Apply for a visa inside Canada | Inland TRV applications

If you are a foreign worker or international student in Canada, you may need a temporary resident visa to travel outside Canada and return. In some situations, you can submit an inland TRV application without leaving Canada. However, holding a work permit or study permit does not automatically give you a valid visa. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) treats the permit and the visa as separate documents.

This distinction matters most when you extend your Work or study permit from inside Canada. IRCC does not normally issue a new TRV simply because it approves an extension of your permit. Therefore, if your existing visa has expired or will soon expire and you intend to travel, you may need to apply separately for a new TRV.

What Is a TRV?

A temporary resident visa, commonly called a TRV or visitor visa, is a counterfoil that IRCC normally places in the passport of a visa-required foreign national. It allows the person to travel to Canada and seek entry at a Canadian port of entry. However, a valid TRV does not guarantee admission to Canada. A border services officer must still determine that the person meets the entry requirements.

A work permit or study permit serves a different purpose. It authorizes a foreign national to work or study in Canada under the conditions stated on the permit. It is not a travel document. Therefore, a visa-required worker or student normally needs both a valid permit and a valid TRV when returning to Canada after travelling abroad.

Some foreign nationals require an electronic travel authorization, or eTA, instead of a TRV. The document you need depends mainly on your nationality, travel document and method of travel. For this reason, always confirm Canada’s entry requirements before making travel arrangements.

Who Can Submit an Inland TRV Application?

IRCC currently allows a person to apply for a visitor visa from inside Canada only if the person meets all of the following requirements:

1. You are currently inside Canada.
2. You hold a valid study permit or work permit.
3. You intend to leave Canada and return soon.
4. Your existing visitor visa has expired, is about to expire, or was valid for only one entry.

These requirements are important. Simply being physically present in Canada does not make someone eligible for the inland TRV process. In particular, IRCC specifically requires the applicant to hold a valid work permit or study permit.

If you have already left Canada before applying for the new TRV, you must normally follow the process for applying from outside Canada instead. Different processing requirements may apply once you are outside Canada.

Inland TRV Applications After Extending a Work or Study Permit

A common situation occurs when a worker or student applies to extend their permit from inside Canada. The applicant may receive approval for the new permit, but IRCC does not automatically issue a new TRV with the extension. If the person needs a TRV for future travel, they must submit a separate visa application.

You do not have to wait for the physical work permit or study permit to arrive in the mail before applying for the TRV. Once IRCC approves the permit extension, you may submit the inland TRV application. You should provide evidence of the approval with the visa application.

For example, you may provide a screenshot of the approval message in your IRCC account, the application number, or another document confirming that IRCC approved the extension. This change can save valuable time when you have upcoming travel plans.

What If You Have Maintained Status?

Maintained status allows some temporary residents to remain in Canada after their previous period of authorized stay expires while IRCC processes a timely extension application. However, maintained status does not mean the expired physical work permit or study permit remains valid for every immigration purpose.

This distinction matters for an inland TRV application. IRCC’s current instructions require the applicant to hold a valid work permit or study permit. Therefore, if your previous permit has expired and your extension application is still being processed, it is generally appropriate to wait for IRCC to approve the extension before submitting the inland TRV application.

Once IRCC approves the extension, you may apply for the TRV immediately. You do not need to wait for IRCC to deliver the physical permit, as long as you can submit evidence that IRCC approved the extension.

How to Apply for a TRV From Inside Canada

Eligible workers and students normally apply online through their IRCC secure account. From the account, select the option to apply to come to Canada and answer the questionnaire according to your circumstances.

When IRCC asks what you would like to do in Canada, select Study if you hold a valid study permit or Work if you hold a valid work permit. When IRCC asks for your current country or territory of residence, select Canada. Continue answering the questions about your Work or studies until the system provides the option to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa.

Interestingly, the application form may appear as Application for Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) Made Outside of Canada, IMM 5257. Despite the form name, IRCC specifically instructs eligible workers and students applying from inside Canada to use IMM 5257.

You can upload the required documents, pay the applicable fees and submit the application through your online account. The exact document checklist may vary depending on your circumstances, so follow the personalized checklist IRCC generates for your application.

When Should You Apply for an Inland TRV?

IRCC recommends applying for the new TRV at least two months before you plan to leave Canada. Processing times can change, and approval is never guaranteed. Therefore, avoid making travel plans that depend on receiving the visa by a particular date unless you have considered the processing risk.

IRCC also recommends that applicants remain in Canada until they receive the new TRV. Leaving Canada while the application is under processing may complicate the process. IRCC could require additional biometrics, a medical examination or other information, and processing may take longer.

More importantly, you may not be able to return to Canada until IRCC approves the TRV and the visa appears in your passport. If exceptional circumstances force you to leave Canada while the application is still being processed, IRCC instructs you to notify the department through its web form before departure. IRCC may then need to transfer the application to an office outside Canada and reassess the application under the applicable overseas requirements.

A Work or Study Permit Does Not Guarantee Re-entry

Even when your work permit or study permit remains valid, the permit itself does not authorize you to travel to Canada. A visa-required foreign national normally also needs a valid TRV. Certain foreign nationals may be eligible for an eTA instead.

Similarly, having both a valid permit and a valid TRV does not guarantee re-entry. The Canada Border Services Agency makes the final admissibility and entry determination when you arrive at a Canadian port of entry. You must continue to meet the requirements applicable to your circumstances.

Workers and students should therefore check both documents before travelling. A person may have a work permit that remains valid for another year while their TRV has already expired. In that situation, the valid work permit alone will normally not allow the person to board transportation to Canada and return as a worker.

Limited Exception for Travel to the United States or St-Pierre and Miquelon

A limited exception may apply to certain temporary residents travelling only to the United States or St-Pierre and Miquelon. In some circumstances, a person whose TRV has expired may return to Canada after such travel if they return before the end of their authorized period of stay and meet the applicable regulatory requirements.

This exception is narrow and depends on the person’s circumstances. Do not interpret it as a general exemption from the TRV requirement. Travellers should verify that they meet all requirements before relying on it.

Passport Submission After TRV Approval

Do not mail your passport to IRCC when you submit the online TRV application. Wait until IRCC approves the application and sends you a passport request letter. IRCC currently gives applicants 30 days after the passport request to submit the passport.

For applicants in Canada, IRCC requires you to submit your passport by mail or courier. You cannot submit the passport in person. Include your passport, a copy of the passport request letter showing your UCI and application number, and the prepaid return envelope required by IRCC.

IRCC recommends trackable Canada Post services such as Xpresspost or Priority Post if you do not use a courier. You need two prepaid envelopes. Residents of Ontario or Quebec should purchase regional envelopes, while residents of other provinces and territories should purchase national envelopes.

The outgoing envelope should be letter size, approximately 318 × 241 mm. The return envelope should be standard size, approximately 260 × 159 mm. Write your full return address on the return envelope and keep the tracking numbers for both envelopes.

Canada Post address

Temporary Resident Visa Section
CPC-Ottawa (e-Application)
PO Box 9640
Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 6T2

Courier address

Temporary Resident Visa Section
CPC-Ottawa (e-Application)
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1

IRCC states that once the processing office receives the passport, it aims to return it within 10 business days, plus mailing time. This is an operational target, not a guarantee. Therefore, avoid booking international travel until you receive your passport back.

Because passport-submission instructions and addresses can change, always check the current IRCC instructions and your passport request letter before mailing your passport.

Plan Your Inland TRV Application Carefully

An inland TRV application can make international travel easier for eligible foreign workers and international students in Canada; however, the timing matters. Extending a work permit or study permit does not automatically extend or replace an expired TRV.

Before applying, confirm that you hold a valid work permit or study permit and meet IRCC’s other requirements for applying from inside Canada. If you recently applied to extend your permit, wait for approval before submitting the TRV application. Once IRCC approves the extension, you may apply for the TRV without waiting for the new physical permit to arrive.

Travel can also affect a pending application. Therefore, applicants should apply well before their expected departure date and, where possible, remain in Canada until IRCC issues the new visa.

The information in this article is for general informational purposes only. Immigration requirements and IRCC procedures may change. Always verify the current requirements before applying or travelling.