Can you keep working while renewing your work permit during a Manitoba SWM application?
If you apply to extend or change your work permit before it expires and stay in Canada, you can generally keep working under the conditions of your original permit while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes the application. Check Manitoba's Skilled Worker in Manitoba (SWM) requirements separately. The province lists a valid work permit among its criteria, so confirm what evidence the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) will accept at your current stage if your original permit has expired.
Check what you filed and when
Start with your original permit and the submission confirmation for your new application. Check that you filed before the original expiry date and that the application was for a work permit. If you applied for a visitor record or a study permit instead, IRCC says you must stop working when your original work permit expires. A provincial expression of interest, invitation or nomination does not extend federal work authorization.
If your existing permit names an employer, check the employer, occupation and location conditions on the document before accepting a change to your duties or schedule. A pending application to change conditions does not itself let you work under the proposed conditions. If you plan to travel outside Canada during processing, check the rules on your ability to work after returning before booking or agreeing to shifts.
Keep two timelines for your application
Record the date your permit expires, the time you submitted your federal application and the date you received confirmation. On the same sheet, record where you are in the provincial process: expression of interest, invitation received or application submitted. This makes it easier to see whether a Manitoba deadline falls while your federal application is pending.
Keep a copy of the original permit, the federal submission confirmation, any IRCC letter about continued work and an up-to-date record of your employment. When contacting MPNP, explain your stage and ask which documents it requires to assess your file. IRCC's rules explain when work can continue. The province's eligibility page sets out its own requirements for the nomination stream.
Review your next shift when the situation changes
When IRCC issues a decision, review the outcome and any conditions before confirming further shifts. If you did not apply before your permit expired, follow IRCC's instructions for an expired permit and check what you may do while resolving your status. If your employment also changed, review both your federal authorization and whether the employment still supports your SWM application.
If you have applied to the MPNP or received a nomination and your work permit has expired or will expire within 45 days, follow Manitoba’s contact instructions and notify the province through the Skilled Worker Webform. Submitting the form does not extend your permit or give you permission to work.
For an individual review with 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group, prepare your original permit, federal submission confirmation, provincial application stage and current employment details.
Sources checked 6 November 2026
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