Extend your Canada Visitor Visa After Completing 6 Months in Canada

Most travellers need a visitor visa to enter Canada and may also need one if they are transiting via a Canadian airport on their way to another destination. With a visitor visa, you can stay for 6 months in Canada.

Please note, Government of Canada temporarily suspending mandatory random arrival testing at all airports.

If you are a visitor, then you would have entered on any one of following documents:

• Visitor visa or a temporary resident visa)
• Electronic travel authorization (eTA)
• Valid passport or travel document

If you wish to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor, you must apply for a visitor record.

Please note that a visitor record is not a visa. It is a document that gives a visitor status to an individual staying in Canada and allows them to stay longer. A visitor record has a new expiry date, and a person cannot remain in Canada before that date.

So, if you plan to apply for your Visitor visa extension, you must apply before the current expiry date mentioned in your visa.

Extend your stay as a visitor or a temporary resident

If you are a visitor, student or temporary worker, then you can apply for renewal of your status by meeting the key eligibility requirements:

• You must submit your application before the expiry date of your visitor status
• You must meet the initial stay requirements
• You must abide by all the terms and conditions of your status and primary not be working or studying without any authorization
• You must meet the requirements of the particular category under which you are planning to apply to extend your stay

Who is eligible to apply for a visitor record?

A visitor record is issued to those who:

• Wants to extend their stay as a visitor in Canada
• Wants to change their permit type, i.e. from a study or work permit to a visitor record