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Apply for permanent residence

On this page

  1. Fill out the application form
  2. Upload your documents
  3. Pay the fees
  4. Submit your application

1. Fill out the application form

If we invite you to apply for permanent residence, you'll get a message in your account telling you:

  • which program you've been invited to apply for
  • what to do next

Your invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only. Start filling out the application form right away, so that you can get all the information and documents you need before your invitation expires.

To fill out the application form:

  1. Sign in to your account.
  2. Go to “Continue my profile / application, not yet submitted”.
  3. On the right-hand side of the row with “application type” as “permanent residency,” choose the blue “Continue application” button.

Sign in to your IRCC secure account

Help filling out the application form

The form will ask if you’ve applied to IRCC before. This means a full application – for example, for a visa, a work permit, another immigration program. Filling out an Express Entry profile doesn’t count.

It will also ask if you’ve applied for Express Entry before. Similarly, you should only answer “yes” if you filled out a permanent residence application and submitted it electronically. A profile on its own, even if you got an invitation to apply, doesn’t count as applying.

If you're not invited to apply

If you’re not invited to apply within 12 months of submitting your Express Entry profile, it will automatically expire. You can see this date in your account.

When your profile expires, it will be removed from the system. You will get a message in your account.

You can still create a new profile. If your profile is about to expire, you can print out screen shots of your profile to make it easier to re-enter your data.

Don’t create a new profile until your existing profile expires. If you do, you’ll need to withdraw your existing profile first.

To withdraw your profile:

  1. Sign in to your account.
  2. Go to “View the applications you submitted” on the main page.
  3. Click the “Withdraw profile” link.
  4. Click the “Continue” button below the “Warning!” text.

If you don’t submit a new profile, you can’t mention Express Entry in your profiles on any job boards.

If you submit a new profile, you’ll get a new:

  • Express Entry profile number
  • Job Seeker validation code for Job Bank

Other ways to immigrate

You may consider applying directly to a province or territory through the Provincial Nominee Program or find out about other options to immigrate to Canada.

If you decline your invitation to apply

If you decline an invitation, you'll be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You'll be considered in future rounds of invitations, if you’re still eligible.

The cut-off score varies from round to round. If your score isn’t high enough, you might not be invited to apply again. In some cases, you may have to take steps to be invited to apply again. For example, you may need to:

There is no guarantee that you'll be invited to apply again. However, if you choose to re-enter the pool, declining an invitation won't affect whether or not you’re invited to apply later.

If you don't decline an invitation and you don't apply within 60 days, the invitation will expire and your profile will be removed from the pool. To be considered in future rounds of invitations you'll have to:

  • fill out and submit a new Express Entry profile
  • meet the eligibility
  • be accepted into the pool again

If your personal situation changes

If your situation (or that of your spouse or common-law partner) changes, you should re-calculate your score before applying online for permanent residence.

If your recalculated score is less than the lowest score in your round of invitations, you should decline the invitation. If you decide to apply anyway, we may:

  • refuse your application
  • not refund your application fee

Some examples of changes that could lower your score:

  • you no longer have a valid job offer
  • you no longer have a provincial nomination
  • your language test scores:
    • have expired
    • are lower after you were retested

If your work permit expires before you apply

If your work permit expires before you apply, your score may drop. For example, this could happen if you got points for a job offer based on the expired work permit.

If your score drops below the minimum cut-off:

  • You should decline the invitation.
  • If you submit your application anyway, we’ll refuse it.

After you decline:

2. Upload your documents

Get the right documents

You’ll need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile. The system gives you a personalized document checklist once you’ve completed the online form.

Most applicants will also need to upload:

Other documents you might need

You only need to submit these if we included them in your personalized document checklist:

Your application may be refused or rejected if you don’t submit these documents. They’re used to check if you meet the requirements of the program you’re applying for.

Translation of documents

If one of your documents is in a language other than English or French, you must also upload:

  • an English or French translation that’s:
    • stamped by a certified translator
      • The translator should photocopy your original document and stamp it if that’s what they based the translation on.
      • All stamps and seals that aren’t in English or French must also be translated.
      • You can include a scanned copy of a letter explaining that you don’t need an affidavit because you used a certified translator.
    • or
    • accompanied by an affidavit from the person who completed the translation
      • Use this option only if a translation cannot be completed by a certified translator.
      • Both the translated document and the original document the translator worked from must be referred to in the affidavit.
  • and
  • a scan of the original document, or a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document that the translator worked from
    • You only need to provide a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document if the translation was based on the certified photocopy.

Certified translator

A certified translator is a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad. Their certification must be confirmed by a seal or stamp that shows the translator’s membership number.

All stamps and seals that are not in English or French must also be translated.

Any family member, representative or consultant of the applicant who may be a lawyer, notary or translator is not permitted to translate documents.

A translator in the process of receiving their certification or accreditation is not considered a certified translator for IRCC’s purposes.

Certified photocopy

What is a certified photocopy

A certified photocopy is a photocopy of an original document that is readable and certified as a true copy of the original by an authorized person.

The authorized person compares the documents and marks on the photocopy:

  • their name and signature
  • their position or title
  • the name of the original document
  • the date they certified the document
  • the phrase “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document.”

Who can certify photocopies

In Canada, examples of authorized persons who can certify the copies of your original documents include:

  • notary public
  • commissioner of oaths, or
  • commissioner of taking affidavits

Check with your provincial or territorial authorities to be sure who can certify your documents.

Outside Canada, each country has different authorities to certify documents. A notary public may be able to certify your documents, but you should check with your local authorities to be sure.

You and your family members cannot certify copies of your documents. In this case, family member means your:

  • parent
  • guardian
  • sibling
  • spouse
  • common-law partner
  • conjugal partner
  • grandparent
  • child
  • aunt
  • uncle
  • niece
  • nephew
  • first cousin

Affidavits

What is an affidavit

An affidavit for a translation is a document that states the translation is an accurate version of the original text.

The translator swears in front of a commissioner, who is authorized to administer oaths in the country where they live, that their translation of the original document is accurate. The commissioner or notary public must be proficient in English or French in order to administer the oath.

Who can take an affidavit

In Canada, an affidavit can be taken by a:

  • notary public
  • commissioner of oaths
  • commissioner of taking affidavits

Outside Canada, an affidavit can be taken by a notary public or equivalent.

Who can’t take an affidavit

Affidavits must not be taken by:

  • the applicant themselves
  • any member of the applicant’s family, even if they’re a lawyer, notary or authorized translator, including:
    • parents
    • guardians
    • siblings
    • spouses
    • common-law partners
    • conjugal partners
    • grandparents
    • children
    • aunts or uncles
    • nieces or nephews
    • first cousins

How to sign PDF forms
  • Hand signature (also called a wet signature): Print and sign the form by hand.
  • Digital signature: Insert on PDF forms. You can type your name, use DocuSign or use secure signatures.

Scan and upload

Gather all the documents on your checklist and make electronic copies using a scanner or camera. Make sure you use one of the formats we accept.

Once you have your documents ready, upload them in your document checklist.

Get a medical exam, if you need one

An immigration medical exam (IME) from a panel physician is a requirement for permanent residence. Your family members must also have a medical exam, even if they aren’t coming with you.

If you've never had a medical exam
  1. Upload a blank document in the upload field of the Express Entry Profile Builder when submitting your application.
  2. Wait for us to send you further instructions on when to get your medical exam.

We won’t approve your permanent residence application if your health:

  • is a danger to Canada’s public health or safety
  • would cause too much demand on health or social services in Canada
If you've had a medical exam before

If you have already completed an IME as part of a previous application (for example, to work or study) and are currently living in Canada, you may not need to complete another one when you apply for permanent residence.

When the panel physician completed your exam, they would have given you:

  • an information printout sheet, and
  • an IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report form

Please provide a copy of these documents, or your IME number (or unique medical identifier number) from your previous medical exam when you apply online.

If we cannot use your old results, we’ll send you instructions on how to get your medical exam done after you submit your application.

3. Pay the fees

Our permanent residence fees increased on April, 2024

If you paid your fees before April 30, 2024, but have not yet submitted your complete application, you will need to pay the difference.

The system will show you a list of fees you need to pay, including:

  • processing fee for you and your family members
  • right of permanent residence fee
  • biometrics fee

Find out how much you can expect to pay

Pay your fees through your IRCC secure account. You’ll need a debit or credit card to do this.

At a minimum, you must pay your processing fees when you submit your application. Avoid delays by paying all of your fees now (including your right of permanent residence fee).

Refunds

If your application isn’t complete, we’ll tell you and refund your:

  • processing fee
  • right of permanent residence fee (if you’ve paid it)

We won’t refund the processing fee once we start processing your application.

Paying fees after you apply

You must pay your fees in your account when you submit your application.

You can pay these fees after you apply if you:

4. Submit your application

Before you submit your application, make sure you:

The system won’t let you submit the application unless you include all the required documents and fill out all the mandatory form fields.

Sign in to your IRCC secure account

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