What this page is. A signpost to official sources, kept current because we use it ourselves. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create a solicitor-client relationship. This firm is not affiliated with IRCC or the Government of Canada. Where a link goes to a portal, you deal with IRCC directly and we see nothing.
1. Which portal do I use?
Start here if you are not sure. IRCC's own chooser asks what you are applying for and sends you to the right account, and it is the only tool that reliably resolves this.
- IRCC account chooser. Pick your application type and it names the correct account. Worth using even if you think you know, because IRCC has moved several application types between portals.
The five client accounts
- IRCC secure account (GCKey or Sign-In Partner). The oldest system. Still where Express Entry permanent residence applications are submitted, and where paper applications get linked once you have a paper file. If you applied before roughly 2022, this is probably yours. Two-factor authentication is now required.
- IRCC Portal. Visitor visas, study permits, work permits and transit visas. Access needs an invite code the first time, which trips people up: you cannot simply register.
- IRCC Portal, new version. A separate system from the one above, despite the near-identical name. If your credentials fail on one, try the other before assuming the account is gone.
- Permanent Residence Portal. Permanent residence applications that are not Express Entry: family sponsorship, Atlantic Immigration Program, Agri-Food, Start-up Visa, Quebec streams, caregivers and the humanitarian categories.
- Citizenship application. Grant of citizenship applications have their own system again, separate from everything above.
The practical point. An application submitted in one portal will not appear in another, and support staff cannot move it. If you cannot find an application you know you filed, the usual explanation is that you are signed into the wrong account, not that the application was lost.
After approval, and for tracking
- Confirm permanent residence from inside Canada. A further separate portal, used only once permanent residence is approved and you are landing from within Canada.
- Application status tracker. The current tracker, covering most application types.
- Client Application Status. The older status tool. Still the only place some legacy file types show up.
- Processing times. Published service standards. Treat them as an average of files already finished, not a promise about yours.
Representatives and employers
- Accounts for authorized paid representatives. Counsel and RCICs use three accounts, split the same way as the client side: the APR portal for temporary residence and Express Entry, the PR portal for non-Express Entry permanent residence, and the IRCC portal for the rest.
- Employer Portal. Where an employer submits an offer of employment for an LMIA-exempt work permit and pays the compliance fee. This is not the LMIA system, which is run by ESDC.
- Employer Portal user guide. Worth reading before the first submission. The offer of employment number it generates is what the worker needs to apply.
2. Official checklists, forms and instruction guides
IRCC does not keep one master checklist. Each application has its own guide, and the document checklist sits inside that guide. Downloading the guide for your exact stream is the single most useful thing you can do before starting.
- All application forms and guides. The master index. Find your application, then open its instruction guide: the checklist is a section inside it, not a separate download.
- IMM 5476, Use of a Representative. The form that puts counsel on your file. Also the form to file when you change or remove a representative.
- Electronic travel authorization. Applied for directly, not through the portals above. The official fee is $7 CAD. Anything charging more is a third-party reseller.
Two cautions on forms. Open PDF forms in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than a browser, because browser PDF viewers routinely fail to save the barcodes IRCC needs. And always re-download the form when you start: IRCC replaces versions without notice, and an outdated form can have an application returned.
3. Panel physicians, biometrics and supporting documents
Several requirements can only be met through providers IRCC designates. You cannot use your own doctor, or any language test you like.
- Find a panel physician. Immigration medical exams are valid only from a physician on this list. Your family doctor cannot do it, and an exam done by anyone else is wasted money.
- Medical exams: overview. Whether you need one at all, and when.
- Medical requirements: temporary residents and permanent residents. The rules differ, and the temporary side turns on your country of residence and intended occupation.
- Police certificates. Country-by-country instructions. Some take months, so start these early rather than when asked.
- Where to give biometrics. Collection sites by country. Give them only after you receive the biometric instruction letter.
- Find a visa application centre. VACs collect biometrics and documents. They are contractors, not decision-makers, and cannot tell you anything about your file.
- Approved language tests. Only designated tests count, and results expire after two years for Express Entry.
- Educational credential assessment. Designated organisations only, for education completed outside Canada.
If something here is out of date
IRCC changes URLs often. These links were each checked on . If one is broken, tell us and we will fix it. Where a government page and this page disagree, the government page governs.
Ask about your situation Build a document checklistGeneral legal information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your citizenship, your status in Canada and the stream you are applying under. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.