IMM 5444, screen by screen
Updated
What is a COPR? Confirmation of Permanent Residence, explained
A COPR (Confirmation of Permanent Residence) is the document that proves IRCC approved you for permanent residence. Until your PR card arrives, IRCC says you can use it, or the electronic e-COPR, to prove your status. Here is what it shows and what to do if you no longer have it.
What a COPR is
A Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) proves that you have been approved for permanent residence. It is used to complete the final steps to become a permanent resident in Canada.1
IRCC's instruction guide for replacing immigration documents refers to the COPR by its form numbers, IMM 5292 or IMM 5688.2
Until your PR card arrives, IRCC says you can use your COPR or e-COPR to prove your permanent resident status, and to apply for government benefits and services such as your Social Insurance Number.1
What's on it, including your PR date
IRCC says a COPR shows:1
- Your name and date of birth
- Your immigration category (the stream you were approved under, such as a skilled-worker or family-sponsorship category)
- Your city and province of destination
- Any conditions of stay
- A "Valid to" date: if you're outside Canada, you must travel to Canada to become a permanent resident on or before this date
- An expiry date: IRCC says this is the date your travel document expires, not an expiry date for your permanent residence
- The date you became a permanent resident1
That last one is the date the PR Portal and IMM 5444 ask for when they want to know when your permanent residence started. IRCC does not publish where each item sits on the page, so this list tells you what to look for, not a position to look in.
IRCC publishes a separate page explaining what each immigration-category code on the COPR means, if the letters on yours (for example a code under the Economic or the Other application class) aren't self-explanatory.3
IMM 5444, screen by screen: where this date goes in a renewal
Paper COPR or eCOPR
Which one you get depends on whether you are outside Canada or in Canada when your permanent residence is finalized.1
- Outside Canada: a paper COPR. IRCC issues your COPR before you travel. You present it at a Canadian port of entry before the validity date on it, and the officer completes it by signing and dating it with your entry date.
- In Canada: an e-COPR. You confirm your permanent residence through the Permanent Residence Portal, and once you confirm that you're in Canada, IRCC uploads an electronic COPR (e-COPR) to your portal account.1
While you wait for your PR card, IRCC says you can use either one, your COPR or your e-COPR, to prove your permanent resident status.1
If it's lost, stolen or destroyed
IRCC's guide for this application says you can request a replacement of a current and valid temporary resident document if it is lost or stolen, and lists what it covers: a Visitor Record, Work Permit, Study Permit or Temporary Resident Permit.2
Note: A COPR is not on that list
For a COPR, the same guide says the actual document itself will not be issued. You get a Verification of Status document instead: a plain paper document with the information that appeared on your original COPR, about your immigration history. IRCC adds that it can't be used for travel and is not an identity document.2
IRCC's help centre lists the Confirmation of Permanent Residence among the documents this form can be used for, when you need proof of historical immigration information such as your date and place of entry to Canada.4
IRCC's help centre points to the same route either way: review the application package for a Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document, and send it to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.5
The application form is IMM 5009, and a Verification of Status document costs $30.6
Important: Wrong information on a COPR you still have?
That's a different form. IRCC says not to use the Verification of Status application for changes to a Record of Landing or a Confirmation of Permanent Residence; use the Request to Amend the Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents (IMM 5218) instead.6
canada.ca: apply for a Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document
When to get help
If your situation goes beyond a lost or incorrect document, for example a question about your status itself, speak to a licensed professional before you apply for anything.
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.7
Renewing your PR card next?
The renewal pack asks one question at a time and gives you every IMM 5444 answer in portal order, including the date from your COPR. The interview is free.
Quick answers
What is a COPR?
Confirmation of Permanent Residence: the document that proves IRCC approved you for permanent residence. While you wait for your PR card, IRCC says you can use it to prove your status.
What is the difference between a COPR and an eCOPR?
Both are your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. A paper COPR is issued before you travel, and the officer signs and dates it with your entry date at the port of entry. An e-COPR is uploaded to your PR Portal account once you confirm that you're in Canada. IRCC says you can use either to prove your status until your PR card arrives.
Where do I find the date I became a permanent resident?
It's one of the items IRCC says your COPR shows, alongside your name, immigration category and destination. IRCC doesn't publish where on the page it sits.
Can I get a copy if my COPR is lost, stolen or destroyed?
Not the COPR itself: IRCC's guide says the actual document will not be issued. You can apply for a Verification of Status document instead ($30, IMM 5009), a plain paper document with the information from your original COPR.
How long does a first PR card take after COPR?
IRCC publishes that figure separately and updates it often; see prcard.ca's processing-time page for the current number.
Keep reading
Sources
- 1.canada.ca, Confirmation of Permanent Residence document. canada.ca
- 2.canada.ca, Guide 5545: Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document. canada.ca
- 3.canada.ca, Immigration category on the COPR. canada.ca
- 4.IRCC Help Centre, What is a Verification of Status document?. ircc.canada.ca
- 5.IRCC Help Centre, How do I replace a lost, stolen or destroyed document?. ircc.canada.ca
- 6.canada.ca, Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document (IMM 5009). canada.ca
- 7.canada.ca, Learn about representatives. canada.ca