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Traveling to India while a work permit extension is pending after the previous permit expired

Canada • Work Permit • work 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • Valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or eTA

    One member cautioned that your travel visa may have expired along with your work permit — check this before you fly.

Step-by-Step

A member whose previous work permit expired (with an extension application already submitted) asked about their options for traveling to India.

What group members advised:
  1. You're generally free to leave Canada — there's no restriction on returning to your home country while a work permit extension is in process, since maintained status while a renewal is pending applies to staying in Canada, not to leaving.

  2. Check your travel document (visa/eTA) separately from your work permit. One member flagged that your Temporary Resident Visa may have expired around the same time as your work permit, and you'd need a valid travel document to come back into Canada — the two aren't automatically the same thing.


Takeaway: leaving Canada itself isn't blocked by a pending work permit extension, but re-entry depends on having a valid travel document (TRV/eTA), so confirm that status separately before booking travel, since maintained status protects your stay in Canada but doesn't extend a travel document.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Tip: A pending work permit extension doesn't stop you from traveling out of Canada.
  • Do: Check whether your Temporary Resident Visa or eTA is still valid separately from your work permit before booking travel — it may have expired at the same time.
  • Don't: Don't assume maintained status (while your extension is pending) covers your ability to re-enter Canada — it only protects your stay, not your travel document validity.

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