October 29, 2026
A Canada visitor visa extension does not extend your visa. To extend your stay in Canada as a visitor, you apply to IRCC for a visitor record, a document that gives you a new date to leave. You apply online, from inside Canada, before your current status expires. This guide covers timing, fees, documents, maintained status and what to do if your status has already expired. This guide explains the Canada visitor visa extension process for Pakistani visitors, step by step.
Visitor Visa vs Visitor Record: What You Are Extending
A visitor visa lets you enter Canada. A visitor record lets you stay longer once you are inside. IRCC states that a visitor record is not a visa.
Visa Validity vs Length of Stay
A Canada visitor visa extension does not extend your visa. It extends your stay, and the two have different dates. Your visa controls entry only. A multiple-entry visa can be valid for up to 10 years or until one month before your passport expires, whichever comes first. The border officer decides how long you may stay, and most visitors get up to six months. Your stay ends on the date stamped or written in your passport, not the date printed on your visa. If you need longer, apply for a visitor record before that date.
How to Find Your Status Expiry Date
IRCC lists these places to look:
- Passport stamp: the date written by the border officer
- Visitor record: the expiry date, if you have already extended once
- No stamp: six months from the day you entered Canada
- No stamp after using a kiosk: six months from entry or your passport expiry date, whichever comes first
Who Can Apply to Extend Stay in Canada as a Visitor
You can apply for a Canada visitor visa extension if your visitor status has not expired. It does not matter whether you entered with a visitor visa or an eTA. Your status cannot run past your passport’s expiry date, so renew a passport that expires soon before you apply. You must also show that your stay is still temporary. That means you have enough money for the extra time and plan to leave on time. The extension fee is CAD 100 per person. If your status expired less than 90 days ago, you may still apply to restore it.
Parents who want a longer family visit can also compare the Super Visa. See our Canada Super Visa guide.
When to Apply for a Visitor Record
IRCC says to apply at least 30 days before your status expires. If your passport stamp shows 15 March, submit by 13 February. In our advice, apply 60 to 90 days ahead, because processing times change and corrections take time.
Two warnings from IRCC’s application guide:
- If IRCC rejects your application as incomplete, it counts as never submitted. You get no maintained status.
- If your status has already expired, you cannot apply for an extension. You need restoration. The extension fee is not refunded, and you must pay a second fee for restoration.
Maintained Status for Visitors in Canada
Apply for your Canada visitor visa extension before your status expires, and you can legally stay in Canada until IRCC decides. IRCC calls this maintained status. You stay under the same conditions as before, so you still cannot work or study. If you leave Canada while you wait, you may lose maintained status. Apply at least 30 days before your stay ends, and keep your IRCC receipt as proof.
What Maintained Status Allows and Does Not Allow
You remain in Canada as a visitor under the same conditions while IRCC reviews your file. It is not a new document, and it does not extend your visa. You cannot work or study. Temporary resident permit applicants do not receive maintained status.
A visitor record does not guarantee re-entry if you leave Canada. A visa-required traveller also needs a valid visa to return. In our advice, stay in Canada until you have a decision.
When Maintained Status Ends
It ends when IRCC decides your application. If IRCC refuses it, your status ends on the date of the refusal.
Keep Proof That You Applied on Time
Save your submission confirmation, payment receipt and every IRCC email. They show the date you applied. In our advice, keep a digital copy and a printed copy with your passport.
Planning to extend your visitor visa for Canada? AIRCS offices in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Faisalabad can review your file before you submit it. Call or WhatsApp us at +92 311 4464274, or book an appointment.
Documents Required to Extend Your Stay
Preparing the correct documents for your Canada visitor visa extension can help you submit a complete application to IRCC.
- Passport and entry stamp: your photo page, visa page and the page with your most recent entry stamp. Add your visitor record if you already hold one.
- Reason and departure plan: why you need more time, the exact date you plan to leave, and how you will pay to leave Canada, such as a flight booking. Examples of reasons are a family event, a relative’s medical treatment or a rebooked flight.
- Proof of funds: IRCC asks how you will support yourself. In our advice, provide bank statements for at least three months, ideally six, with income clearly visible. See our bank statement guide.
- Ties to Pakistan: in our advice, add a job letter with approved leave dates, business registration papers, property papers or proof of dependants at home.
- Host documents for family visits: a new letter with your host’s address, proof of their status in Canada and your stay dates. See our invitation letter guide.
How to Apply for a Visitor Record Online
Most people must apply online. IRCC accepts paper applications only if a disability or a problem with the online system stops you.
- Get a scanner or camera and a credit or debit card.
- Read IRCC’s instruction guide before you start.
- In the online tool, answer “Visit” to the first question and “Canada” as your country of residence.
- Upload your documents, pay the fee and submit.
- If IRCC asks for biometrics, book your appointment as soon as you can. Delays hold up processing.
Fees
The visitor record fee is CAD 100 per person. Biometrics cost CAD 85 per person, or CAD 170 for a family of two or more applying together. One adult who needs biometrics pays CAD 185 in total. Biometrics stay valid for 10 years, so many applicants do not repeat them. IRCC does not refund the processing fee once it starts reviewing. Check the IRCC fee list before you pay.
Visitor Record Processing Time
IRCC shows the current processing time in its online tool. It depends on the application type, whether your file is complete, how easily IRCC can verify your details and how fast you answer requests. Check the figure on the day you apply. If your processing time has passed, contact IRCC through its web form.
What Happens After You Apply
You receive the decision in your IRCC account.
If IRCC Approves Your Application
Your visitor record shows a new expiry date. That is your new deadline to leave Canada. IRCC says it should arrive by mail within six weeks of the decision letter. If it does not, contact IRCC. To stay beyond the new date, apply again before it passes. Each application needs its own fee, and you must show again that your stay is temporary.
If IRCC Refuses Your Application
IRCC gives reasons for a refusal. If IRCC refuses your application while you are on maintained status, your status ends on the refusal date. You then have 90 days from that date to apply for restoration. In our advice, get a professional review immediately, because this deadline is fixed.
If Your Visitor Status Has Already Expired
You cannot apply for an extension after your status expires. You can apply to restore your status, and you must do so within 90 days.
How Restoration of Status Works
To qualify, you must apply from inside Canada within 90 days and stay in Canada until IRCC makes a decision. If you leave, IRCC refuses the application and keeps the fee. You cannot apply for restoration at a port of entry.
Use the same IRCC application, choose “Restore my status as a visitor” and explain fully why your status lapsed. The fee is CAD 246.25, plus CAD 85 for biometrics if IRCC asks for them. You do not pay the CAD 100 visitor record fee on top. Do not work or study while you wait. An officer decides each case, and approval is not guaranteed. IRCC’s service standard for a decision is five months.
After 90 Days
Restoration is no longer available after day 90. You must leave Canada or get professional advice on any other option. Staying without status is an offence under Canadian immigration law and can lead to removal.
Effect on Future Applications
Later applications ask for your Canadian immigration history. State any lapse truthfully. Knowingly giving a false statement is itself an offence under Section 127 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Common Reasons Visitor Record Applications Are Refused
These reasons are our advice, based on the factors officers assess:
- The application arrives after the status expiry date
- Bank statements do not cover the extra stay
- No stated reason or no departure date
- Passport expires before the requested stay ends
- Missing forms or documents
- Little evidence of ties to Pakistan
Visitor Record Extension Checklist
- Confirm your status expiry date
- Apply at least 30 days before it, ideally 60 to 90
- Upload passport, visa and entry stamp pages
- Add bank statements, a reason letter and your departure plan
- Add proof of ties to Pakistan and host documents if you stay with family
- Pay CAD 100, plus CAD 85 if IRCC requires biometrics
- Save the confirmation and receipt
- Stay in Canada until IRCC decides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for a Canada visitor visa extension from inside Canada?
Yes. Apply online for a visitor record before your status expires. IRCC does not issue a new visa for this purpose.
How much does a visitor record cost?
The fee is CAD 100 per person. If IRCC requires biometrics, add CAD 85 per person, or CAD 170 for a family of two or more.
Can I work on a visitor record?
No. A visitor record does not allow work or study.
Can I leave Canada while IRCC processes my application?
A visitor record does not guarantee re-entry, and you need a valid visa or eTA to return. In our advice, stay in Canada until you receive a decision.
How long will my new stay be?
IRCC sets the new expiry date case by case. The date depends on your request, your reason and your documents.
Get Help With Your Canada Visitor Visa Extension
Need help with a Canada visitor visa extension? Visit our Rawalpindi, Islamabad or Faisalabad office. Call or WhatsApp us at +92 311 4464274, book an appointment, or see our Canada visit visa service.
