Temporary residents
Keeping your status while you live and work in North York
Much of the work we do for North York clients is about time: permits that expire, jobs that change, and partners whose own permit depends on someone else’s. Our immigration law page covers every pathway; here is what matters most when you are already living here on a permit.
Apply before the expiry date, not after
If you apply to extend a work or study permit and IRCC receives the application before the permit expires, you can generally stay and keep working or studying on the same conditions until it is decided. This is maintained status. It only works if the application is in on time, and leaving Canada while you wait can affect whether you can keep working on your return. IRCC explains the rules for permits that have expired or are about to.
Changing jobs on an employer-specific permit
An employer-specific permit ties you to one employer and one occupation. A new job, even a better one down the street, usually means a new permit before you start. Our work permits and LMIA page explains when the new employer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment and when it doesn’t.
Spouses who want to work
Since January 2025, open work permits for the spouses of foreign workers and students are limited to spouses of workers in certain occupations and of students in certain graduate and professional programs. If your household budget assumes both partners can work, check eligibility before renewing anything. A spouse being sponsored for permanent residence from inside Canada is assessed under different rules; see our family sponsorship page.
If the date has passed
When your status has already expired
An expired permit is a problem, but not always a final one. What you can do depends mostly on how long ago it expired, so call as soon as you notice.
Within 90 days
- You may be able to apply to restore your status, with the extension or new permit you need
- You can’t work or study while the restoration application is pending, even if you could before
- Restoration is not automatic: you must still meet the requirements of the permit, and explain what happened
After 90 days
- Restoration is no longer available, and the remaining routes are narrower
- A temporary resident permit, where your reason for being here outweighs the concern, is discretionary and needs a well-documented case
- A humanitarian and compassionate application can suit people with deep roots here, but it doesn’t by itself give you status or stop a removal
What to avoid
- Working after your authorization has ended, which creates a new problem on top of the first
- Letting a sponsor or employer file “something quick” without checking what was said in earlier applications
- Assuming a refugee claim is available: claims made more than a year after first entering Canada are, in most cases, no longer referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board
Your first call is confidential, and nothing is filed without your instructions.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
City of Toronto
City services in North York don’t depend on your status
North York is part of the City of Toronto, and that matters to people whose immigration status is uncertain.
Under the City’s Access to City Services for Undocumented Torontonians policy, most City services don’t require proof of immigration status. Some programs the City delivers for the province or federal government, such as Ontario Works, child care fee subsidies and housing subsidies, are exceptions. The City also says it can share personal information with another government only in limited circumstances set by law.
For practical help, the City runs Newcomer Services Kiosks, several of them at employment and social services offices in North York, where a settlement worker can help with education, jobs, health care and housing, and refer you on. Days and languages vary, so call ahead.
Status problems are common in a city this size. In the 2021 Census, almost one in five City of Toronto immigrants who arrived between 1980 and 2021 had held a work or study permit before becoming permanent residents, and about one in ten had made an asylum claim first (Statistics Canada, Census Profile). Settlement workers can’t prepare or represent an immigration application; when the question is your status, speak to a lawyer.
Working with us from North York
Phone first, office only when a document needs it
We have one office, in Toronto. For North York clients most of an immigration file is handled by phone and email, and a visit is only needed for sworn or certified documents.
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Step 1: A free 15-minute call
You pick a time and we call you. Tell us your status, the expiry date and what you want to happen. If a deadline is days away, we say so straight away and focus on that.
You provide
- Your permit or visa and its expiry date
- Any IRCC letters you have received
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Step 2: Consultation or profile analysis
A consultation by phone reviews your situation and the options. If you want a full assessment of your pathways to permanent residence, a profile analysis is followed by a complimentary 30-minute consultation.
We handle
- Pathway advice
- A document list specific to your application
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Step 3: Documents by email, originals in person if needed
Most supporting documents can be scanned. A common-law declaration (IMM 5409), an affidavit or a certified copy has to be sworn or certified in front of us, and we commission those at the Toronto office.
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Step 4: Submission and what follows
We submit the application and tell you what to expect next, including biometrics at a designated Service Canada office, medical exams and any request for further information.
Questions
North York immigration questions
Do you have an office in North York?
No. Our only office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, in Toronto. Consultations are by phone, so you don’t need to come in, and we meet at the office when a document has to be sworn or certified. See our North York page for the other work we do here.
My permit expires in two weeks. Is it too late to extend?
No. What matters is that IRCC receives the extension application before the expiry date. IRCC recommends applying at least 30 days ahead, so treat two weeks as urgent and call now.
My status expired last month. Can I still work?
No. Once your status has expired you can’t work, and you still can’t while a restoration application is pending. You may be able to apply to restore your status within 90 days of losing it.
I found a better job in North York. Can I just switch?
Not on an employer-specific permit. You usually need a new permit naming the new employer before you start. Some changes also need the new employer to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Can I use City of Toronto services without status?
Most City services don’t require proof of immigration status under the City’s Access T.O. policy. A few programs delivered for other governments, such as Ontario Works, do.
Can you help me buy a condo while I’m on a work permit?
Yes. Your status on the day you buy affects non-resident taxes, so talk to us before you make an offer. Our North York real estate page explains the purchase side.
Areas We Serve
Immigration advice across the GTA
The same phone consultation, with local detail for each city.
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Scarborough
Immigration lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Immigration lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Immigration lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
Deadlines first. Call before your permit expires.
Book a free 15-minute call, or tell us about your application in the quote form.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic