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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.

IMM 5709, "Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Student", is the form for people who are already in Canada and want to extend a study permit. It is also used to change conditions or get an initial study permit from inside the country. IRCC's page says the form was last updated in June 2026 and the page is dated 6 October 2026. This guide covers what the form asks, the fees on the IRCC fee list as at 21 September 2026, and the timing and document rules in IRCC's student guide (Guide 5552). It explains the rules. It does not tell you how to answer for your own case or whether you should change school or program.

Who completes IMM 5709

IRCC's form page says: "This form must be completed by each person who wants to apply for an extension of their study permit." That means each family member who wants to stay and is applying separately completes their own form. IRCC's expired-permit page adds that each family member who came with you must apply separately and pay their own restoration fee.

IRCC's student guide, Guide 5552, says the package is for temporary residents in Canada who want to extend their stay as students, get an initial study permit, change the conditions of their permit, change schools or restore student status. It says to apply online unless you need a temporary resident permit alongside a study or work permit, have a disability that prevents online filing, or there is a problem with the online application.

On the form version, the guide says that since 30 January 2024, applications made through the IRCC secure account must use the new IMM 5709 and that the old version is not accepted. Download the form fresh from IRCC rather than reusing an older copy saved on a computer.

Applicants who are 17 or younger and studying without a parent or legal guardian have an additional form. IRCC's page says they must complete a notarised Custodianship Declaration, IMM 5646, and submit pages 1 and 2 of it. The guide says a minor needs a custodian in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident aged 19 or older.

The timing rule: at least 30 days before expiry

IRCC's "when to apply" page for study permits says: "you must apply to extend your permit at least 30 days before it expires." Guide 5552 repeats it: apply at least 30 days before your current status expires. The reason is what the early application protects. IRCC says that if you apply before the permit expires, you can continue to study under the same conditions as your current study permit until IRCC makes a decision: "you can continue to study under the same conditions as your current study permit until we make a decision." The wider rules on this are in the maintained status guide on this site.

A simple worked example of the dates. If a permit expires on 31 May, the 30-day mark is 1 May. This is the arithmetic of IRCC's rule, not a prediction about any application.

Two other timing points from IRCC's pages: - The permit's expiry date is usually the length of the study program plus 90 days. IRCC says the extra time is for preparing to leave or applying to extend. Your permit can also end earlier: IRCC says it expires on the earlier of the date printed on it or 90 days after you complete your studies. - The permit cannot be extended past the validity of the passport. IRCC states: "The validity period of your study permit cannot exceed that of your passport." Check the passport expiry date before applying.

If you are changing schools, IRCC says to apply to extend before you finish at your current school, and that you generally cannot start at the new school until the extension is approved.

What it costs: the fees on the IRCC list

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows these amounts in Canadian dollars: - Study permit, including extensions: $150.00 per person. - Restore status as a student: $396.25. The fee list describes this as the $246.25 restoration fee plus the $150 for a new study permit. - Biometrics: $85.00 per person, or a maximum of $170.00 for a family of two or more.

IRCC's guide says the processing fee is not refunded once processing starts, whatever the outcome. If biometrics are required, the biometrics fee is paid at the time of application.

A short example. A student and a spouse who each need to extend, and who are both asked for biometrics, would see $150 each for the permits ($300 in total) and the biometrics charge capped at $170 for the two, which is $470 in total on the fee list. If the status had already been lost and both were applying to restore it, the restoration route would carry its own fee for each person, as the guide says restoration applies to each family member who lost status. Read the fee list on the day you pay.

What the form and the package ask for

IRCC's form page and Guide 5552 list the following. Not every item applies to every person.

Forms and declarations: - If you are married, a photocopy of the marriage licence or certificate. - If you are common-law, the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union, IMM 5409. - If you use a representative, their details in the form and IMM 5476, Use of a Representative. - If the gender identifier on the form differs from your existing Canadian document, the Request for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier, IRM 0002. IRCC's page says no supporting documents are required for that request. - If you are requesting a co-op work permit, the original letter from the institution confirming the work is essential to your program, according to the form page. - If you are applying for an open or post-graduation work permit with the package, the Document Checklist, IMM 5583.

Documents from the student guide: - A letter of acceptance or proof of enrolment from a designated learning institution, showing tuition, start and finish dates and the registration deadline. - A provincial or territorial attestation letter where it is required. For Quebec the guide says a Quebec Acceptance Certificate is needed instead. The guide warns that without the required letter the application is typically returned with fees. The attestation letters are explained in the PAL and TAL guide on this site. - Proof of academic standing, such as transcripts from your last two terms. - Proof of funds in Canadian dollars to cover tuition, living costs and travel, without working in Canada. - Passport copies, including photocopies of entry stamp pages if you have them. - A medical exam, if your program or occupation requires one.

Language test results are not required at submission. IRCC says it may ask for them later.

Personal details, email and the Background section

The same basic rules apply as on IMM 5708. Names go in as they appear on the passport. Dates of birth with unknown parts use an asterisk. IRCC asks for an email address only if you want correspondence electronically, and says to check it regularly. IRCC emails may come from cic.gc.ca, canada.ca or international.gc.ca addresses, so look in the junk folder and add those domains to your safe senders list. If IRCC cannot reach you by email, it writes to you by mail.

The Background section is where the form is strictest. IRCC's form page says: "All questions in this section must be answered or the application will be considered incomplete and will be returned." A blank is not a No.

On the form, section 3 includes the choice to restore your status, where IRCC's expired-permit page tells people to select "Restore my status" and include a note explaining why they need to extend their stay. That note is a place where careless wording can matter. Anything stated on the form can be checked against other documents in the file. If the history is complicated, a regulated adviser can help you present it accurately, but a general guide cannot.

If the permit has already expired

IRCC's expired-permit page explains that you lose student status if the permit expired before you applied for a new one, you changed key conditions such as school, program or location, or you broke the conditions of the permit. You may apply to restore your status if you still meet the requirements of your stay and follow your permit conditions.

What IRCC says about studying in that period is blunt: "Once you lose your status, you can’t study in Canada until we’ve restored your status as a student." It also says you can stay in Canada while the application is processed, but "there’s no guarantee that we’ll approve your application." Guide 5552 says to apply within 90 days of losing status, to explain the circumstances that caused the non-compliance, and notes that holders of a temporary resident permit are not eligible. The restoration guide on this site covers the process in detail.

IRCC also lists things you cannot do while waiting, including renewing provincial or territorial documents such as a driver's licence or health card, and getting a social insurance number card. If you leave Canada while an application is pending, Guide 5552 says you can't resume studies until the new permit is issued, and you may be readmitted only as a visitor.

An application that is treated as incomplete is treated as never submitted, so you cannot rely on it to maintain status. If your status has already expired by then, restoration is the route.

Common mistakes, drawn from IRCC's own warnings

From IRCC's form page and student guide: - Applying with less than 30 days left, or after expiry, without understanding the difference between an extension and restoration. - Requesting a permit longer than the passport allows. - Leaving the attestation letter out when one is required. The guide says the application is typically returned with fees in that case. - An enrolment letter that does not show the tuition, dates or registration deadline. - Proof of funds in the wrong currency, or that does not cover tuition, living costs and travel. - A blank in the Background section. - Using an old copy of the form. - Changing school without checking the rule that you generally cannot start at the new school until the extension is approved. - An email address that is not checked. - Paying someone unlicensed to prepare the application. Section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes paid representation by anyone other than a lawyer, a Quebec notary or a licensed consultant an offence. The guide to checking an RCIC licence explains how to verify one.

The refusal route is a separate topic. If an extension is refused, the study permit refusal guide on this site explains the options that exist.

What happens after you submit

Guide 5552 lists the possible outcomes: a new study permit or visitor record, a refusal letter, or a referral to a local office for further review, which can include an interview. Processing times change and IRCC publishes them on its site, so check them on the day you apply.

None of this tells you what to do in your own case. A lawyer or a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants can review your documents, your enrolment history and any earlier refusals.

When it is worth paying a regulated adviser

Many extensions are straightforward and filed by the student. Paying for help comes up when status has expired, when there has been a school change or a gap in studies, when a letter such as an attestation is in question, when there is a prior refusal, or when the time left is very short. A regulated adviser can advise on your own facts.

What that involves: a written consultation agreement before the consult, a fee agreed up front, and IMM 5476 filed with the application if they act for you. Check their College ID or law society number on the public register before paying. You can find regulated advisers through the directory on this site.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to extend a study permit in Canada?

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows $150 per person for a study permit including an extension, plus $85 per person for biometrics where required (maximum $170 for a family of two or more). Restoring student status is $396.25 on the fee list. Read the fee list on the day you pay.

How early do I have to apply to extend my study permit?

IRCC says you must apply to extend your permit at least 30 days before it expires. Applying before expiry lets you keep studying under the same conditions until a decision is made.

Can I keep studying if my permit has expired and I applied late?

IRCC says that once you lose your status you can't study in Canada until your status has been restored. Guide 5552 says restoration should be applied for within 90 days of losing status, and that approval is not guaranteed.

Do I need an attestation letter to extend?

IRCC's Guide 5552 lists a provincial or territorial attestation letter (or a Quebec Acceptance Certificate for Quebec) among the documents, and says an application without a required letter is typically returned with fees. Check whether it applies to you on IRCC's pages.

Does my permit last longer than my passport?

No. IRCC says the validity period of a study permit cannot exceed that of your passport, so check the passport expiry before you apply.

Can I use IMM 5709 to change school?

IRCC's student guide says the package covers changing schools. It adds that you generally cannot start at the new school until the extension is approved.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • IMM 1294, Application for a Study Permit Made Outside of Canada: what it asks and where applications go wrong — IMM 1294 is the form for a study permit applied for outside Canada, completed by each person who needs one. The IRCC fee list shows $150 per person for a study permit, plus $85 for biometrics where required, and IRCC's guide says fees are not refunded. Every Background Information question must be answered or the application is treated as incomplete and returned.
  • 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.
  • Study Permit Refused: Reapply, Seek Review or Rethink — There's no appeal from a study permit refusal. The options are a new application (which needs a new provincial or territorial attestation letter in most cases) or judicial review in the Federal Court within 60 days from outside Canada or 15 days from inside. Students in Canada also need to check their status.
  • Provincial attestation letter (PAL/TAL): what it is, who needs one and how it is issued — A provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) is a letter from the province or territory where you plan to study. IRCC says it is usually required with a study permit application, must be valid on the day you apply, and cannot be sent in afterwards. Some groups are exempt, and Quebec uses a different document. Each province runs its own process through its schools.
  • Study Permit Proof of Funds: $23,448 From September 2026 — For study permit applications made outside Quebec on or after 1 September 2026, IRCC's living-expense amount is $23,448 for one person, $29,192 for two and $35,888 for three, excluding tuition and travel. IRCC's page (dated 28 August 2026) also shows the earlier amounts for applications from 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026. Quebec has its own requirements.
  • 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 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.
  • 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.