Health-care workers permanent residence pathway: After you apply

On this page

• How we process your application
  • get your fingerprints and photo taken
  • things that may delay your application
  • track and update your application
• If we approve your application
• If we refuse your application

How we process your application

We’ll review your application and check that it’s complete.

We’ll return it to you if

• it’s incomplete
• fees are missing
• we didn’t receive it within the deadline (on or before August 31, 2021)

If your application is complete, we’ll start checking your eligibility. If you meet the basic eligibility requirements, we’ll

• advise the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that you’ve applied so that they can put your pending refugee claim on hold, if you have one.
• send you an
  • application number
  • acknowledgement of receipt
• If you plan to live outside Quebec, we’ll
  • assess your application and check that you have the required work experience, or
  • hold on to your application until we get your proof of work experience, if you didn’t include it with your application
• If you plan to live in Quebec, we’ll
  • invite you to apply for a Certificat de Sélection du Québec (CSQ) from the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration du Québec (MIFI)
    • The CSQ is proof you meet Quebec’s work experience requirements.
  • hold on to your application until we get your proof of work experience from MIFI

After we confirm your eligibility and work experience, we’ll

• ask you to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics), if required
• ask you for more documents, if necessary
• ask you and your family to
  • complete medical examinations
  • pass our criminal and security checks
• set up an interview, if necessary

Get your fingerprints and photo taken

You may need to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) after you apply for permanent residence if either

• you haven’t given biometrics before
• it’s been longer than 10 years since you last gave them

We’ll contact you if you need to give biometrics. If you do, you’ll need to give them when the biometric collection sites closest to you start offering services again.

Learn more about biometrics.

Things that may delay your application

In some cases, it may take us longer to process your application if

• your family situation is complex (for example, divorce, adoption or child custody issues are unresolved)
• our processing office has to contact other offices in Canada or abroad to verify the information in your application
• the contact information on file (address, telephone, email) is outdated and we can’t contact you or a family member
• there are criminal or security issues we need to look into or we need to do more background checks

Track and update your application

You can use a courier service that requires a delivery signature to find out when we get your application package. This gives you a delivery confirmation and allows you to track your package until it gets to us.

When you get your acknowledgement of receipt letter, you can check the status of your application online. If you can’t check online, contact us using our Web form for your latest application status.

To avoid delays in processing, keep your personal information up to date.

• Use our online tool to change your address.
• Use our Web form to tell us of changes in your application, such as:
  • marriage or divorce;
  • birth or adoption of a child;
  • death of an applicant or dependant; or
  • contact information updates.

If we approve your application

If we approve your application, we’ll contact you about next steps, including

• paying your right of permanent residence fee (if you haven’t already)
• instructions to
  • withdraw any pending refugee claims or appeals you have with the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) or
  • stop your application or appeal at the Federal Court / Federal Court of Appeal for a negative decision on your claim
• meeting an immigration officer to
  • confirm the information you gave in your application
  • make sure all your documents are valid
  • confirm that you’re able to financially support yourself and your family members in Canada
  • receive your Confirmation of Permanent Residence
    • This is a document confirming you’ve been approved to become a Canadian permanent resident.
  • confirm your Canadian mailing address, so that we can mail you your permanent resident card (PR card)

If we refuse your application

We’ll send you a letter and tell you why we refused your application.