After PR Approval in Express Entry: What Happens Next

Your Express Entry application has been approved. This is the outcome you've been working toward, often for a year or more. But the process doesn't end at approval — there are several concrete steps between "approved" and "landed permanent resident with a PR card in your wallet." Here's what to expect.

Step 1: The PR Confirmation Portal

For candidates who are already in Canada at the time of approval (the standard situation for CEC applicants), IRCC uses the Permanent Residence Confirmation Portal instead of requiring you to travel to a port of entry.

When your application is approved, IRCC will send an introductory email inviting you to access the portal. The email goes to the address on file in your IRCC account — check your junk folder and the account's message center.

Within the secure portal environment, you'll need to:

Confirm your physical presence in Canada. You declare that you are currently inside Canadian borders. This is the equivalent of the formal landing examination that used to happen at a port of entry.

Provide your domestic mailing address. Your PR card will be mailed to this address. Use an address where you'll reliably be for at least 4–6 weeks after submission.

Upload a digital photograph. The photo must meet IRCC specifications — specific dimensions, white background, no glasses, no head coverings except for religious reasons. IRCC provides exact requirements within the portal.

After IRCC reviews your portal submission, they issue your electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence (e-COPR). This document officially confirms your permanent resident status.

Step 2: Your e-COPR

The e-COPR is the formal legal document conferring permanent residency. It lists your name, date of birth, the date you became a permanent resident, and your Permanent Resident Unique Client Identifier (UCI).

Keep a digital and printed copy of your e-COPR. It serves as proof of status in situations where your PR card hasn't arrived yet. Some employers, landlords, and government service offices will accept the e-COPR as temporary proof while your card is in transit.

Your date of landing — the date on the e-COPR — is the start date for your PR residency obligation. It's also relevant for your eventual citizenship calculation.

Step 3: Receiving Your PR Card

The physical PR card is produced and mailed after IRCC issues your e-COPR. As of 2026, IRCC has reported average PR card processing times of 44–54 days from the date of the e-COPR. This is notably faster than in previous years when backlogs pushed wait times to 3–5 months.

The card is mailed by standard mail — not tracked, not courier. If you haven't received it after 60 days, you can submit a web form to IRCC to inquire about the status. Do not send the card to a temporary address if there's any chance you'll move during that window.

You need the PR card to re-enter Canada as a permanent resident after international travel. Without it, you would need to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) before departing, which adds time and cost. Don't plan significant international travel in the first two months after landing.

Step 4: Update Your Social Insurance Number

Your current Social Insurance Number (SIN) starts with a 9 — this is the temporary SIN issued to temporary residents who need to work. As a permanent resident, you are now eligible for a permanent SIN (which starts with any digit other than 9).

Visit a Service Canada centre with your e-COPR and passport to update your SIN. This isn't optional eventually — a temporary SIN has an expiry tied to your old permit's end date. Once you have PR status, you want a permanent SIN that doesn't expire.

The SIN update also updates information across the Canada Revenue Agency system, which matters for future tax filings.

Step 5: Update Your Provincial Health Insurance

Provincial health cards (OHIP in Ontario, CareCard in BC, AHCIP in Alberta, etc.) need to be updated to reflect your new permanent resident status. In some provinces, there is a waiting period before new permanent residents become eligible — typically up to three months in Ontario and BC, shorter or none in Alberta.

Take your e-COPR and passport to your provincial health authority's office. Keep your old coverage card active until you receive your updated card.

Understanding Your Residency Obligation

Once you're a permanent resident, you have a legal obligation under Section 28 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days in every rolling five-year period. These days do not need to be consecutive.

730 days is two years out of five — meaning you can spend up to three years abroad over a five-year period without breaching the obligation, as long as you don't spend more than 1,095 consecutive days (three years) outside Canada.

Exceptions exist for limited situations:

• Accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or parent abroad — every day abroad with them counts as a day in Canada for your residency calculation
• Employed abroad by a Canadian business — days abroad on full-time assignment for a legitimate Canadian employer can count
• Government deployment abroad — federal or provincial government assignments

The residency obligation is checked when you apply for PR card renewal and when you re-enter Canada at a border crossing. Breaching it triggers formal revocation proceedings and potential loss of PR status. The consequences are serious, and there is no amnesty for inadvertent violations.

If you travel frequently for work or have family abroad, track your physical presence days actively from day one. A simple spreadsheet tracking entry and exit dates is sufficient and protects you from any ambiguity later.

Sponsoring Family Members

As a permanent resident, you are eligible to sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, dependent children, and eventually parents and grandparents for permanent residency. Spousal sponsorship from within Canada currently processes in 12–18 months on average.

The path from ITA to landed permanent resident has more moving parts than most candidates realize. The Canada Express Entry (CEC) Guide covers the full post-ITA sprint timeline — including the 60-day document window, upfront medical requirements, and how to navigate the PR Confirmation Portal — so you don't lose time or status at any stage.