What is Maintained Status?

Delays are very common in processing of Immigration applications and maintained status, previously known as “implied status” is a way you can protect yourself from overstaying your visa and/or permit! You can continue your activities, whether it be to work or study in Canada while on an expired status. To have maintained status you must:

1. Apply for an extension or change of your status before the expiry date of your current status. Hint: even 1 day before is fine if you are applying online.

2. As long as you have a record that you have applied for an extension, even if your status document expires, you can continue to work and/or study in Canada.

3. TIP: date and time that your application is received by RCIC is important! If you applied by mail, the date received for paper applications is physically received by the Case Processing Centre.

Let's say now that you mailed your application 3 days before the expiry of your permit and it took mail delivery 6 days to deliver your application. Since the Case Processing Centre received your application 3 days after your status had expired and you normally would not have maintained status, you are still in luck!!! Officers will backdate the received applications by 7 days to account for physical postal delivery delays.