What is the difference between maintained status and applying for restoration?

Maintained status, formerly called implied status, applies automatically when you apply to extend or change your permit before it expires and you remain in Canada. Your existing conditions simply continue on the same terms while IRCC processes the new application — there is no gap, no separate application, and no fee just to have maintained status apply.

Restoration is different and only comes into play after status has already expired. It is a formal, separate application asking IRCC to restore your temporary resident status retroactively, and it is discretionary rather than automatic. Restoration is only available within a defined window after expiry; once that window closes, restoration is no longer possible, and the person generally needs to leave Canada and apply from outside instead.

The practical difference that trips people up is timing: applying before your permit expires keeps you under maintained status with no interruption, while applying after it has already lapsed puts you into the much less certain restoration process, with its own eligibility requirements and a hard cutoff. Knowing your permit's expiry date and applying well ahead of it is what avoids the harder path entirely.