IMM 5444, screen by screen
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Your five-year address and activity history, with no gaps
Section 4 of the PR card form asks where you lived and what you did, month by month, for five years. It is two tables, and a blank month is easy to miss. Here is what IRCC says to put in each one.
What sections 4.1 and 4.2 ask
Section 4 of IMM 5444 is your personal history. It has two parts, and each one is a list you type in.1
| Part | IRCC asks for | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 Addresses | All the addresses you have lived at, inside and outside Canada | The past 5 years, or since you became a permanent resident if that was less than 5 years ago |
| 4.2 Work and study | All your work and educational history, inside and outside Canada | The same period |
You enter dates, not documents. You do not upload a lease or a pay stub for each row.
Account for every month
IRCC says you must account for each month in the period. List the rows from the most recent to the oldest. If you need more room, IRCC says you can include a separate document.1
The PR Portal repeats the rule: every address and every activity for the past five years, most recent first, with no gaps.2
A practical way to check: read down your “From” and “To” dates. Each row should start in the month the one below it ended, or the month after. If a month is missing, you have a gap.
If you moved during a month, two rows can share that month. The portal accepts that.2
4.1 Addresses: inside and outside Canada
List every address, in Canada or abroad. Start with your current address.1
- Short stays count as addresses. If you lived somewhere for a few months, it gets its own row.
- Time abroad needs an address too. IRCC asks for all addresses outside Canada as well as inside, so a stay abroad gets a row of its own.
- Use the dates you really lived there, not the date on a lease or a bill.
Your records help here: old leases, bank or credit-card statements, and the address on your tax return. They are for you to check your own dates. IRCC does not ask for them with this table.
Your travel history is a different part of the form (the absences). It has its own guide.
4.2 Work and study, including months with no job
List all your jobs and all your studies, in Canada and abroad, most recent first. Every month needs an activity.1
If you were not working or studying, IRCC says to say what you were doing: “volunteering, homemaker, retired, unemployed etc.” If you were self-employed, IRCC asks for the details.1
- IRCC’s own examples are volunteering, homemaker, retired and unemployed. The list ends with “etc.”, so name what you were actually doing.
- A month of study goes in as study. A month of work goes in as work.1
Important: “N/A” and blanks can get the form returned
IRCC says that writing “not applicable” or “N/A”, or leaving a question blank, may result in your application being returned as incomplete. Name the activity instead.1
The “To” date for what you are doing now
For an activity you are still doing, IRCC says to enter today’s date, or the date you will submit your application, in the “To” field.1
That way the last row runs up to the day you apply, and the five years have no hole at the end.
In the PR Portal: press Save Table
Important: Rows are kept only when you press Save Table
In the portal, a row is kept only when you press Save Table. Press it after each row, then continue. “Save and continue” alone does not save the rows.2
Before you submit, scroll both tables once more and check the months against your own dates.
When to get help
Most people can fill these two tables from their own records. If your history is complicated, for example you are short of 730 days or have a question about your status, speak to a licensed professional before you apply.
Note: Who can advise you
Only lawyers and paralegals in a Canadian law society, Quebec notaries, and consultants who are members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants can charge you to represent you. prcard.ca explains IRCC’s own instructions; it doesn’t give advice on your case.3
Get your history in portal order
The renewal pack lays out your addresses and activities the way the PR Portal asks for them, so you can type them in row by row. The interview is free.
Quick answers
How far back does the address history go?
Five years, or since you became a permanent resident if that was less than five years ago. IRCC says to account for every month.
What do I write if I was unemployed?
Write the activity, such as unemployed, homemaker, retired or volunteering. IRCC says writing “N/A” or leaving the question blank may get your application returned as incomplete.
What goes in the “To” field for my current address or job?
IRCC says to enter today’s date, or the date you will submit your application, for an activity you are still doing.
Do I include addresses outside Canada?
Yes. Section 4.1 asks for all addresses inside and outside Canada in the period.
Do I send proof for each address?
Not with this table. You type the addresses and dates on the form. Proof of residence is a separate question.
Keep reading
Sources
- 1.canada.ca, IMM 5444 instructions, 4.1 and 4.2. canada.ca
- 2.PR Portal, IMM 5444 form. prson-srpel.apps.cic.gc.ca
- 3.canada.ca, Learn about representatives. canada.ca