IMM 5708 Form: How to Fill Out the Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay as a Visitor

The IMM 5708 form is Canada's Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Visitor or Temporary Resident Permit Holder. You use it to stay in Canada longer as a visitor (which gives you a visitor record), to change the conditions of your stay, to restore visitor status, or to apply for a temporary resident permit. Most people use it for one reason: to extend a visit before the date they are supposed to leave. You complete it electronically and submit it online through your IRCC account, using the official IMM 5708 form and its instruction guide (Guide 5551).

Timing is the whole game. If you apply to extend your stay before your current status expires, you can legally stay in Canada until IRCC decides, which is called maintained status. Miss that date and the protection is gone: you are out of status and looking at restoration (with a $246.25 restoration fee) or leaving the country. In practice, the applications we see fall out of status are almost always the ones filed a few days too late, not the ones with a hard error. Apply early. Our guide to extending your visitor visa walks through the wider process around this form.

Not sure whether you should extend as a visitor, restore status, or something else? A 30-minute Ansari Immigration consultation points you to the right path before you file. Book a consultation

What the IMM 5708 form is used for

Question 3 of the form asks you to check what you are applying for: an extension of your status as a visitor, an initial or subsequent temporary resident permit, or a restoration of your status as a visitor. That single choice changes everything downstream, including whether you keep status while you wait. A visitor record is not a visa, and it does not guarantee you can leave and re-enter Canada. If you travel abroad, you still need a valid visitor visa or eTA to return.

How to fill out the IMM 5708 form, section by section

The form runs long, but most sections are identity and history. Work through them in order.

Personal details, passport, and identity documents

Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport, even if it is misspelled, and do not use initials. If you have no given name on your passport, leave that field blank rather than typing "NA" or an asterisk. You then record your gender, date of birth, citizenship, passport details, any national identity document, and whether you hold a US green card.

Marital status and family

If you are married, you include a copy of your marriage certificate. If you are in a common-law relationship, you must also complete the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409) and submit it with your application. A representative acting for you must be named here and on the Use of a Representative (IMM 5476) form.

Coming into Canada and details of your visit

You give the date and place you first entered Canada, your most recent entry, and the document number of your most recent visitor record, study or work permit. Then you state your reason for extending (tourism, family visit, returning student or worker, super visa, and so on), how long you want to stay, the funds you have available, and who you are visiting.

Education, employment, and background

You list your highest post-secondary education and your employment for the last 10 years. The background section is the one that gets applications returned. Every question on medical history, past overstays or unauthorized work or study, criminality, military service, and organization membership must be answered, or IRCC treats the application as incomplete and sends it back. Sign and date the form before you submit.

How long did your visitor record take to come through? Drop the timeline in the comments, real numbers help others planning around the wait. Keep it general, and for advice on your own file use a consultation.

IMM 5708 fee, processing time, and the maintained status rule

The government fee to extend your stay as a visitor is $100 per person. Restoring visitor status costs $246.25 (no separate visitor-record fee is added on top).

Source: IRCC fee list, extend your stay as a visitor and restore your status as a visitor. Verified July 2026. Fees can change without notice.

Processing times for visitor records change regularly and have run long, so check the current figure on the IRCC processing times tool and see our visitor visa processing time breakdown for context. An approved visitor record arrives by mail within 6 weeks of your decision letter.

Here is the distinction that catches people, and that a quick AI answer usually flattens: maintained status only protects visitor-extension applicants. If you apply on the IMM 5708 to extend as a visitor before your status expires, you stay in status while IRCC decides. But if you use the same form to apply for a temporary resident permit, you do not get maintained status: TRP applicants cannot maintain temporary resident status while the application is processed. Same form, very different footing.

Why the IMM 5708 form matters for your status in Canada

Falling out of status is not a paperwork footnote. It can force you to stop working or studying, complicate future applications, and put you on a 90-day restoration clock. Filing the IMM 5708 form correctly and early is how visitors, and people switching between visitor, work permit and student conditions, keep their time in Canada clean. If you entered on a visitor visa or super visa, the temporary resident visa service page explains how the pieces fit together.

Frequently asked questions about the IMM 5708 form

How do I fill out the IMM 5708 form?

Download it to a computer (it may not open on phones or tablets), answer every question, and submit it online through your IRCC account with the supporting documents. Completing it electronically reduces the errors that slow processing.

How do I submit the IMM 5708 form online?

You upload the completed form and documents through your IRCC secure account as part of the visitor record application. Follow Guide 5551, which is the official instruction guide for the online application.

Do I have to sign the IMM 5708 form?

Yes. The IMM 5708 form must be signed and dated, so complete this step before you submit. If IRCC rejects an application as incomplete, it is treated as never submitted, which can cost you your place in line and your maintained status.

How much does the IMM 5708 application cost?

The fee to extend your stay as a visitor is $100 CAD per person, per IRCC's official fee list as of July 2026. Restoring visitor status is $246.25.

What is a visitor record?

It is the document IRCC issues when it approves your extension. It lets you stay longer as a visitor (or as a worker or student authorized to be here without a permit) and carries a new expiry date, which becomes your new deadline to leave. It is not a visa and does not by itself let you re-enter Canada.

Related Posts

• How to Extend Your Visitor Visa in Canada — the full process around the visitor record, from eligibility to what to expect after you apply.

• IMM 5710: Work Permit Extension Form — the parallel form for extending your stay as a worker in Canada.

• IMM 5709: Study Permit Extension Application Form — the parallel form for extending your stay as a student.

Get your IMM 5708 application filed right and on time

The single most expensive mistake with a visitor extension is filing after your status has lapsed. If your date to leave is close, do not wait. Why work with Ansari Immigration: flat, transparent fees quoted upfront, with additional family members quoted separately, and every file handled personally by the firm's licensed RCIC, regulated by CICC, practicing since 2019 across 6,000-plus cases, with all forms, IRCC correspondence and follow-ups included. Tell us your situation and timing and reserve a consultation, or ask a general question in the comments, we read every one.

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.