What is an Extension Visa? What is process to extend visa for US or Canada?

Visa extension is a process of renewal or extension of your visa to stay longer in the country. Everyone must extend their visa for overstay in the immigrating nation; otherwise, they may either have to bear a hefty penalty or leave the land.

Immigrants who wish to extend their stay in a foreign country need to apply for the extension of their visa. No matter what kind of visa they have, they need to extend or renew their permit before it expires.

Every country has its visa rules that apply to all expatriates who wish to move into a foreign country either as a visitor or a permanent resident. However, the visa extension rules are applied to all the immigrants of almost all the countries in the world.

Mostly, people prefer to go to popular countries like Canada, Australia, and the USA, to study, work, business deals and meetings, or as a visitor. Perhaps, they might stay in the country for longer. In such cases, they are required to apply for a visa extension.

Canadian Visa Extension

To enter Canada as a visitor, you must have-

• A travel document or valid passport
• A visitor visa or temporary resident visa
• An eTA (electronic travel authorization)

Further, you need to extend your visa if you wish to stay longer in the country. To extend your visa limit, you must apply for a Visitor record. 

Remember that, a Visitor record is not a visa but a document that consists of a new expiry date and allows to stay longer in the Canadian provinces till the original expiry date.

When to Apply for US or Canada Visa Extension?

As per the Canadian government, to extend the current status of their visa, applicants should apply 30 days before the expiry of their stay.

To check the expiry status of your visa, you can consider-

• The stamp in your travel document or passport. However, who don’t have stamps in their travel document or passport, there is a minimum of six months validity starting from the day of entry in the country.
• Your study permit (for study permit holders)
• Your work permit (for work permit holders)
• Your visitor record (if already applied once for a visa extension)

How to Apply for Visa Extension?

You can apply for your visa extension in 2 ways-

• Online mode
• Offline mode

Well, the most convenient way to apply for the extension of your stay is online as it is fast in processing and less in cost. Moreover, you can track your application status also. 

While submitting your application, you need to pay $100 as an application fee. After submitting an application request, it will take 103 days to complete your application process.

Process for US Visa Extension

If you wish to enter the United States (US) for short term purposes, you’ll get a nonimmigrant visa. The stay duration of a nonimmigrant visa is mentioned as the date stamped in your passport at the port of entry. The date is mentioned in Form I-94.

Form I-94 is the document that records the arrival/ departure of immigrants entering the US. This form is attached by a CBP (Custom & Border Protection) officer. 

By using the information mentioned in the form, the US government can track the record of the visitors. 

Eligibility for Visa Extension

For staying longer in the country, you need to extend the visa expiry date in the form I-94. However, before applying for the extension of your stay, you must fulfil some eligibility criteria. These are-

• You entered lawfully in the US as a nonimmigrant.
• You should be free from any allegation or criminal act.
• You must have a valid passport of at least six months validity to expire.

To apply for the visa extension, you need to submit an online application with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). However, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to process your form. Once your request is confirmed, you can stay longer in the US till the next expiry date of your stay.

Finally, like Canada and the US, the other countries also have their process for extending the immigrant visa to stay longer in the country. You can check for the procedure on the official immigration website of the nation in which you are staying or want to visit.

About Post Author

Shobha Vats

See author's posts