Your first Canadian PR card after landing

Submit your details within 180 days

IRCC normally issues your first permanent resident card automatically and without a separate card fee if it receives your Canadian mailing address and photo within 180 days of the date you became a permanent resident. At a port of entry, give the border officer your address or provide it afterward through IRCC. IRCC normally uses the photo on your Confirmation of Permanent Residence and contacts you if it needs a replacement. If your status is confirmed online in Canada, enter your address and upload your photo in the Permanent Residence Portal.

If you missed the deadline

If IRCC did not receive the required address and photo within that 180-day period, apply from inside Canada. Start IMM 5444 in the Permanent Residence Portal, gather the documents listed in the application instructions, and pay the CAD 50 fee online with IRCC. Upload the receipt in the portal before submitting.

Track the right process

In the official processing-time tool, choose the first-card category for a first card. Renewals and replacements have a separate estimate. The estimate can change and does not set a delivery deadline. IRCC does not offer online tracking for an automatically issued first card. For a first card you applied for, follow the status instructions after receiving the acknowledgement of receipt. Keep your Canadian address up to date and check any email or portal requests for a new photo.

If you submitted your details but never got the card

IRCC allows up to six extra weeks beyond normal processing for the card to reach you. When it still has not arrived after that buffer, use IRCC’s missing-card instructions. IRCC directs eligible applicants to the IMM 5451 solemn declaration and, at the 180-day threshold, to a new application with section 6 of IMM 5444 and the fee. For a first card, IRCC’s Help Centre measures the non-receipt period from when you gave your Canadian mailing address. Keep the date you sent your address and any correspondence so you can identify the applicable step.

Travel while waiting

IRCC sends the card to a Canadian address and can require in-person pickup. If you are already outside Canada without a valid card and plan to return by commercial airline, train, bus or boat, apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) before the trip.

Count your days with the 730-day calculator →