Your study permit must be kept valid during your studies in Canada. You must apply to extend your study permit before it expires, if you want to keep studying. 

• The expiry date on your study permit tells you when you have to stop studying and leave Canada. Every study permit has an expiration date. 
• If your studies require you to remain in Canada beyond the expiry date of your study permit, IRCC must recieve your application for extension before your current study permit expires.
• You can only apply to extend your study permit if you are physically inside Canada.
• IRCC recommends submitting your application at least 30 days before your current permit expires. 
• ISSAC recommends submitting your application at least 5-6 months before the current permit expires, if possible. And ideally at least, 3-4 months before the expiry. Check processing times.

In addition to applying to extend your study permit before it expires, and complaying with other conditions as a study permit holder, you must also remain enrolled and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing your program. Failing to do so could lead to your removal from Canada or refusal of subsequent study permit applications. USask is required to report to IRCC on your continued enrolment status. If you have any questions about this, please check out the Reporting Enrolment Status page. Please speak with ISSAC if you face barriers to further enrolment or need to take a leave from your studies. 

Your study permit becomes invalid in one of three ways, whichever comes first:

• The expiry date on the study permit, OR
• 90 days after written confirmation of program completion (Letter of Completion) first becomes available, OR
• As of Nov 8, 2024, the day you are no longer enrolled at the Designated Learning Institution that is named on your study permit (other than as a result of completing your studies)

If you do not submit an application to extend your study permit before it becomes invalid, you must stop studying and working immediately. Students who changed their status to visitor or worker may resume their studies, using their previous study permit, as long as the study permit is valid.

⇒ At USask, your program is considered complete when you receive written confirmation of program completion (Letter of Completion). The Letter of Completion is not issued automatically. You must request it directly from your college/academic unit. 

If you plan to change your instituition, you must apply for a new study permit by extending the current one. Most students also need to receive the new study permit before beginning studies at the new institution. Please talk to ISSAC about the timing of your application(s) - you may be in a situation where you must apply to extend your USask study permit to complete your USask program, while also at the same time apply for a new study permit for your new designated learning institution.

Students who plan in advance, ask questions, and seek advice ahead of time are confident and prepared when applying. They avoid making mistakes and facing unintended application and eligibility complications. 

Poor planning can lead to unintended consequences, such as, but not limited to:

• letting your study permit expire or becoming invalid
• losing on- and off-campus work eligibility
• jeopardizing PGWP eligibility
• incomplete application
• missed application deadlines
• outright refusal
• may need to leave Canada
• expensive legal fees and unnecessary legal complexities 

Please read further below on what to pay attention to early on and ahead of time.

It is every student's responsibility to apply for the extension before the current study permit expires.

Study permit extensions are for in-Canada applicants only. You cannot apply for your study permit extension from outside of Canada. You must apply online from within Canada through IRCC website.

ISSAC recommends submitting your application at least 5-6 months before the current permit expires, if possible. And ideally at least, 3-4 months before the expiry. IRCC must receive your extension application BEFORE your current study permit expires.

If you have not done so already, you will have an option to create either a GCKey account or a Sign-in Partner account. Both accounts work the same when applying for your study permit extension. However, Sign-In Partner account is available only to those who have a bank account with certain Canadian banking institutions.

Use the Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as s Student [IMM5709] form for your study permit extension. Always download the most current version of the form from the IRCC website.

Application cost is $150.00 CAD.
 You can check processing times online

Generally, you will need the bellow supporting documents. However, depending on your personal situation, whether you are applying for acompanying family members' extension of immigration documents at the same time, and how you answer questions in the pre-application questionnaire in your online account, you might need to provide different and/or additional documents. 

Please note that you must set up your online application through the IRCC secure online account first by answering questions and creating a personalized document checklist to know which documents you actually require. 

1. Confirmation of Enrolment Letter versus Letter of Acceptance
   • When applying to extend your study permit to continue to study in the same program, your Confirmation of Enrollment (COE) Letter is required, not your Letter of Acceptance (LOA). 
     • If you have completed one program of study at USask and got accepted into another program of study at USask, you will need to include both your Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) Letter and a valid Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for your new program of study.
   • When providing your COE letter, it must have the most up to date information about your registration. Please register in as many future terms as possible before requesting the COE letter through MyCreds in PAWS.
2. Proof of means of financial support
   • You must prove you have enough money to support yourself while you study in Canada. Find out what documents you can use to prove you have the minimum amount of money that you will need. If hoping to extend a study permit for 12 months or more, at the minimum, you must have enough money for one full year of tuition plus as of Sept 1, 2025, at least $22,895 for 12 months of living expenses in Canada. Living costs amount increases if you have family memebers accompanying you in Canada during your studies.
3. Valid passport
   • You must include the biodata page of your passport with your picture, plus all other pages with stamps, visas and/or markings.
4. Passport-size photo (please no selfies)
5. Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL), unless exempt 
   • You are exempt from a PAL
     • If you are in Canada, have a valid study permit and are applying for a study permit extension at the same DLI and level of study as your current study permit.
     • If you are a master's or a doctoral degree student.
     • If you are an exchange student. 
   • Please visit USask's PAL FAQ to learn more and create a PAL Exemption Letter for yourself.
6. Letter of explanation
   • If the supporting documents are insufficient
   • Or you have/had missing registration, authorized leave from studies, passport issues
   • And other situations where you may need to provide more information to IRCC
7. Additional documents, such as:
   • Family information, a medical exam, and biometrics, may be required, depending on your situation.
8. USask DLI number: O19425660421. 

Some students might have gaps in registration due to academic suspensions, authorized leaves, unauthorized breaks, and skipping terms. If that is your case, you may need to address the situation via a Letter of Explanation for your study permit extension application. Please speak with ISSAC's Regulated International Immigration Adviser (RISIA) on what information to include and how before you submit your study permit extension application. 

Your study permit must be valid long enough to complete all your program requirements. You have to apply to extend your study permit if the permit is not long enough to complete all your program requirements. While you are completing your program requirements, you must stay registered in your courses, this includes when defending thesis and writing final exams. 

If you plan to stay in Canada as a foreign temporary worker after your program completion, your study permit must also be valid for a period after completing your program requirements to allow time to receive your Letter of Completion and apply for the PGWP before your study permit expires.

⇒ If your study permit expires before your Letter of Completion will become available, or within the 90 days after your Letter of Completion first becomes available, but you will not have enough time to apply for your PGWP before your study permit expires, you must apply to extend your study permit for an additional 90-day bridging period. You must apply well in advance (read above under "When and how to apply"). Your study permit extension application should include a Letter of Explanation stating you are applying to extend your study permit to apply for the PGWP.

When you apply to extend your study permit, you can ALSO:

• apply for/extend a co-op work permit (if eligible or applicable)
• apply for/extend documents of your dependents (e.g. a spouse/partner’s work permit or a child’s visitor record or study permit)

 What is a UCI in the IMM5709 form? 
It stands for a «unique client identifier» as well known as «client ID». It appears on all official documents from IRCC.  

 What is a document number in the IMM5709 form? 
It appears on all official IRCC documents. It is usually printed in black ink as one letter followed by 9 numbers. 

 How to answer «Duration of expected studies» question in the IMM5709 form? 

In «from» write the date on which you are filling out the application. In «to» write the date that is 90 days after your anticipated completion date. You may stay in Canada for 90 days beyond the completion of your studies only if you have a valid study permit. This time period is called a “bridge extension”.

 How to fill out the «employment» section in the IMM5709 form? 
If you do not have a job, you can write «student». 

 How to sign the form when applying online? 
It is not possible to sign the form if applying online, so upload the form without signing. After uploading all your documents, you will later be asked to electronically sign your application by typing your name.

 Is it needed to upload the proof of a medical exam? 
In general, most students in Canada do not need proof of a medical exam unless (1) they lived in certain countries for more than 6 months in the past 12 months, or (2) they wanted to work in certain health-related occupations. Read more. 

Will I need biometrics? Find more information here.

Regulated International Student Immigration Advisers (RISIA) from ISSAC can help you prepare and review your application before your submission to IRCC. We recommend booking an appointment for application guidance and using drop-in for quick questions and assessment. To make the best out of your meeting, prepare in the following way: 

• Try logging into the old IRCC Secure Account or Register for a new one, if needed (IRCC online account)
• Review 
  • IRCC Instructions
  • Guide 5552 - Applying to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada - Student - online application
• Gather as many USask and other supporting documents (see above)
• Use IRCC Help Centre

1. You must resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit is still valid at the time of the refusal decision. Read your refusal letter thoroughly, work on preparing another application by addressing the issues identified in the refusal letter. You must resubmit the extension application before the current study permit expires. Please talk to ISSAC for more assistance. 
2. You must resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit is still valid at the time of the cancellation decision. Cancellations are rare and the application fee is refunded in this case. Please talk to ISSAC for more assistance. 
3. You cannot resubmit your study permit extension application if your current study permit has already expired at the time of the refusal or the cancellation decision. In this case, you have lost your status and must apply for a new study permit by restoring your status. You will need to pay an extra fee for restoration. Restorations may take a long time and are not quaranteed. When you lose your status, you must stop studying and working immediately. Restorations require a valid PAL, unles a master's or a doctoral degree student. 

Our Regulated International Student Immigration Advisers (RISIA) can assist you, help prepare a new application, request any supporting documents from your college/academic unit, including a valid PAL if needed. Please contact ISSAC and speak to a RISIA as soon as possible – we are here to help!