Iran special measures narrowed to eligible work-permit extensions

Who may qualify

• An Iranian national with a valid passport.
• Inside Canada with a valid work permit both on the application date and when IRCC makes the decision.
• The valid work permit was issued on or before February 28, 2025.
• The applicant files an in-Canada work-permit extension and has not already received an extension under the March 1, 2026 measure.
• All ordinary work-permit eligibility and admissibility requirements not expressly exempted are still met.

What the measure can provide

An eligible applicant may receive a work-permit extension for up to 2 years. The actual validity cannot go beyond the passport expiry date and remains subject to IRCC's decision.

The deadline is March 31, 2027. The policy applies to applications received from March 1, 2026 and before expiry or earlier revocation.

Who is not covered by the special measure

Iranian visitors and study-permit holders cannot use this policy to change to a different type of permit. They may apply through the regular process to extend their visitor or student status if eligible.

A work permit issued after February 28, 2025, an expired work permit at filing, being outside Canada, or already receiving the one extension under this measure does not fit the published conditions.

Application, fees and maintained status

• Apply online from inside Canada using the worker-status extension process and include a copy of the valid passport or travel document.
• Pay CAN$155 for work-permit processing, plus CAN$100 when the open-work-permit holder fee applies; biometrics fees may also apply.
• Renew the passport first if it expires within the requested period, because IRCC cannot issue a permit past passport expiry.
• A complete application filed before the current permit expires may create maintained status, allowing work only under the expiring permit's conditions while the application is processed.
• For a webform about the application, IRCC instructs applicants to include “Iran2023” in the text box.

Practical caution

The expiry date alone does not create eligibility. Nationality, location, current valid work permit, original issue date, prior use of the 2026 measure, passport validity and admissibility must all be checked together on the filing date.