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IMM 5708: extending your stay as a visitor, what the form asks and where it goes wrong

IMM 5708 is the form for asking IRCC to extend a visitor's stay, change conditions or restore visitor status. The extension fee on the IRCC fee list is $100 per person, and IRCC's guide says to apply at least 30 days before your status expires. If every question in the Background section is not answered, the application is treated as incomplete and returned.

IMM 5708 is titled "Application to Change Conditions, Extend My Stay, or Remain in Canada". IRCC's guide for the visitor version of the package describes it as the form for a visitor or a temporary resident permit holder. This page walks through the version on IRCC's site (IRCC says it was last updated September 2023; the form page is dated 6 October 2026), the fees on the IRCC fee list as at 21 September 2026, and IRCC's own timing rules. It explains what each part of the form asks and the points IRCC flags. It does not tell you how to answer for your own situation. Read IRCC's current instructions before you complete anything, because forms, fees and online steps change.

Who completes IMM 5708, and which package it belongs to

IRCC's form page says each person who wants to extend a stay, change conditions or get an initial or later temporary resident permit must complete their own form. A family does not file one form for everyone. Each family member who wants to stay longer applies separately, with their own form, their own documents and their own fee, according to IRCC's Guide 5551.

The form must be signed and dated. IRCC's page says so directly, and an unsigned form is one of the simplest ways to lose weeks.

Guide 5551 is the instruction guide for the visitor package. It covers extending your stay, changing conditions and restoring visitor status. It says that initial visitor visas and eTAs cannot be applied for with this guide. If you are a student or a worker, IRCC points you to different guides (5552 for students, 5553 for workers) and, for students, a different form, IMM 5709. The study permit version is covered in the guide to IMM 5709 on this site, and the work permit version in the guide to IMM 5710.

On how to apply: IRCC's guide says most people must apply online, through an IRCC account, with a scanner or camera for copies of documents and a valid credit card. Paper is available only if you cannot apply online because of a disability or a problem with the online application. If you are told to use the online system, you do not fill in the PDF form. Check which route IRCC tells you to use before you download anything.

The timing rule: before your status expires

The single most important line in IRCC's guide is about timing. It says: "It is important to apply for the change before your current status expires." The guide adds that for any permit you should apply at least 30 days before your status expires.

What applying in time does is set out on IRCC's "After you apply" page for visitors: if you apply to extend before your leave-by date, you may stay in Canada while a decision is pending. IRCC's wording is: "you can legally stay in Canada until a decision is made on your application." Your original status continues under the same conditions until the application is finalised. This is usually called maintained status, and the rules and limits are covered in the maintained status guide on this site. Temporary resident permit applicants are an exception. IRCC says they cannot maintain temporary resident status while their application is being processed.

A worked example of the arithmetic only. If your authorised stay ends on 31 July, the 30-day mark in IRCC's guide falls on 1 July. An application sent on 20 July is inside the 30-day window, which is a timing fact and not a statement about how IRCC will decide. It may still maintain your status if it is complete and made before the end date. The guide does not promise approval.

If your status has already expired, the guide says not to apply for an extension. It says you may apply for restoration within 90 days of losing status, or you must leave Canada. It also says restoration is not guaranteed and warns: "It is illegal to remain in Canada beyond the validity of your status in Canada." The restoration route is explained in the restoration of status guide on this site.

What it costs: the fees on the IRCC list

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows these amounts in Canadian dollars: - Extend your stay as a visitor: $100.00 per person. - Restore visitor status: $246.25. IRCC notes that a visa fee is not needed with restoration. - Biometrics: $85.00 per person, or a maximum of $170.00 for a family of two or more.

The biometrics fee is only payable if you are required to give biometrics. IRCC's guide says biometrics are generally needed once every 10 years, and that you can give them again if you want a longer validity. If IRCC needs yours, you pay the biometrics fee when you apply and later receive a biometric instruction letter. IRCC's visitor page advises: "Book your biometrics collection appointment as soon as you can to avoid processing delays."

The guide is blunt about refunds: "The processing fee will not be refunded" once processing has started. IRCC says a refund is possible only if you withdraw before processing begins. Payment is made online with a valid credit card. For a couple applying together, the extension fee is $100 each, and the biometrics charge is capped at $170 for the pair. These are arithmetic examples of the published fees, not a quote for your case. Read the fee list on the day you pay.

Section by section: what the form asks

IRCC's form page begins with a rule that applies to the whole document: "You must answer all the questions on this application form unless indicated otherwise." Most of the problems below come from not following that line.

Personal details: - Name. Enter your family name and given names as they appear on your passport or travel document, without initials. If you have no given name, leave that field blank. IRCC says not to enter an asterisk, "Not applicable" or "NA". - Gender identifier. If the identifier on the form differs from the one on your current or previous Canadian temporary resident document, IRCC says to submit the Request for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier, form IRM 0002. - Date of birth. If part of it is unknown, an asterisk goes in the unknown spaces. - Passport number. Enter it exactly as shown. IRCC's instruction is: "Make sure there is no space between each number or letter." - Address. Do not abbreviate street-type words such as Street or Avenue. Directions such as NW or SE are the exception. - Email. IRCC says: "Please ensure this email address is checked regularly." IRCC emails come from canada.ca, cic.gc.ca or international.gc.ca addresses, so check junk folders for those.

Marital status and representative: - Common-law applicants must also submit IMM 5409, the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union. Married applicants include a photocopy of their marriage certificate or licence. The guide to IMM 5409 on this site covers that form. - If someone acts for you, their details go in the form and IMM 5476, Use of a Representative, goes in the package. The guide to IMM 5476 on this site explains what it does.

Language, work and education: - IRCC says: "You are not required to provide evidence of language proficiency to submit your application." It may ask later. - Employment history covers the last 10 years, or the 10 years before retirement. If you need more room, IRCC says to print an extra page and submit it with the application. - Post-secondary education asks whether you have any and, if so, dates, field of study, school, location and country.

The background questions and the incomplete-application rule

The form has sections on health, immigration history, criminal history, and military, police or similar service. IRCC's form page says: "All questions in this section must be answered or the application will be considered incomplete and will be returned."

Two things follow from that sentence. First, a blank is treated as a failure to answer, not as a No. Second, an answer of Yes needs the details the form asks for. A reader who is unsure what a question covers should read IRCC's wording and, if the history is complicated, ask a regulated adviser or lawyer before submitting, because the answers become part of the file. This page cannot tell you what your answer should be.

IRCC's guide adds two warnings about the whole application. Processing stops immediately if you give false or misleading information, and it is an offence to knowingly make a false statement on the form. Consequences for misrepresentation are explained in the misrepresentation guide on this site. And an application that is rejected as incomplete is treated as never submitted. That matters because a submitted application is what keeps your status going while you wait. If yours is treated as never submitted, you did not maintain status, and you are back to the restoration question.

Documents IRCC lists, and the passport rule

IRCC's guide tells applicants to use the Document Checklist, form IMM 5558, and says an online applicant also receives a personalised checklist. The information the guide says you must provide is: - Full details on why you want to stay longer. - Proof of identity. - Proof of your current status in Canada. - Evidence of how you will support yourself, or be supported, and how you will pay to leave Canada.

The guide also asks for photocopies of the passport pages showing your most recent Canadian entry stamp. Accepted evidence of funds includes a guarantor's letter and a bank statement showing the account holder's name and account number. The guide asks you to include details of your departure plans, such as date, time and transportation.

Passports matter more than people expect. IRCC states: "The validity of your temporary resident status cannot exceed the validity of your passport." The guide says to plan for the passport to stay valid at least as long as the extension you are requesting. It also explains that if you have no stamp or date showing how long you may stay, status typically expires six months after arrival. There is a special note on Venezuelan passports, with rules that depend on the issue date and how long the passport has been expired; if that is your document, read that section of Guide 5551 in full.

IRCC's visitor page also says that a visitor record is a separate document from a visa: "A visitor record is not a visa." If an extension is approved, the record is normally mailed. IRCC says it should arrive within six weeks of the decision letter, and tells you to contact IRCC if it does not.

Common mistakes, drawn from IRCC's own warnings

These are the points in IRCC's published pages that most often decide whether an application is processed or sent back: - Applying after status has expired and treating it as an extension. IRCC says to use the restoration route instead, and restoration carries its own fee. - Leaving a Background question blank. - Submitting a form that is unsigned or undated. - Entering a passport number with spaces, or a name that does not match the passport. - Asking for a stay that runs longer than the passport is valid. - Not enough information on why you want to stay. IRCC's guide lists "full details" as a requirement, and a vague reason is a gap. - Using an email address nobody reads. Requests for documents and biometrics letters arrive there. - Not booking biometrics promptly after the instruction letter arrives. - Asking an unlicensed person to prepare the form for payment. Section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes it an offence to represent or advise someone for consideration unless the person is a lawyer, a Quebec notary or a licensed consultant. The guide to checking an RCIC licence shows how to verify one.

IRCC says that if an extension is refused you can stay only until your current status expires. The visitor refusal guide on this site covers what a refusal letter means and what options exist.

What happens after you submit

IRCC's guide says a case processing centre first checks whether the application is complete. The possible outcomes it lists are a visitor record or permit, a refusal letter, or a referral to a local office. If you are referred, the local office may contact you within up to three months, ask for more information or invite you to an interview. Keep your contact details current and use IRCC's status checker.

Processing times are published by IRCC and change, so this page does not quote one. Check the processing times tool on IRCC's site on the day you apply.

Do not treat this page as a checklist for your own case. It describes what the form and IRCC's guide say. How those rules apply to someone with an expiring status, a past refusal, a work history in Canada or a medical issue is a question for a lawyer or a licensed consultant who has seen your file.

When it is worth paying a regulated adviser

Many extension applications are completed by the applicant alone. People tend to pay for help when status has already expired, when there has been a refusal or an entry problem before, when the Background answers involve criminal or health history, or when time is very short. A lawyer, or a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, can review the file and advise on your own facts, which a general guide cannot.

What that involves: a written consultation agreement before the consult, a fee agreed in advance, and, if they act for you, IMM 5476 filed with your application. Ask for their College ID or law society number and check it yourself on the public register before you pay. You can find regulated advisers through the directory on this site.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to extend my stay in Canada as a visitor?

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows $100 per person to extend a stay as a visitor, plus $85 per person for biometrics where required (maximum $170 for a family of two or more). Restoring visitor status is $246.25. Read the fee list on the day you pay.

When should I apply to extend my visitor status?

IRCC's Guide 5551 says to apply before your status expires, and for any permit at least 30 days before it expires. Applying in time lets you stay under the same conditions until a decision is made.

What if my visitor status has already expired?

IRCC's guide says not to apply for an extension if status has expired. You may apply for restoration within 90 days of losing status, or you must leave Canada. Restoration is not guaranteed.

Does every family member need their own IMM 5708?

Yes. IRCC says each person who wants to extend must complete their own form, and each family member who wants to stay longer applies separately with their own documents and fee.

What happens if I leave a Background question blank?

IRCC's form page says all questions in that section must be answered or the application will be considered incomplete and returned.

Is a visitor record the same as a visa?

No. IRCC says a visitor record is not a visa. It is the document that shows the extension of your stay.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • Maintained Status in Canada: Working and Studying While You Wait — If you apply to extend your stay before it expires and IRCC hasn't decided by the expiry date, IRPR s.183(5) extends your authorized stay until the day of the decision and you keep your status and conditions. You can keep working or studying only under the same conditions, you must stay in Canada, and the right ends on the day a refusal is made.
  • Restoration of Status in Canada: The 90-Day Window — If you lose temporary resident status, IRPR s.182 lets an officer restore it if you apply within 90 days and meet the conditions. IRCC's fees are $246.25 for a visitor, $396.25 for a student and $401.25 for a worker (restoration plus permit), and you may not work or study until the restoration and any permit are approved.
  • IMM 5476, Use of a Representative: what the form asks and how it is submitted — IMM 5476 tells IRCC that someone may act for you on an application, paid or unpaid. You complete the applicant sections, your representative signs their own declaration, and a paid representative must give their membership ID from the College, a law society or the Chambre des notaires. The same form is used to cancel or change a representative.
  • IMM 5409, Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union: who signs, what it asks and common mistakes — IMM 5409 is a sworn declaration by two people that they are in a common-law relationship. It must be signed by hand, it will not produce a barcode when validated, and it asks for places, dates, years together and the kinds of shared life you can document. The regulations define a common-law partner as someone who has cohabited with you in a conjugal relationship for at least one year.
  • IMM 5710, Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker: what it asks — IMM 5710 is the form for a worker already in Canada who wants to extend a work permit, change its conditions or apply for an initial work permit from inside the country. IRCC says to apply at least 30 calendar days before your current permit expires. The IRCC fee list shows $155 for a work permit including extensions, plus $100 for an open work permit holder.
  • IMM 5709: extending a study permit from inside Canada, what the form asks and common mistakes — IMM 5709 is the form for extending a study permit, changing its conditions or restoring student status from inside Canada. The IRCC fee list shows $150 per person for a study permit including an extension, and IRCC says to apply at least 30 days before the permit expires. An application missing a required letter or answer is typically returned.
  • Canada Visitor Visa Refused: What Your Options Are — There's no appeal from a visitor visa refusal. IRCC says you can apply again at any time unless your letter says otherwise, but only new information that addresses the refusal reasons is likely to change the result. The court route is judicial review in the Federal Court.
  • Misrepresentation in Canada: The Five-Year Inadmissibility Rule — Under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, misrepresenting or withholding a material fact that induces or could induce an error makes a person inadmissible for five years, and during that time a foreign national cannot apply for permanent residence. The five years run from the final determination if it was made outside Canada, or from the day a removal order is enforced if it was made in Canada.
  • How to check an RCIC licence on the College's Public Register — Search the consultant on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register (register.college-ic.ca). Only people with an "Active" status and "Yes" in the "Entitled to Practise" column may legally give you immigration advice for a fee. Then contact them using the details on the register, not the ones in an ad or a message.