Programs exempt from the in-Canada mandatory electronic application (e-application) requirement for temporary residents
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
Foreign nationals who are in Canada as temporary residents and are seeking to extend their temporary resident status or their authorization to work or study must apply by electronic means only, unless otherwise specified.
On June 4, 2019, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) were amended to make an electronic application mandatory for most temporary residence applications made from within Canada. Specifically, section R9.2 provides that the following applications must be made by the electronic means made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose:
- an application for an extension of an authorization to remain in Canada as a temporary resident
- an application that is made in Canada for a work or study permit or for renewal of such a permit
- an application for the restoration of temporary resident status
- an application that is made pursuant to a youth mobility arrangement entered into by Canada
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Exceptions — Use of other means
Clients may use means other than the electronic option if they meet one of the following exceptions:
Exceptional circumstances beyond the control of foreign nationals, individuals or entities
Section R9.4 provides for an exception to the mandatory electronic application submission if the Minister determines that
- the infrastructure in a country is inadequate or incompatible with the electronic means made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose
- a natural disaster, political turmoil or other situation prevents or impedes the use of electronic means or makes using them unreliable
Disability
A foreign national or an individual who, because of a disability, is unable to meet a requirement to make an electronic application may do so by any other means that is made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose, such as the paper application form [R9.5].
At this time, the other means made available is the paper application. Applicants in Canada are not required to specify their disability. Officers should accept the paper application if it is complete.
System restrictions (IRCC Secure Account)
Applicants must use the IRCC Secure Account (referred to as MyAccount or MyCIC Account) to submit their application electronically. Applicants must create a GCKey or use a Sign-In Partner to access their secure account.
The individual secure account requires applicants to go through a question flow to create their personalized document checklist. The question flow is available outside of the IRCC secure account as the Come to Canada tool.
Note: Authorized paid representatives with access to the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal are required to submit applications electronically on behalf of their clients. Since representatives select the documents they wish to upload instead of having a personalized document list provided based on the logic of the question flow, representatives should be able to submit all applications using the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal. Representatives may submit an application on paper under one of the programs in the list below if they are not able to submit the application through the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal.
The Minister has determined that the question flow in the individual secure account is inadequate for specific applicants inside Canada. As a result, these applicants are exempt from the mandatory online application.
The following is a list of the exemptions from the mandatory electronic application process for persons applying inside Canada.
System restrictions – Specific exemption details
| Permit category | Program |
|---|---|
| A75 | Bridging open work permit applicants in Canada who used Express Entry to submit their permanent residence application and have received an acknowledgment of receipt letter. |
| C10 | Quebec physicians |
| C21 | International Experience Canada (IEC) participants changing the period of participation or employer after their initial work permit is issued. |
| C43 | Post-graduation work permit extensions where the applicant did not receive the full authorized period allowed. |
| H81 | Destitute students |
| H82 | Holders of a temporary resident permit valid for a minimum of 6 months. If a temporary resident permit application is submitted with a work permit application, both applications (IMM 5708 and IMM 5710) need to be submitted on paper together. If the foreign national is already a temporary resident permit holder, they may submit their work permit application online. |
| LMIA-required | Seafood-processing workers |
| LMIA-required and LMIA-exempt | Urgent referrals process for work permits or otherwise specified by the Clients Support Centre’s call handling document |
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Refugee claimants. A foreign national may apply for a work permit by submitting the work permit application [IMM 5710 (PDF, 576 KB)] on paper or applying online if they did not apply via the “Schedule 12” form or the Portal. |
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Persons under an unenforceable removal order. |
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Failed refugee claimants waiting for removal who need to support themselves. |
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Visitors |
Family members of study or work permit holders who are in Canada and applying for an initial study permit. |
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Visitors |
Family members of low-skilled work permit holders as specified in the Public policy, competitiveness and economy instructions. |
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Visitors |
Applicants using one of the following travel documents from a visa-exempt country:
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