If your Express Entry application is approved

If we approve your application, we’ll mail you a

• confirmation of permanent residence (COPR)
• a permanent resident (PR) visa (if you're from a country that needs a visa)

Your COPR will have information about who you are, as well as your photograph.

Check to make sure your information is correct. It should be the same as the information on your passport. If there is a mistake on your COPR, contact us through your account.

We can’t extend your COPR, so you should make sure to use it before it expires.

If you’re already in Canada

You need to confirm your permanent resident status virtually

In most cases, we can confirm permanent resident (PR) status

• without in-person interviews
• through a secure online portal

You don’t have to do anything until we contact you using the email or phone number you provided.

Confirm your permanent resident status through the Permanent Residence Portal

You’ll get emails from a mailbox ending in cic.gc.ca

1. Asking you to confirm your email address
2. Asking you to confirm you’re physically in Canada
3. Giving you information about the Permanent Residence Portal (and options if you can’t use it)

The portal is separate from your Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada secure account. Don’t create your own account in the Permanent Residence Portal as this can delay the process. We’ll create an account for you. Follow the instructions in the email we send you.

Learn more about the Permanent Residence Portal.

You must tell us if you leave Canada before we grant you permanent resident status.

Permanent resident cards

Once you become a permanent resident, we’ll make an electronic confirmation of permanent residence (e-COPR) available to you in the Portal so that you can provide proof of your new status in Canada. In this portal, we’ll also ask you to provide a photo so we can start the process of issuing your first permanent resident card. You don’t need to apply for your first PR card.

While you wait for your PR card, you can use your printed and signed e-COPR to

• prove you’re a permanent resident in Canada
• apply for government benefits and services for which you’re eligible (for example, to apply for your social insurance number so you can work)

If you’re outside Canada

Before you arrive in Canada

There are things you can do to prepare for life in Canada

• use free pre-arrival services, which help you
  • find out more about living and working in Canada
  • take steps to get recognition in Canada for your
    • education
    • professional licences and certificates
• read about living and finding work in Canada

When you arrive in Canada

You must have

• your valid passport or travel documents
  • Your passport must be a regular, private citizen passport.
  • You can’t immigrate to Canada with a diplomatic, government service or public affairs passport.
• your COPR and your permanent resident visa (if we gave you one)
• proof you have the funds to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada

When you arrive in Canada, you’ll meet an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The officer will

• make sure you’re entering Canada before or on the expiry date shown on your COPR
• make sure you’re the same person who was approved to travel to Canada (we may use your biometrics to do this)
• ask to see your passport and other travel documents
• ask you a few questions to make sure you’re still eligible to immigrate to Canada
  • The questions will be similar to the ones you answered when you applied.

To help speed up your entry to Canada, keep your passport and other documents with you at all times. Don’t pack them in your luggage.

We won’t allow you into Canada if you

• give false or incomplete information
• don’t satisfy the officer that you meet the conditions to enter Canada

If you’re admissible and there are no problems when you arrive, the officer will

• allow you to enter Canada as a permanent resident
• confirm your Canadian mailing address where we’ll mail your PR card

If you change your address within 180 days of arriving in Canada, you must tell us using our web form.

Disclosure of funds

If you arrive in Canada with CAN$10,000 or more, you must tell the CBSA officer. If you don’t tell them, you could be fined and your funds could be seized.

What you can bring into Canada

Before you travel to Canada, check the CBSA website to find out what you can and can’t bring into the country.

After you arrive in Canada

• find immigrant services in Canada to help you settle and adapt to life in Canada
• read the Welcome to Canada guide to help you adjust