Study Permit Extension

The expiry date on your study permit tells when you have to stop studying. This date could be the length of your:

program, plus 90 extra days
pre-requisite courses plus 90 extra days (if you were conditionally accepted by your school) or
passport minus 30 days, if your passport will expire before you can finish your studies.

The extra 90 days gives you time to prepare to leave Canada or to apply to extend your status in Canada.

When to Extend your Study Permit

You need to extend your study permit at least 30 days before it expires. The expiry date is in the top right corner of your permit. You can’t extend your study permit beyond the expiry date on your passport.

If you apply before your permit expires, you can stay in Canada under the same conditions as your current study permit until you get a decision.

You should apply to extend your study permit if you plan to travel outside Canada and your permit will expire while you are travelling.

If your study permit expires, and you haven’t applied for an extension, you must leave Canada.

If you will Finish your Studies Earlier than you Expected

Your permit will expire 90 days after the day you complete your studies, no matter what the expiry date on the permit is. The 90 days begin:

on the date you get the first notification from your school (such as an email, letter, transcript, etc.) that you completed your program or
when you get your degree, diploma or certificate.

If you can’t prove the date you were first notified by your school, CIC will use the earliest issue date on the document and will confirm this date with your school.

If you want to keep studying, you must apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before you complete your studies.

If you will finish your studies later than you expected

You must apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before the original expiry date.

How to Extend your Study Permit

Before you apply to extend your study permit, make sure your school is on the Designated Learning Institution List (DLI).

If you got a study permit before June 1, 2014 and you are studying at a school that isn’t on the DLI list, you can:

keep studying for the length of your current permit and
extend your study permit to complete your program, but not past June 1, 2017. After that, you will need to enrol at a DLI.

If your school is no longer on the DLI list, you can keep studying for the length of your current permit. If you extend your study permit, you need to enroll at a DLI.