Already living or working in Canada? We help you maintain, extend, and upgrade your immigration status, from work permit renewals to citizenship applications.
If you are already in Canada, your next immigration step may depend on timing. You may need to extend status, restore status, renew a PR card, apply for citizenship, update documents, or deal with a complicated in-Canada issue.
This service is for people who want clear guidance before a deadline, status gap, document expiry, or application mistake creates avoidable stress.
If you are already in Canada, timely filing and the right application type can make the difference between staying in status and falling out of status. RA Migration helps with extensions, restorations, permanent resident documents, citizenship, and travel document issues from inside and outside Canada.
If you are working in Canada and want to keep working, you must apply to extend your work permit before it expires. Applying on time may allow you to keep working under maintained status while IRCC processes the extension.
Open work permit rules for spouses and common-law partners changed in 2025. Depending on your partner's status in Canada, you may still qualify for an open work permit that allows you to work for almost any employer in Canada.
Separate open work permit rules also exist for spouses or partners being sponsored for permanent residence from inside Canada. We assess which stream applies before we file.
If you are in Canada as a visitor and want to stay longer, you can apply for a visitor record. Most visitors are authorized to stay for 6 months unless another date is written in their passport, visitor record, study permit, or work permit.
If your visitor, worker, or student status expired before you applied to extend or change it, you may still be able to apply for restoration of status within 90 days of the expiry date.
The 90-day restoration window closes quickly. If you have lost your status, contact us right away. Every day matters, and a skilled consultant can assess your options and file a complete, persuasive restoration application as quickly as possible.
Most employers in Canada must obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before hiring a foreign national. A positive LMIA confirms that there is a need for a foreign worker and that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available to fill the position.
For positions where the offered wage is at or above the provincial/territorial median hourly wage. Employer must provide a transition plan showing efforts to reduce reliance on TFWs over time.
For positions where the offered wage is below the provincial/territorial median hourly wage. Subject to cap limits in certain sectors. Employer must pay transportation, housing, and health insurance costs.
For primary agricultural employers hiring seasonal or year-round workers for specific agricultural activities.
Faster LMIA processing (10 business days) for highly skilled positions in specific in-demand occupations through designated referral partners.
Employers with a positive LMIA are subject to ESDC compliance inspections. We help employers understand and meet their obligations to avoid penalties, bans, or loss of LMIA privileges.
Your Permanent Resident card proves your PR status and is the document most permanent residents need to return to Canada by commercial transportation after travel. If your card is expiring, lost, or damaged, renewal or replacement should be handled early.
To renew your PR card, you must meet the residency obligation: you must have been physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (2 years) out of the last 5 years. Trips outside Canada, unless on an exemption such as traveling with a Canadian citizen spouse or working for a Canadian company abroad, count against your residency requirement.
You can apply to renew your PR card before it expires. Do not wait until travel is booked, especially if you may need to return to Canada by airplane, boat, train, or bus.
Canadian citizenship is often the final step of the immigration journey. It gives you the right to vote, apply for a Canadian passport, and participate fully in civic life as a Canadian citizen.
Time spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a PR counts at half the rate (1 day = 0.5 days) toward the 1,095-day requirement, up to a maximum of 365 days.
Minor children can apply as permanent residents through the citizenship process, but the rules differ from adult grants. We help families choose the right route and prepare supporting documents correctly.
Travel document needs depend on whether you are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person, or a stateless permanent resident. We help clients identify the correct document before they travel or submit an application.
If you are outside Canada without a valid PR card, you may need a Permanent Resident Travel Document to return to Canada by airplane, bus, boat, or train. A PRTD is usually valid for one entry.
Protected persons in Canada, including Convention refugees and persons in need of protection, may be eligible for a refugee travel document. It cannot be used to travel to the holder's country of citizenship.
Permanent residents in Canada who are stateless or cannot obtain a national passport or travel document for a valid reason may be eligible for a certificate of identity.
Canadian citizens can apply for a new passport or renew an adult passport if they qualify. We help organize the application package, photos, guarantor details, and supporting documents before submission.
In-Canada immigration files often turn on timing, eligibility, and consistency. RA Migration helps clients understand what must be filed, when it should be filed, and what documents support the application.
We help review status history, organize forms and evidence, identify gaps, and explain next steps clearly. Whether the matter involves a visitor record, work permit, study permit, PR card, citizenship, or restoration, preparation matters.
If you are trying to stay organized while already in Canada, RA Migration can help you protect your next step with careful planning.
Yes, in many situations. If you’re already in Canada with valid status as a visitor, student, or worker, you can often apply for a new work permit, change employers, or switch permit types from within Canada. The rules depend on your current status, what program you’re applying under, and whether your application falls under the International Mobility Program (IMP) or the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP, which involves an LMIA).
Common in‑Canada pathways include: PGWP for recent graduates, Spouse Open Work Permit if your spouse has eligible status, extensions when you already have a work permit, Bridging Open Work Permits for those with PR applications in process, and changes of employer for workers with existing permits. Timing matters. Always apply before your current status expires.
A Post‑Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is an open work permit granted to eligible international graduates of Canadian programs. Open means you can work for almost any employer in Canada, no LMIA, no employer‑specific permit. It’s one of the most valuable tools in Canadian immigration because it lets you build the Canadian work experience you need to apply for PR through Express Entry’s Canadian Experience Class.
Key rules to know: your program must be at a PGWP‑eligible DLI; it generally must be at least 8 months long; PGWP length is tied to program length (up to 3 years); and you only get one PGWP in your lifetime. Importantly, IRCC has tightened PGWP eligibility in recent years. Many private college partnerships, short programs, and certain fields of study no longer qualify, and there are now field‑of‑study requirements tied to labour market needs for college graduates.
A Spouse Open Work Permit (SOWP) lets the spouse or common‑law partner of an eligible student or worker come to Canada and work for any employer. Historically, this was broadly available, but IRCC restricted eligibility significantly starting in 2024.
As rules currently stand, SOWPs are available only when the principal applicant meets specific criteria. For spouses of international students, this is generally limited to spouses of students in graduate‑level programs (master’s and doctoral) and certain professional programs. For spouses of workers, eligibility is generally tied to higher‑skilled occupations (TEER 0 and 1, plus select TEER 2 and 3 jobs in sectors with labour shortages). These rules are actively changing, so we always verify current eligibility at the time of application.
Yes, if you act quickly. You have 90 days from the date your status expired to apply for Restoration of Status. During that 90‑day window, you can ask IRCC to restore you as a visitor, student, or worker, whichever status you held before, provided you still meet the original eligibility requirements.
Key things to know: you cannot work or study during the restoration period; you must pay a restoration fee in addition to the regular application fee; and IRCC’s decision is discretionary. They can refuse even if you’re technically within the 90 days. Miss the 90‑day window entirely, and restoration is no longer available. If you’re staring down the expiration date, the single most important thing is to file something before the clock runs out. Don’t wait until day 89.
Yes, this is shaping almost every part of the system. The federal government has committed to bringing the temporary resident population below 5% of the total population by the end of 2027, down from historically high levels. To get there, IRCC has been tightening: study permit caps, reduced PGWP eligibility, narrower SOWP eligibility, lower immigration levels overall, and more scrutiny on extensions.
Practically, this means: don’t assume extensions will be automatic, don’t assume the rules that were in effect when you arrived still apply, and don’t leave status gaps or miss filing deadlines. If your current status is tied to a pathway that’s being reduced (for example, a college PGWP), it’s worth talking to an RCIC about a medium‑term strategy now rather than reacting when a restriction hits.
RA Migration serves clients across Ontario and Quebec, online and in person from our Burlington office, with Arabic-speaking service.
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