How to Apply for a TRV Inside Canada: For Work and Study Permit Holders (2026)
- Ansari Immigration
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
To apply for a TRV inside Canada, you use your IRCC secure account, select "Apply to Come to Canada," answer "Canada" as your country of residence, and choose "Temporary Resident Visa" (not a permit extension). You can only do this if you are already in Canada, hold a valid study or work permit, plan to leave and return soon, and have a visitor visa that has expired, is about to expire, or was valid for only one entry.
Why this matters: your permit is not your visa
Here is the single point that IRCC states plainly and most applicants still miss: a work permit or study permit is not a visa. Your permit lets you stay, study, or work in Canada. A temporary resident visa (TRV) is the entry document IRCC places in your passport so you can travel back after you leave. When you extend your work or study permit, IRCC does not automatically issue you a new visitor visa. If your visa has run out or was single entry, you need a separate TRV application before you leave.
Getting this wrong has a concrete consequence. If you fly home to visit family and your visa is expired or single entry, you can be refused boarding on the way back, or held at the airport, until you hold a valid TRV again. The safest move is to sort the visa out before you book the trip, not after.
Who can apply for a TRV inside Canada
You can apply for a TRV inside Canada only if you meet all four of the criteria IRCC lists. If any one of them does not apply to you, the inside-Canada process is not open to you.
The four criteria, and who has to apply from outside
The table below sets out who can use the inside-Canada process and who cannot.
Your situation | Can you apply for a TRV from inside Canada? |
|---|---|
You are physically in Canada right now | Required. If you have already left, you must apply through the outside-Canada process instead |
You hold a valid study permit or work permit | Required. A visitor record or a permit that has expired without an extension does not qualify |
You want to leave and return to Canada in the near future | Required. The TRV is only for travel back into Canada |
Your visitor visa is expired, about to expire, or was valid for one entry only | Required. If you still hold a valid multiple-entry TRV, you do not need a new one |
You are from a visa-exempt country (for example, most of Europe) | No TRV needed. You generally need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly back, not a visa |
Source: Visitor visas for workers and students: How to apply from inside Canada, IRCC. Verified August 2026.
If you are a citizen of a visa-required country, the TRV is what you need. If your country is visa-exempt, you do not use this process at all; you generally need an eTA rather than a visa to fly back to Canada. That eTA requirement is for air travel: if you enter by car, bus, train, or boat, you need only a valid passport. Confirm your own requirement on the official IRCC page before you travel.
How to apply for a TRV inside Canada, step by step
The process is entirely online through your IRCC secure account, and it uses the same form as an outside-Canada application.
Sign in to your IRCC secure account (or register for one) and select "Apply to Come to Canada" from the main page.
In the questionnaire, for "What would you like to do in Canada?" select "Study" if you hold a valid study permit or "Work" if you hold a valid work permit.
When asked for your current country or territory of residence, select "Canada."
Answer the questions about your studies or work. You may then be offered the option to extend your permit or to apply for a "Temporary Resident Visa." Choose "Temporary Resident Visa."
Complete the form in your document checklist. It is called Application for Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) Made Outside of Canada (IMM 5257). This is the correct form even though you are applying from inside Canada.
Pay your fee and check your status in your account.
The form says "Made Outside of Canada." That is normal.
This is the detail that stops people mid-application. The form IRCC gives you is literally titled Made Outside of Canada, yet it is the form you use from inside the country. IRCC confirms this on its own page. Do not go looking for a different "inside Canada" form; there is not one. If you genuinely cannot apply online, for example because you are travelling on an alien’s passport or have a disability or exceptional circumstance the online questionnaire does not cover, IRCC allows a paper application.
What it costs and when to apply
The visitor visa fee is $100 per person, or $500 for a family of five or more people applying together at the same time and place. Biometrics may also be required if yours are not already on file, which carries a separate fee.
On timing, IRCC’s guidance is direct: apply at least two months before you plan to leave Canada, and do not leave until you have the visa. Processing an application from inside Canada is not instant, and the whole point of applying early is to avoid being stuck without a valid entry document when your travel date arrives.
The maintained status gap most guides skip
Here is a real edge case the general guides gloss over. To apply for a TRV inside Canada, you need a valid study or work permit. But what if your permit has expired and you applied to extend it before it lapsed, so you are now on maintained status (sometimes still called implied status)? Maintained status keeps you legally in Canada under your old conditions while you wait, but the inside-Canada TRV page is built around holding an approved permit. If you have not filed the extension yet, our guide on how to extend a work permit walks through the timing.
IRCC’s answer is on the same page: as soon as it approves your permit extension, you can apply for the visitor visa, even before the new permit card arrives in the mail. You just have to prove the extension was approved, using a screenshot of the approval message in your account, your application number, or another document showing the approved extension. So the practical sequence for someone on maintained status is: wait for the extension approval, then apply for the TRV. Do not book travel assuming maintained status alone will get you back in.
Not sure whether your maintained status lets you apply yet, or when your extension approval counts? That is a five-minute question worth asking Ansari Immigration’s licensed RCIC directly before you file.
If you must leave Canada before your TRV is issued
Life does not always wait for processing. If you have to leave for an exceptional reason before your new visitor visa is issued, IRCC asks you to complete a web form to update your application and tell it you are leaving. This matters because IRCC may transfer your file to an office abroad and reassess it against the requirements for an applicant outside Canada. If you leave without telling IRCC, you risk a processing delay or having your passport returned with no visa in it.
Even when you do everything right, leaving early can trigger extra requirements such as biometrics or a medical exam, a longer processing time, and a delay in your return. And there is no guarantee of approval. In practice, the applicants who avoid this scramble are the ones who treat the two-months-early rule as a hard deadline, not a suggestion.
Frequently asked questions about how to apply for a TRV inside Canada
How do I apply for a TRV inside Canada?
Apply online in your IRCC secure account: select "Apply to Come to Canada," choose "Study" or "Work," set your country of residence to "Canada," and select "Temporary Resident Visa" rather than a permit extension. You complete form IMM 5257 and pay the fee in your account.
What is a TRV in Canada?
A TRV, or temporary resident visa, is an official document IRCC puts in your passport that lets you travel to and enter Canada. It is separate from your study or work permit. Your permit governs your stay inside Canada; the TRV governs your entry when you arrive.
Can I work or study while my TRV application is in process?
Yes, as long as your study or work permit is still valid or you are on maintained status because you applied to extend it in time. The TRV application is only about re-entry; it does not change your right to stay, study, or work under your permit.
Where do I send my passport for a TRV?
You do not mail your passport upfront for an online application. IRCC reviews your application first and, if approved, sends you instructions on how to submit your passport so the visa can be placed inside. Follow the request in your account rather than sending anything before you are asked.
Can I leave Canada while my TRV is being processed?
IRCC advises you not to leave until the visa is issued. If you must leave for an exceptional reason, complete IRCC’s web form to update your application first. Leaving without notice can lead to your file being transferred abroad, a delay, or your passport being returned without a visa.
I extended my work permit. Do I automatically get a new visitor visa?
No. IRCC does not issue a visitor visa automatically when you extend your permit. If your visa is expired or single entry and you plan to travel, you must submit a separate TRV application.
Related Posts
What Is Implied Status in Canada?: How maintained status keeps you legal while a permit extension is pending, and what it does and does not let you do.
Single Entry vs Multiple Entry Visa Canada: Why a single-entry visa strands you the moment you leave, and how multiple entry works.
IMM 5257: How to Fill Out the Visitor Visa Application Form: A field-by-field walk through the exact form you use for an inside-Canada TRV.
Getting help with your inside-Canada TRV
Before you apply, confirm:
You are physically in Canada and hold a valid permit (or an approved extension).
Your current visitor visa is expired, expiring soon, or single entry.
You have your permit or extension-approval proof ready to upload.
You have at least two months before your planned travel date.
Why work with Ansari Immigration. Honest first: many work and study permit holders can file this TRV themselves online, and Ansari Immigration will tell you if that is your situation. It is worth a professional read if you are on maintained status, must travel before your visa is likely to be issued, or have a past refusal. A visitor visa application from inside Canada is a flat $500, additional family members quoted separately. Every file is handled personally by the firm’s licensed RCIC, a $80, 30-minute consultation is where it starts.
Have you applied for a TRV from inside Canada, or gotten stuck on the maintained-status timing? Share what happened in the comments, keeping it general; for advice on your specific case, use a consultation.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.
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