How to Fill Out and Submit Form IMM 5710: Fees, Timing, and Biometrics

To fill out Form IMM 5710, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer, complete every mandatory field, click Validate to generate the barcode page, then upload the validated file with your supporting documents and fees through your IRCC secure account. The form — officially the Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker — is used by people already inside Canada who want to extend a work permit, change its conditions, apply for certain initial work permits without leaving, or restore expired worker status.¹

Confirm the Form Fits Your Situation

IMM 5710 is the right form if you are inside Canada and you want to:

Extend a current work permit before it expires.
Change conditions on your existing permit, such as employer, occupation, or length of authorization.
Apply for an initial work permit from inside Canada in the limited circumstances that allow it, such as being the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student already in Canada.
Apply for a post-graduation work permit after finishing a qualifying program.
Restore expired worker status within 90 days of losing it.
Apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit if you have an eligible permanent residence application in progress.²

You do not need to hold valid status to use this form, but the rules and the way you complete some fields change if your status has expired. That is covered further down.

What to Have Ready Before You Open the PDF

Missing information is the most common reason the form fails to validate. Collect these before you start:

Your Unique Client Identifier (UCI), an eight- or ten-digit number from previous IRCC correspondence. If you have never dealt with IRCC before, leave it blank or enter “N/A.”³
A clear copy of your passport biographical page and any pages with Canadian entry stamps.⁴
A digital copy of your current work or study permit.
Your employment history for the last 10 years. If you are retired, provide the 10 years before retirement.
Details of your highest level of post-secondary education, including dates, field of study, and the institution’s name and location.
If your permit is employer-specific: a copy of the LMIA and job offer letter, or the offer of employment number (starts with “A” followed by seven digits) your employer provides.
A photograph at least 35 mm × 45 mm, taken within the last six months against a plain white or light-coloured background, face square to the camera, neutral expression, mouth closed.⁵
A Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) attestation, if you work or will work in Quebec.
Proof of an upfront medical exam, if you chose to have one.

When you start the online application, IRCC’s questionnaire generates a personalized document checklist. That checklist is definitive for your situation and may add items such as proof of health insurance for International Experience Canada participants or an employment contract for the live-in caregiver stream.⁴

Filling Out and Validating the PDF

Open IMM 5710 in Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher on a desktop or laptop. The barcode function does not work on phones or tablets, and JavaScript must be enabled in Adobe Reader’s preferences.⁶

Work through the form in order. Mandatory fields carry an asterisk. Enter every date as YYYY-MM-DD; a wrong format or a conflicting date will block validation. Skip special characters and extra spaces in text fields.

If your status has expired and you are applying to restore it, the status question is handled differently. Select “Other,” type “Out-of-status – restoration” in the text field, and leave the “From” and “To” date boxes blank.¹

Answer the background questions about health, criminal history, prior visa refusals from any country, and security truthfully. False information or documents can lead to refusal, a ban from Canada of at least five years, and a permanent fraud record with IRCC.⁷

Once every required field is complete, click the Validate button at the top or bottom of the form. A new page of barcodes appears at the end of the document if everything is in order.⁸ Those barcodes carry your answers into IRCC’s processing systems. No barcodes means a missing or invalid field — go back and check every asterisked entry. A form uploaded without barcodes is rejected before an officer sees it. Do not edit the form after validation; if you change anything, validate it again so the barcodes match.

Upload, Pay, and Submit

Sign in to your IRCC secure account with GCKey or a Canadian Interac Sign-In Partner. Create an account during this step if you do not already have one.⁹

Complete the online eligibility questionnaire. It generates your personalized document checklist. Upload the validated IMM 5710 PDF, with its barcode page intact, into the designated slot, then upload each supporting document into its own slot. The system compares your uploaded form against the questionnaire answers, so any mismatch causes problems.

Pay the processing fees by credit or debit card. A digital submission confirmation appears in your account once payment is processed. That confirmation is your proof the application is in the queue.

Fees

All amounts are in Canadian dollars and are paid at submission.

Work permit, including extensions: $155 per person.¹⁰
Open work permit holder fee: $100, in addition to the $155 work permit fee, for a total of $255.¹¹
Biometrics, if required: $85 per person. Pay this at submission; paying later causes delays.¹²
Restoration of status as a worker: $401.25 total, combining the $246.25 restoration fee and the $155 work permit fee.¹³

Timing Changes What You Can Do

Applying Before Your Permit Expires

If IRCC receives your extension application before your current permit expires, you enter maintained status. You can keep working under the same conditions as your original permit, same employer and same occupation, until IRCC decides on your application, even past the printed expiry date.¹⁴ Applying early is the only way to keep this protection.

Applying After Your Permit Expires

If your permit has already expired, you have 90 days from the expiry date to apply for restoration through IMM 5710. For online applications, the deadline is midnight UTC on the 90th day.¹⁵

Restoration is not maintained status. You cannot work while a restoration application is under review. Stop working the day your permit expires and do not resume until IRCC approves the new permit. The fee is also higher, at $401.25 combined.

After You Submit

Biometrics

If biometrics are required, IRCC issues a Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL) after submission. You have 30 days to visit an official collection site in person to give fingerprints and a photo.¹⁶ Book the appointment as soon as the letter arrives. The $85 fee must have been paid at initial submission.

Decision

IRCC posts the decision in your online account. On approval, the notification in your account authorizes you to begin working under the new permit’s conditions immediately; the printed permit follows by mail to the address on your application.¹⁷

On refusal, the letter in your account explains the grounds. Maintained status continues until the decision is final, so a refusal generally means stopping work at that point and either reapplying, requesting reconsideration if available, arranging to leave, or applying for another status.

A Note on Travel

Leaving Canada while your extension is pending is risky. A border officer may admit you only as a visitor with no work authorization, may confirm an approval that came through while you were away, or may require you to apply for a new work permit at the port of entry.¹⁸ In the first case you lose the ability to work even if you had maintained status before you left. Staying in Canada until the decision is issued is the safer choice unless travel is unavoidable.

1
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker (IMM 5710)
2
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Bridging Open Work Permit for Permanent Residence Applicants
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Where Can I Find My Client ID/UCI
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide 5553 – Applying for a Work Permit Inside Canada
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Temporary Resident Visa Application Photograph Specifications
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. After I Click the Validate Button on My Application Form, Nothing Happens and I Dont See the Barcodes. Why?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Consequences of Immigration and Citizenship Fraud
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Do I Fill Out and Validate IRCC Application Forms With 2D Barcodes
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Sign In to Your IRCC Secure Account
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Do I Apply for an Open Work Permit?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Biometrics: How to Give Your Fingerprints and Photo
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Government of Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online
14
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I Applied for a New Work Permit. Can I Stay in Canada if My Work Permit Expires?
15
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Restore Your Status and Get a Work Permit
16
Government of Canada. Biometrics: Where to Give Your Fingerprints and Photo
17
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit: After You Extend
18
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I Have Applied to Extend My Work Permit. Can I Travel Outside Canada?