By Kavita Mistry 
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced new rules, effective November 4, 2025, that clearly define when temporary visas and permits—such as visitor visas, study permits, work permits, and eTAs—can be cancelled.
The update outlines both discretionary cancellations, which depend on an officer’s decision, and automatic cancellations, where a document becomes invalid on its own.
IRCC Introduces Clear New Rules on Cancelling Temporary Visas and Permits Effective November 2025
Officers have long had the power to cancel documents, but past guidelines were unclear; the new rules give firm legal grounds when a person becomes ineligible, inadmissible, or was approved in error.
Under sections 180.1 and 180.2, a visitor visa may be cancelled due to administrative errors, loss of eligibility, becoming inadmissible after issuance, or failing to leave Canada when required.
A visa also becomes automatically void if the person becomes a permanent resident, loses the passport associated with the visa, or passes away.
An example given is a business visitor who loses their job abroad, applies for a work permit extension in Canada, gets refused, and then has their original TRV cancelled under section 180.1(e).
Another example is when an officer discovers an applicant used fake financial documents; the TRV can be cancelled for misrepresentation before entry into Canada.
Sections 12.07 and 12.08 apply similar cancellation rules to electronic travel authorisations (eTAs).
New Rules Allow eTA Cancellation for Inadmissibility, Invalid Passports, or Issuance Errors
An eTA may be cancelled if the traveller becomes criminally inadmissible, if their passport becomes invalid, or if the eTA was issued by mistake.
For instance, a French traveller with an eTA who is later convicted of a serious crime can have it cancelled for criminal inadmissibility.
If someone renews their passport but forgets to apply for a new eTA, the old eTA becomes invalid automatically.
Study permits are now covered under sections 222.7 and 222.8, and work permits under sections 209.01 and 209.02.
IRCC can cancel a study or work permit if it was issued by mistake or if the person no longer meets eligibility requirements.
These permits also get cancelled automatically if the holder becomes a permanent resident or dies.
A work permit can be withdrawn if it was approved due to an oversight, such as failing to confirm LMIA or employer eligibility.
An example is a student whose institution is later found non-compliant with the DLI list; their study permit may be cancelled due to administrative error.
Another example is a work permit tied to an employer who is later found non-compliant, which can also be revoked.
If someone received a visa, study permit, or work permit through a temporary public policy waiver—typically used for emergencies or humanitarian reasons—that waived factor cannot later be used as grounds for cancellation.
These new rules replace vague, broadly interpreted powers with clear legal wording for each document type.
The changes align with Canada’s ongoing efforts to manage temporary resident numbers through stronger post-arrival monitoring, anti-fraud measures, tighter eligibility requirements, more data sharing, and stricter controls to reduce misuse and overstays.