Choose your application type
Different applications are tracked in different places, and the right place depends on how and where you applied. Use the account in which the application was filed. Your application type and your acknowledgement or portal message tell you which one applies.
Visitor, study or work application
Use the account where the application was filed. Processing time depends on the application, location and filing date. Tools: processing times, check application status, sign in to your IRCC secure account.
Express Entry or economic permanent residence
Express Entry profiles, PR applications and non-Express Entry provincial nominee files do not all use the same status surface. Tools: processing times, your IRCC secure account and messages, and the Permanent Residence Portal. Representatives use the PR portal for representatives.
Family sponsorship
Sponsor and applicant stages can appear in different accounts. Use the check application status page, which names the Client Application Status tool for spouse, partner, dependent child and parent and grandparent applications, and the secure account for the sponsored person where it applies. See also processing times.
Citizenship
Citizenship grant applications for adults and minors use their own citizenship tracker (you must register first). Other citizenship matters, such as certificates and record searches, use other methods; the check application status page lists them.
Refugee claim or protected-person application
IRCC and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada handle different stages. Use the exact instructions in your acknowledgement, hearing notice or portal message. IRCC explains the stages on its pages on claiming asylum from within Canada, and the general status page covers refugee applications that use IRCC's status tool.
PR card, citizenship proof or other document
Choose the exact document category before checking time or status; a portal message and an application tracker are not interchangeable. Start with check application status and processing times, and find the current forms and guides.
Official status tools and accounts
IRCC lists these ways to check an application. A single application is usually covered by only one of them.
| Tool | What it covers | Official link |
|---|---|---|
| Client Application Status tool | Updated daily. Express Entry (including the Canadian Experience Class, provincial nominees, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades), spouse, partner and dependent child applications, adopted children and other relatives, parents and grandparents, refugees, PR cards, citizenship certificates applied for by mail, citizenship applications for adoptees and Canadian Armed Forces members once IRCC has acknowledged them, resuming citizenship and renunciation. Citizenship grants for adults and minors are not checked here; they use the citizenship tracker below. | Client Application Status |
| IRCC secure account | Express Entry, spouse, partner and dependent child applications, parents and grandparents (sponsored person), PR cards, study permits, work permits, visitor visas applied for with a GCKey or Sign-In Partner, and online citizenship certificates and record searches. | Sign in to your IRCC secure account |
| Citizenship tracker | Citizenship grant applications for adults and minors. Register with your UCI or application number once IRCC has sent the acknowledgement of receipt. Representatives use a party ID. | Citizenship tracker sign-in |
| IRCC portal (older version) | Visitor visas applied for with an email address, super visas and transit visas. | IRCC portal sign-in |
| IRCC portal (new version) | Visitor visas applied for with an email address, and super visas where the applicant was eligible to apply in this portal. | IRCC portal (new version) login |
| Permanent Residence Portal | Applying for most permanent residence programs, and confirming PR status and getting a PR card or PR travel document. Not used for a spouse's or partner's open work permit, which goes through the IRCC secure account. | Permanent Residence Portal |
| eTA status | Electronic travel authorization applications, including pending applications and the status or expiry of an existing eTA. | eTA status check |
How to read the processing-times tool
The IRCC processing times tool asks you to choose an application type and answer a few questions, such as where you live and when you applied. It needs JavaScript enabled in your browser. IRCC explains the results this way:
- They are estimates. A time is not a maximum or a guarantee, and your application may take longer.
- There are two kinds of time. A forward-looking estimate projects how long a decision will take if you apply today. A historical time shows how long IRCC took to process 80% of applications of that type in the past.
- The clock starts when IRCC receives a complete application. For online applications, that is when you submit. For a mailed application, it is when the package reaches the mailroom.
- The times include biometrics. If you apply from outside Canada and the United States through a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate, add the extra mailing time IRCC describes on that page.
- Things that cause delay. IRCC names incomplete applications, complex files, security checks and program caps being reached for the year.
- Times change with application volumes, staffing and the Immigration Levels Plan. IRCC states that calling it will not speed up processing.
Update your application or ask IRCC
When you need to change something or ask about a file, use the channel IRCC assigns to your application. Do not assume that one channel replaces another.
- Ask about or update your application: IRCC's client-contact menu for choosing a request type, such as checking status, updating contact details, managing representatives, adding a document, asking for urgent PR card processing, withdrawing an application or rescheduling an appointment. Only some options open a form.
- IRCC web form: contact IRCC online for help with an application. It answers general questions and can check application status, but it does not advise on programs or make decisions.
Before sending a web form, check whether your account, portal or the office's specific instructions require another method. You must give written consent before IRCC shares your information with anyone else, including a representative (forms IMM 5476 for a representative and IMM 5475 for another person).
Forms, fees and guides
- Find IRCC application forms and instructions: forms, guides and document checklists by goal and category. Always use the current form version and instruction guide for your program.
- Citizenship and immigration application fees: fee list: current fees for temporary residence, permanent residence, family sponsorship, citizenship, inadmissibility and other services.
Frequently asked questions
Is the processing time a deadline for IRCC?
No. It is an estimate, not a deadline or a guarantee. A file can take longer if it is incomplete, complex or needs security checks.
My application is not in the tracker. What should I check?
First confirm which tool matches your application type in the table above and that you are signed in to the account where you applied. A paper application may need to be linked to an online account; IRCC explains how on its page about linking a paper application to your account.
Will calling IRCC speed up my file?
According to IRCC's processing-times page, no. Use the status tools and the web form for updates, and contact the office that assigned your file only when your instructions tell you to.
Can someone else check my status for me?
Only with your written consent. IRCC requires written consent before it shares your personal information with anyone or gives anyone access to your application, including people who are not representatives.
Official sources
- IRCC: how to check the status of your application
- IRCC: check current processing times
- IRCC: sign in to your IRCC secure account
- IRCC: apply online using the IRCC portal (new version)
- IRCC: Permanent Residence Portal
- IRCC: permanent residence portal for representatives
- IRCC: web form
- IRCC: ask about or update your application
- IRCC: application forms and instructions
- IRCC: application fee list
- IRCC: claiming asylum from within Canada