Published
Pardeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2024, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Updated November 10, 2026: section 183 of the Regulations and IRCC’s bridging open work permit page (modified October 16, 2026) checked that day.
The fix: apply for a new work permit, often a bridging open work permit, before your current permit expires. That keeps you on maintained status. If it has already expired, you have 90 days to restore.
The deadline: the expiry date on your permit. After it, 90 days to restore (IRPR s.182).
Why a lawyer: a gap in status can affect the PR application itself, and the rules on what you can do while waiting are easy to get wrong. Why a lawyer
The lawyers who handle these files
Sundeep S. GrewalBarrister and Solicitor
Prabhpreet Kaur SanghaBarrister and Solicitor
Pardeep S. GrewalBarrister and SolicitorAbout our lawyers
Sundeep S. Grewal founded Lawgical Law Corporation and argues immigration cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada.
Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha focuses on refugee claims, immigration appeals, inadmissibility, detention reviews and Federal Court cases, and has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars and the National Immigration Conference.
Pardeep S. Grewal is an immigration and estates lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.
If your work permit will expire before your permanent residence is approved, apply for a new permit before the expiry date. As long as you apply in time, you keep your status and, in most cases, can keep working under the same conditions while IRCC decides. Many PR applicants qualify for a bridging open work permit. If the permit has already expired and you did not apply in time, you have 90 days to restore your status, and you cannot work until it is restored.
Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, handles work permit extensions, bridging open work permits and restoration for PR applicants; this guide is by Pardeep S. Grewal.
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What is maintained status?
Under section 183(5) of the Regulations, if you apply to extend your stay before it ends and no decision is made by the end of that period, your stay “is extended until” the decision. Under section 183(6), you keep your status during that time, “subject to any other conditions imposed”. If the application is refused, maintained status ends on the day of the refusal.
Who can get a bridging open work permit?
According to IRCC’s bridging open work permit page (modified October 16, 2026), you must be in Canada, be the principal applicant for permanent residence under an eligible program, and have one of the following:
- “valid temporary resident status and a valid work permit”;
- an expired work permit, but maintained status as a worker;
- eligibility to “restore your status and get a work permit”.
Eligible programs include Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program and several pilots and Quebec programs. Applicants under the home care worker pilots opened in 2025 are not eligible.
Why this needs a lawyer
One lawyer, one file, every step:
- choosing the right permit to apply for, and applying before expiry;
- restoration within 90 days if the permit has lapsed;
- judicial review within 15 days if a permit or restoration is refused;
- protecting the PR application while all this happens.
Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only lawyers can appear for you in the Federal Court.
What are my options?
- Before expiry: apply for a bridging open work permit or another permit you qualify for. You are then on maintained status.
- If you are not eligible for a bridging permit: extend your current permit, or move to another category, before expiry.
- After expiry, within 90 days: apply to restore your status together with a new work permit. Stop working until it is approved.
- After 90 days: restoration is gone. See our guide on being out of status for more than 90 days.
- If an extension is refused: judicial review within 15 days, and restoration within 90 days of losing status.
What if the extension is refused while I wait?
Maintained status ends on the day of the refusal. One of our 2025 work permit files was refused with this wording: “client has since received the remainder allotted by the implied status and client is no longer considered eligible”. From that day, you have no status and cannot work. You have 15 days to apply to the Federal Court and 90 days to apply for restoration.
Expiring permit at a glance
| Situation | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applied to extend before expiry | Maintained status until the decision | IRPR s.183(5), (6) |
| Extension refused | Status ends on the day of refusal | IRPR s.183(5)(a) |
| Permit expired, no application | No status; 90 days to restore | IRPR s.182 |
| Bridging open work permit | Valid permit, maintained status, or eligible to restore | IRCC BOWP page |
| Restoration fee (worker) | $401.25 | IRCC fee list |
Worked example: the timing
Example. A worker in Abbotsford applied for permanent residence through Express Entry. Her closed work permit expires on January 15, 2027. She applies for a bridging open work permit on January 5, 2027. She keeps working under her current permit conditions while IRCC decides. If she had applied on January 20 instead, she would have had no status and would need to restore and stop working.
What to gather
- Your PR acknowledgment of receipt or proof the PR application passed the completeness check, as IRCC requires.
- Your current permit and its expiry date.
- Proof of the date you applied for the new permit.
Mistakes I have seen
- I have seen people apply for a bridging permit one day after their permit expired.
- I have seen people travel outside Canada while on maintained status and lose it.
- I have seen people keep working after an extension refusal.
- I have seen spouses apply as if they were the principal applicant.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep working on maintained status?
In most cases yes, under the conditions of the permit that expired, as long as you applied for a new work permit before it expired.
Can I travel while on maintained status?
If you leave Canada, maintained status ends. You may be able to return as a visitor, but not to keep working on the old permit.
Does a gap in status affect my PR?
It can, depending on the program and its rules about status at the time of decision. Get advice before it happens.
Related guides
See our guides on restoration refused or more than 90 days out of status, an application returned as incomplete, an Express Entry refusal, a US trip on maintained status or a visitor record and a work permit cut short to your passport expiry.
What should I do right now?
Check the expiry date on your work permit today. If it is within the next few months, apply for your next permit now. If it has passed, count 90 days and stop working.
Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.
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Sources (official)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 183 (current to October 19, 2026) and s. 182
- IRCC: Bridging open work permit (modified October 16, 2026)
- IRCC: Fee list (modified September 21, 2026)
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.