Overview
Permanent Residence Portal
The Permanent Residence Portal is used for particular PR applications and for confirming status from inside Canada. It is not the same as the IRCC secure account or application-status tracker.
Use the account IRCC identifies
Do not create a new PR Portal account merely because an application was approved.Source [1]
If the application was filed through the portal, IRCC may use that account. Otherwise, IRCC creates the confirmation account and sends access instructions after approval.
The invitation emails ask for basic information and then indicate when IRCC is ready to confirm status.
Confirm physical presence truthfully
A person must be physically in Canada for virtual confirmation through this process. Selecting that the person is in Canada does not itself make the person a permanent resident.
If travel is planned before e-COPR is issued, follow the contact instructions in the invitation rather than making an inaccurate declaration.
Provide the address and photo for the first card
The portal requests a Canadian address and a digital photograph. The photograph can be returned if it does not meet the technical and image requirements.
IRCC does not normally mail the first card to a representative or an ordinary third-party address.
Download and preserve the e-COPR
After status is confirmed, IRCC uploads the electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Download it, check the personal information and keep permanent copies.
The e-COPR can prove status in Canada while the first PR card is being produced, but it is not the normal document for boarding a commercial return trip to Canada.
When to get legal advice
When travel history or permanent-resident status is uncertain: Permanent Residence Portal
An immigration lawyer can assess the dates, documents and legal consequences before travel, renewal or an official status decision.
The residency calculation is close
Travel records are incomplete
A document was refused
CBSA or IRCC raised a concern
A focused question may only need 15 minutes.
Use the time to identify the issue, any immediate risk and the next sensible step. If the matter needs more work, the lawyer can explain the proposed scope before you decide whether to proceed.
Read what an immigration lawyer can do and how an immigration law firm may handle further work.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about permanent residence portal
Should I create my own portal account after approval?
No. Follow IRCC's email. IRCC says it will create an account if the application was not submitted through the Permanent Residence Portal.
Can I confirm PR status while outside Canada?
Not through the in-Canada virtual confirmation process. Contact IRCC using the instructions in the invitation if travel affects the confirmation.
More in the PR process
