit support letter from a participating province or territory, confirming they have been placed in the province or territory's Expression of Interest pool or Provincial Nominee Program application inventory. They do not have to apply within 90 days or meet some of the usual conditions. It does not apply to most people, so check the IRCC restoration page before relying on it. Our bridging open work permit guide covers the usual in-Canada route for people with a permanent residence application in process.

When is it worth talking to a licensed RCIC about restoration?

Talk to a licensed RCIC as soon as you know your status has ended, because every day counts against the 90 days and the application has to be right the first time; the call is where we tell you if restoration is open to you.

• You are close to day 90: a late or incomplete application cannot be fixed afterwards.
• You are not sure which date started the clock: a refusal, an incomplete-application rejection and a "Must leave Canada by" date each change the count.
• You may have worked or studied while out of status: that can make you ineligible, and you need to know before you apply and pay the fee.
• You have a PR application or an employer waiting: the timing of a bridging open work permit or a new work permit depends on restoring first.
• Your family also lost status: each person files and pays separately.

Working under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), our team advises clients entirely online, by video call and secure document sharing, and never guarantees an immigration outcome. This guide gives IRCC's general rules as of 5 October 2026 and is not advice on your own file. Prefer to file yourself? Our lower-cost File Review has an RCIC check your application before you submit.