Why should I verify and record the expiry date of all SIN cards bearing a number that begins with a "9"?

If an employee has a SIN beginning with a “9”, you must verify that the date on the SIN card has not expired. SINs that begin with a “9” are issued to temporary workers who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents. These SINs are valid only until the expiry date printed on the front of the card. The expiry date corresponds to the date on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada document authorizing a person to work in Canada.

Before hiring a new employee

You must see the employee's existing immigration document authorizing him or her to work in Canada (e.g. work permit, study permit) and verify that it has not expired. If the immigration document has expired, you should ask the employee to contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to obtain a valid document.

Before extending employment for your employee

You must verify that the employee is eligible to continue working in Canada. Your employee must have applied to extend their authorization to stay and work in Canada with CIC in advance of the expiry date on their document.

If a temporary resident applies for renewal of their work or study permit and their permit expires before a decision is made, paragraph 186(u) and section 189 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulation provides them the right to continue working or studying under the same conditions, pending a determination of their application for renewal, as long as they remain in Canada. This is referred as "implied status". The temporary foreign worker will have implied status until a decision is rendered by CIC.

In this case, a SIN card bearing a new expiry date will only be issued once CIC has rendered a decision. In the interim, where "implied status" is confirmed, the expired SIN may continue to be used. To obtain a replacement SIN card with a new expiry date, the temporary foreign worker must apply and present a valid immigration document issued by CIC.

For more information about hiring or extending the work of temporary foreign workers, you may contact the CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.