Renew work and study permits or request confirmation of permanent residence

Inside Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offers a variety of services that are aimed at foreign nationals who are already temporary residents. For example, study or work permit holders who wish to extend their status or obtain a new permit should present their application to IRCC within Canada. To learn more about IRCC’s services and access them, please visit IRCC or call 1-888-242-2100.

Renew work and study permits at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle and Saint-Armand/Philipsburg

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has implemented service hours for processing work and study permit renewal applications at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle and St-Armand/Philipsburg ports of entry made by individuals who:

• currently reside in Canada
• possess a valid work or study permit, and
• travelled to the USA for the sole purpose of presenting their permit application at a Canadian port of entry

If you meet these criteria, you may apply for a renewed work or study permit at these ports of entry.

Note that under R214 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, you can only apply to the CBSA for a study permit on entry if you:

• are a national or permanent resident of the United States
• have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence
• are a resident of Greenland or
• are a resident of St. Pierre and Miquelon

Service hours: Saint Armand/Philipsburg

• Monday to Thursday, from 9 am to 3 pm
• Sunday, from 9 am to 3 pm

Service hours: Saint Bernard-de-Lacolle

• Monday to Thursday, from 12 pm to 7 pm
• Saturday, from 9 am to 5 pm

Outside of these scheduled hours, any individual who meets the requirements outlined above and crosses the border at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle or at St-Armand/Philipsburg to apply for a work or study permit will be admitted into Canada if they meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. However, their application will not be processed at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle or St-Armand/Philipsburg ports of entry, and they will be invited to submit them to IRCC from within Canada.

Please be advised that even during the scheduled hours some applications might not be processed due to high volumes and excessive wait times and you may be invited to apply on line. To learn more about IRCC’s services and access them, please visit IRCC or call 1-888-242-2100.

Study and work permit renewal requests, and requests for processing of confirmation of permanent residence at the Peace Bridge, Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and Rainbow Bridge

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has implemented service hours for processing confirmation of permanent residence, and work and study permit applications at the Fort Erie (Peace Bridge), Niagara-on-the-Lake (Queenston-Lewiston Bridge) and Niagara Falls (Rainbow Bridge) ports of entry made by individuals who:

• currently reside in Canada
• possess a valid work or study permit, or hold temporary residence status, and
• travelled to the USA for the sole purpose of presenting their permit application at a Canadian port of entry

Should an individual meet these criteria, applications for confirmation of permanent residence or a renewed work or study permit may be made at these ports of entry on:

• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8 am to midnight

Outside of these scheduled hours, any individual who meets the requirements outlined above and crosses the border at the Peace Bridge, Queenston-Lewiston Bridge or Rainbow Bridge to process confirmation of permanent residence or apply for a work or study permit will be admitted into Canada if they meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. However, their application will not be processed at the Fort Erie (Peace Bridge), Niagara-on-the-Lake (Queenston-Lewiston Bridge) or Niagara Falls (Rainbow Bridge) ports of entry, and they will be invited to submit their application to IRCC from within Canada.

Please be advised that even during the scheduled hours some applications might not be processed due to high volumes and excessive wait times and you may be invited to apply on line. To learn more about IRCC’s services and access them, please visit IRCC or call 1-888-242-2100.

Related links

• Immigration and citizenship
  • Study in Canada as an international student
  • Work in Canada
  • Do you want to come to Canada, or extend your stay?
• D-Memoranda
  • Memorandum D2-5-1, Residential status of travellers arriving in Canada
    This memorandum outlines the border services procedures for determining the residential status of travellers arriving in Canada and their entitlements under border services legislation.
  • Memorandum D2-5-3, Travellers requiring mobility assistance at Canadian international airports
    This memorandum outlines the procedure for travellers requiring mobility assistance to report to the CBSA when entering Canada at Canadian international airports.
  • Memorandum D2-2-1, Settlers' Effects Tariff Item 9807.00.00
    This memorandum outlines and explains the conditions under which a settler may import goods into Canada for personal or household use without the payment of duties.
• BSF186 - Personal Effects Accounting Document