Students cannot extend their study permit beyond the expiry date of their passport. If in case a student applies to extend the study permit before its expiry, then he/she can stay in the country under the conditions as per current study permit. Students are suggested to extend their study permit if they are travelling outside and during that interval their permit is going to expire. In case a student has not applied for an extension and his permit expires, then he is suppose to leave Canada.

If your course is finished before time

The study permit expires 90 days after the completion of your course, no matter what the expiry date mentioned over your permit. These 90 days will begin:

• On the day you get official notification about your course completion from an educational institute in the form of email, transcript, letter, etc.
• When you get your certificate/diploma or degree.

If you want to continue your stay in Canada after studies

In this case you will have few options as mentioned below.

• You can apply for a work permit if you are eligible for PGWP i.e. post-graduation work permit.
• You can apply to stay in Canada as a visitor.

Steps to follow if your permit has already expired

You have lost your status if you are still in Canada while your permit has expired before applying for a study permit.

In order to restore your status as a student, you must:

• Submit your application for extension of the permit within 90 days of losing your status.
• Meet the requirements
• Have met the requirements which are mentioned over your permit
• Pay fees

You must clearly mention the reason of the application that why you lost your status.

If you are planning to travel out of the country and then re-enter

A student visa or study permit is not a travel document. So along with this permit, you need

• Either a temporary resident visa
• An Electronic Travel Authorization

You must make sure and prove the border services officer that you meet all the requirements before re-entering.

How to extend Study Permit

Before applying for the study visa extension, make sure that your educational institute is on the DLI i.e. Designated learning institute list. In case your educational institute is removed from the DLI list, you can still continue with your course for the length of your current permit. But if you extend your study permit, then you will have to enroll at a DLI.

You can apply for it online:

• Applying online helps as it ensures whether your application is complete or not before submitting.
• You will get updates on the status of your application directly into your online account.

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