Priority Portal user manual: Accessing the Priority Portal
- 2.1 Priority Portal
- 2.2 New priority entitlement
- 2.3 Accessing the Priority Portal
- 2.4 The first step to entering your information in the Priority Portal and for Cyber Authentication
- 2.5 The Priority Portal registration
- 2.6 Sign-in partner login
- 2.7 GCKey login
- 2.8 Credential verification required page
- 2.9 Your Priority Portal Account
- 2.10 The shared secrets page
- 2.11 Identification number page
- 2.12 Return user to the Priority Portal
2.1 Priority Portal
Persons with a priority entitlement are able to view and update their priority registration online using the Priority Portal of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC). Access to the Priority Portal is restricted to persons with a current priority entitlement or a pending one. The Priority Portal is housed on a secure site and requires that you authenticate your identity each time you access it.
2.2 New priority entitlement
If you are given a priority entitlement, your home organization initiates your registration by completing basic information such as your name, email address, substantive position classification, recommended groups and levels, priority type and entitlement dates. This partially completed data is saved and sent to the Priority Information Management System (PIMS).
PIMS saves this partial registration and assigns a temporary Priority Reference Number (PRN) to the file. (This number may be changed if an existing number is found for you when the registration is completed and activated.) An email is sent to you with information on how to access the Priority Portal.
2.3 Accessing the Priority Portal
In order to access the secure Priority Portal site, you will need to decide whether you wish to create a Government of Canada Key (GCKey) or access the site using a Sign-in Partner login through Cyber Authentication.
Cyber Authentication:
Cyber Authentication is a mandatory secure feature put in place for anyone accessing government services online. The following is a brief explanatory description:
Cyber Authentication provides a secure means to authenticate users when accessing government services and programs that are available online. It uses an electronic credential, such as a user ID and password, to allow a user to initiate a transaction with a federal organization.
This service allows citizens and businesses to use the same credentials they use to do business with some of the largest banks in Canada to access government online services. It is in addition to the existing government-issued credentials of GCKey.
The financial institutions and departments and agencies involved will not be sharing any information that identifies individuals, as directed under privacy legislation. The credential information will be used only as part of the authentication process.
The technology is designed in such a way that the government will not know which bank supplied the credential authentication. The bank will not know which government department or agency its customer contacted. The credential broker who is facilitating this interaction will not know the identity of the individual or business.
Need help? The human resources (HR) advisor within your home organization should always be your first point of contact to discuss matters related to your entitlement.
For questions, or to address any concerns or problems with the Priority Portal, please contact our Priority Entitlements Program General Information Line:
Toll-free: 1-855-235-3113
Local (National Capital Region): 819-420-6931
E-mail: cfp.adminpriorite-priorityadmin.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca
2.4 The first step to entering your information in the Priority Portal and for Cyber Authentication
The email that you were sent contained a link to the Priority Portal Welcome page.
It is recommended that you bookmark this page or add it to your favorites for easy reference.
On this screen, simply choose the language in which you would like to have the information displayed for you. Once you choose, you will be taken to a screen that provides you with more information regarding the Priority Portal.
2.5 The Priority Portal registration
Welcome to the PSC Priority Portal. You are entering this secure site to complete the registration for a priority entitlement.
A discussion regarding the Priority Portal and your priority entitlement should have taken place between you and the human resources (HR) advisor in your home organization before reaching this stage. Your HR advisor would have collected certain information from you in order to populate the recommended groups and levels for consideration for indeterminate (permanent) and/or term positions. Based on your conversation, the information entered by your home organization will now allow you to complete and submit your registration for activation. If this conversation has not taken place, we strongly encourage you to contact your HR advisor before completing this registration.
Users of the Priority Portal will be required to complete information on a Cyber Authentication site that will validate your credentials and provide you with a safe and secure access to the Priority Information Management System, while protecting your privacy. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat provides information on the Directive on Privacy Practices.
The Login – Priority Portal screen directs you to the authentication pages you will need to complete.
On this page, you will be able to choose how you would like to access the Priority Portal.
2.6 Sign-in Partner login
You will be able to use this login only if you currently have online access to one of the institutions listed. By using this method to log in, it is not necessary for you to create or remember a new password. If you choose this method to log in, you will leave the PSC site temporarily and be directed to the Government Sign-In site to complete the Cyber Authentication process. Any problems that you encounter using Government Sign-In are to be addressed by clicking the Contact Us link at the top of the Select Sign-in Partner page.
The Government Sign-In screen displayed will provide you with a link to Frequently Asked Questions. For information purposes only, the following is a sample of the Government Sign-In Page:
Once you have successfully signed in, you will be directed back to the PSC site, where you will create your new account.
2.7 GCKey login
If you do not have access to one of the institutions listed in the Sign-in Partner login, you would choose the GCKey login. You will leave the PSC site temporarily and be directed to the Government of Canada GCKey site to complete the cyber authentication process. Any problems that you encounter with this method of login will need to be addressed with the GCKey site directly. The page that will be displayed will provide you with a link to FAQs and a Contact Us link to the GCKey Government of Canada site. For information purposes only, the following is a sample of the GCKey login page:
If you do not have a current GCKey, you will need to complete the registration process by clicking the ‘Sign Up’ link found on this page. You will be asked to create a User ID and Password which will be used for entering the Priority Portal. If you currently have a GCKey that you have created to access a different federal government Web site, you can use it to enter the Priority Portal. It is not necessary to create a new one.
Once you have successfully completed the Sign-in Partner login or the GCKey login, you will be taken back to the PSC Priority Portal and the Credential Verification screen will appear.
Note:
It is only necessary to create an account once. If you entered the Priority Portal previously and created your account using your shared secrets and password and you are entering using the same credentials again, you will be taken directly to the Main Menu of your registration.
2.8 Credential verification required page
Replace credential:
The ‘Replace Credential’ button on this page applies to those who have previously accessed the Priority Portal and who are now using a different login. If you are now using a different Sign-in Partner login or you are switching between a Sign-in Partner login and GCKey login, you would click ‘Replace Credential’. You will need to follow the steps in Section 2.12: Return User to the Priority Portal.
Activate account/reset GCKey:
As a new user, someone who has never accessed the Priority Portal or if it was necessary to reset your temporary password, you must click the ‘Activate Account/Reset GCKey’ button to proceed. You will be taken to the Privacy Notice Statement page.
Cancel:
If you click the ‘Cancel’ button, you will be returned to the Main Menu page of the Priority Portal. This action will terminate the continuation of your registration and you will not be able to access the Priority Portal. Depending on the reason why you are not able to finalize your registration, your home organization may enter the full registration.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that any information that is entered by your home organization reflects how you wish to be considered for possible employment opportunities. Your home organization and the PSC will not be held responsible for any missed employment opportunities based on your failure to manage your own entitlement.
Should you decide to access your registration using the Priority Portal at a later date, you will need to contact your human resources advisor or the PSC. An email with a password and instructions for accessing the Priority Portal will be sent to you. You are strongly encouraged to consider the possible impact of not using the Priority Portal to assist you in your job search.
2.9 Your Priority Portal Account
I agree:
Once you have read the information and you click ‘I agree’, you will be taken to the Shared Secrets page..
Cancel:
If you click the ‘Cancel’ button, you will be returned to the Main Menu page of the Priority Portal. This action will terminate the continuation of your registration and you will not be able to access the Priority Portal. Depending on the reason why you are not able to finalize your registration, your home organization may enter the full registration.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that any information that is entered by your home organization reflects how you wish to be considered for possible employment opportunities. Your home organization and the PSC will not be held responsible for any missed employment opportunities based on your failure to manage your own entitlement.
Should you decide to access your registration using the Priority Portal at a later date, you will need to contact your human resources advisor or the PSC. An email with a password and instructions for accessing the Priority Portal will be sent to you. You are strongly encouraged to consider the possible impact of not using the Priority Portal to assist you in your job search.
2.10 The shared secrets page
The Shared Secrets page validates that you have control over the Credential that you have provided to access this system. By completing this screen, you are confirming with the PSC that you are who you claim to be.
You must enter:
- your last name
- your priority type — this is the entitlement for which you are being registered (choose from the drop-down menu provided)
- the home organization that has granted you this priority entitlement (choose from the drop-down menu provided) and
- your temporary password — this is the temporary code that was provided to you in the email inviting you to complete this registration. You must cut the passcode from the email and paste it in the space provided on this screen
The email that you receive providing you with a link to the Priority Portal is time sensitive. It contains a password to the Priority Portal that must be used within 10 days from the date of the email. Once this 10-day period has elapsed, a new password will be required. You will need to contact either the human resources (HR) advisor within your home organization or the PSC to obtain a new password. Failure to complete the registration process will also affect the activation of your priority entitlement. It will not be possible to consider you for opportunities until your registration has been activated.
Important note:
If you receive an on-screen message stating ‘Priority Registration not found,’ it is possible that your home organization may have misspelled your last name. Please check the email that you received providing you with your password. Your name will appear at the very beginning of the message. If this is the error, enter the spelling as it appears in your email. Once you have entered the Priority Portal, you will then be able to correct the spelling on your Profile page.
If you still receive a ‘Priority Registration not found’ message, please contact your HR advisor or the PSC. It may be necessary for your home organization to initiate a new registration and forward a new password to you.
Once you press ‘Continue’, you will be taken to a screen to enter your Identification Number. This is the last and final step in the identification process.
2.11 Identification number page
In order to complete the authentication process and to access your registration in the Priority Portal, you must enter one of the identification numbers mentioned below:
Personal Record Identifier
All employees hired under the Public Service Employment Act are issued a Personal Record Identifier (PRI). You would enter the PRI in this field.
Service Number
Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members are issued with a Military Service Number. If your priority type is that of a CAF member released or discharged for medical reasons, you would enter this number.
Regimental Number
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members are issued with a Regimental Number. If your priority type is that of an RCMP member released or discharged for medical reasons, you would enter this number.
Note:
If your priority type is that of surviving spouse or common-law partner, you would enter one of the numbers mentioned above, depending on your late spouse’s or common-law partner’s employment. This will become the Identification Number for your entitlement.
If you do not know your number, please contact the human resources (HR) advisor in your home organization. You will not be able to proceed further without this number.
Once you click ‘Save,’ and if all the information that you have entered above has been authenticated, you will be taken to the Main Menu page of your priority registration. You will then be able to finalize the registration process or update an active one.
Important note:
If you receive an on-screen message stating ‘Invalid Number,’ it is possible that your home organization may have entered this number incorrectly. It will be necessary for your home organization to initiate a new registration and forward a new password to you.
Should you be unable to complete this authentication process, please contact your HR advisor or the PSC for more information.
2.12 Return user to the Priority Portal
If you originally entered this site using a different credential (for example, originally entered using Bank of Montreal but are now entering using Toronto Dominion Bank), or if you entered using a GCKey and are now using the Government Sign-In and you want to update your credential to this new one, you would click ‘Replace Credential’ on the Credential Verification Required page.
You will then be taken to the following Change to Identity Verification page.
This page informs you that you have entered this session using a different credential to the one you last used to enter the Priority Portal. To proceed further, you will need to complete the login credential that you used prior to this current login. If you previously accessed the Priority Portal using a Sign-in Partner login, you will need to re-enter your previous Partner login. If you previously accessed the Priority Portal using a GCKey login, you will need to re-enter your GCKey login. Once you have confirmed your previous login, the Credential Replacement screen will appear.
The Credential Replacement screen will provide you with two options:
Cancel:
If you do not wish to replace your Sign-In credential, you must click ‘Cancel’, clear your cache and close your browser windows. This process will ensure that you are able to access the Priority Portal in future without any difficulty.
Confirm:
If you click ‘Confirm’, you are acknowledging that you are changing your credential and that you wish to use this new credential for accessing the Priority Portal from this point forward. You will then be taken to the Main Menu of your registration.
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