Canada doubles length of work authorization support letters for workers on maintained status
Foreign workers in Canada who have applied for a new work permit before the expiry of their previous work authorization will now be issued WP-EXT letters that are valid for 365 days.
The increased validity period for WP-EXT letters was conveyed in updated instructions to officers, published on the immigration department's website on April 27, 2026.
Prior to this change, these letters were valid for a period of 180 days.
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WP-EXT letters are issued to foreign workers to serve as proof of their having work authorization through maintained status under section 186 of The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPA). Maintained status authorizes workers who have submitted work permit applications from within Canada to work under the conditions of their existing permit as long as they remain in Canada, up until a decision is made on their application.
WP-EXT letters do not provide work authorization, nor does their validity period affect the work authorization a foreign national is afforded through maintained status under IRPA.
Workers on maintained status may offer WP-EXT letters as proof of their maintained status to employers, other government agencies, or in any context where they are required to prove that they are authorized to continue working without having a valid work permit.
Letters given to Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) applicants are different WP-EXT letters, and so are not affected by the updated instructions. Letters issued to PGWP applicants continue to have a validity period of 180 days.
Clarification on the May 2025 changes for work permit applicants who submitted a second application
The April 27, 2026, update also included some new examples, which clarify changes that were made on May 28, 2025.
The immigration department has expanded guidance to include three specific scenarios to assess whether a work permit applicant on maintained status who submitted a second work permit application can continue to benefit from maintained status.
Generally, a second work permit application protects maintained status only if it was submitted before the original work permit expires.
This is detailed in relation to the three scenarios below:
| What happens to the first work permit application? | If the second application was submitted before the original work permit expired | If the second application was submitted after the original work permit expired |
|---|---|---|
| First application is still being processed | The worker can stay in Canada on maintained status. The second application may also help maintain their status. | The worker can stay in Canada only because the first application is still being processed. The second application does not give them extra protection. |
| First application is refused or withdrawn | The worker may still have maintained status because the second application was submitted before the original permit expired. | Maintained status ends. The second application does not keep the worker in status. |
| First application is returned as incomplete | The first application does not count. But the worker may still have maintained status if the second application was properly submitted before the original permit expired. | The first application does not count, and the second application does not keep the worker in status. The worker is out of status. |
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