Extend Your Visit in Canada: CAD 100 Visitor Record, Apply 30 Days Before, for Pakistani Visitors
Extend a visit in Canada with a CAD 100 visitor record. Apply online 30 days before the date on your passport stamp. Restoring expired status costs CAD 246.25.
A Pakistani visitor who wants to stay longer in Canada must apply online for a visitor record before their current status expires, and IRCC advises applying at least 30 days before. The fee is CAD 100 a person. If you apply in time, you can stay legally while IRCC decides. If your status has already run out, restoring it costs CAD 246.25.
Most readers asking about this are parents visiting children in Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver who want a few more months. We read the IRCC visitor record pages and the IRCC fee list, modified 21 September 2026, on 20 October 2026. IRCC is Canada's immigration department.
A visitor record extends your stay, and costs CAD 100
A visitor record is the document IRCC issues to let a visitor stay in Canada longer. It carries a new expiry date, which becomes your new deadline to leave. IRCC's fee list charges CAD 100 a person to extend a stay as a visitor, and CAD 85 for biometrics.
| Item | IRCC fee |
|---|---|
| Extend your stay as a visitor, per person | CAD 100 |
| Restore your status as a visitor | CAD 246.25 |
| Biometrics, one person | CAD 85 |
| Biometrics, family of 2 or more | CAD 170 |
| Visitor visa, per person | CAD 100 |
IRCC says plainly that a visitor record is not a visa. It lets you stay longer. It does not let you leave Canada and come back. That difference trips up many families.
Your deadline is the passport stamp, not the visa date
Your status ends on the date stamped in your passport at entry, not the expiry date printed on your visitor visa. If you have no stamp, IRCC says your status ends 6 months from the day you entered Canada. Apply at least 30 days before that date.
This is the mistake we would warn every Pakistani parent about. A multiple entry visa may be valid for years, but each entry usually gives up to 6 months. The visa date tells you when you can enter. The stamp, or the 6 month rule, tells you when you must leave.
If you came in through a primary inspection kiosk and got no stamp, IRCC says you can stay up to 6 months from the day you first entered, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Check the passport expiry too. It can end your stay early.
Apply online, at least 30 days before your status ends
IRCC requires the visitor record application to be made online. You need a scanner or camera for your documents and a credit or debit card for the fee. Paper applications are allowed only for a disability or a fault in the online system. Read IRCC's instruction guide 5551 first.
- Find your real deadline from the passport stamp, or 6 months from entry.
- Read IRCC's instruction guide 5551 for changing conditions or extending a stay.
- Start the online tool. For "What would you like to do in Canada?", choose "Visit".
- For your current country of residence, choose "Canada".
- Upload your documents and pay CAD 100, plus biometrics if asked.
- Book a biometrics appointment as soon as you are asked, to avoid delay.
IRCC accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay credit cards, and Visa Debit and Debit MasterCard. The card does not have to be in your name. So a son or daughter in Canada can pay for a parent's application.
If you applied on paper already, you do not need to apply again online.
Applying in time lets you stay while IRCC decides
If you apply before the date you are meant to leave, IRCC says you can stay in Canada legally until a decision is made. This is called maintained status. If approved, the visitor record should reach you by post within 6 weeks of the decision letter.
Maintained status only works if the application is in before your status ends. One day late and you are out of status. Then the route is restoration, which costs CAD 246.25 on IRCC's fee list, with no separate visa fee.
| Your situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Applied before status expires | You can stay until IRCC decides |
| Status already expired | Restoration, CAD 246.25 |
| Approved | Visitor record by post within 6 weeks |
IRCC's processing time for visitor records did not load on the page when we checked. If the processing time has passed, IRCC says you can contact it through its web form and pick a temporary residence option.
A visitor record does not let you leave and come back
A visitor record lets you stay longer, but IRCC says it does not guarantee re-entry. If you travel outside Canada or the United States, you need a valid entry document, such as a visitor visa, to return. Check your visa's validity before any side trip.
This matters for Pakistani parents who plan an Umrah stop or a short trip home in the middle of a long visit. If the visitor visa has expired, the visitor record will not get you back into Canada. You would need a new visa from outside.
Students and workers whose permits are ending can also use a visitor record to switch to visitor status. If you are a student who wants to keep studying instead, the right step is to extend a Canada study permit. For parents planning repeated long visits, the Canada super visa for parents and grandparents is a separate route built for that.
Common questions
How much does it cost to extend a visit in Canada?
CAD 100 a person on IRCC's fee list, plus CAD 85 for biometrics if you are asked to give them.
When should I apply for a visitor record?
At least 30 days before your current status expires, which is the date stamped in your passport or 6 months from entry.
Can I stay in Canada while my extension is processed?
Yes, if you applied before your status expired. IRCC calls this maintained status.
What if my visitor status has already expired?
You would need to restore your status. IRCC's fee for restoring status as a visitor is CAD 246.25.
Can I travel to Pakistan and return on a visitor record?
No. A visitor record does not let you re-enter. You need a valid visitor visa to come back.
Can my child in Canada pay the fee for me?
Yes. IRCC says the card used does not have to be in the applicant's name.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read IRCC's visitor record pages on the document, who can apply, how to apply and after you apply, and IRCC's fee list modified 21 September 2026, on 20 October 2026. We could not see the processing time, which did not load on the page. We also did not read the restoration rules page, so the time limit for restoring status is not given here.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
