An Introduction of Temporary Residents: Visitor Record

Foreign nationals who are eligible for the 120-day work permit exemption or the short-term (15- to 30-day) work permit exemption may request a visitor record at the POE.

If requested and if all other requirements have been met, a BSO will issue a visitor record to the foreign national. This will verify the status of the temporary resident as work permit exempt and support their application to Service Canada for their Social Insurance Number.

The issued visitor record would include remarks specifying the ability of the foreign national to work without a permit. Acceptable remarks that may appear on the visitor record include

• “Work permit exempt as a [job title]”
• “Work permit exempt, per section R186”; a subsection may be listed, for example, subsection R186(s)
• “120-day short-term work permit exemption – Public policy”
• “30-day or 15-day short-term work permit exemption – Public policy”

Consult the “Visitor records” section in the Short-term (120-day) work permit exemption PDI for more details.

Study permit exemptions

See the list of foreign nationals who are exempt from the requirement of a study permit.

A foreign national studying in Canada may be issued a visitor record to authorize a stay in Canada without a study permit to attend a course or program of study of 6 months or less. Minor children already in Canada are authorized to study without a study permit at the pre-school, primary and secondary level, if one of their parents is a visitor record holder and is authorized to study without a permit.

In-Canada applications

A foreign national may apply to extend their temporary resident status beyond the initial period granted for their stay by a BSO at the POE or by a previous in-Canada extension.

If a foreign national applies to extend their stay in Canada and meets the eligibility requirements as a visitor, the IRCC officer may issue a visitor record, which serves to legally extend a foreign national’s temporary resident status in Canada.

A temporary resident should apply at least 30 days in advance of their status expiring, and must submit an application to IRCC to apply for a visitor record.

The application must be accompanied by the appropriate extension fee in order to initiate processing of the visitor record.

In cases where foreign nationals lose their temporary resident status, they may, within 90 days of losing it, apply for restoration of temporary resident status.

If the applicant is eligible for restoration, the officer will issue a visitor record outlining the conditions of the restoration, including the length of stay. The visitor record issued following an in-Canada application typically includes an extension or restoration of 6 months, but this may vary from case to case.