IRCC Portal and Webform

Which one you need depends on the program. IRCC's account page shows which applications go with which account. If yours is not on the list, the instructions for your program walk you through the steps.

• Visitor visa: the IRCC Portal.
• Study permits (this covers the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot): the account depends on your situation.
• Super visa: not everyone can use the IRCC Portal New Version, so read your program instructions before you start.

Check your program's instructions to find out how to apply and which account you need.

If you are applying for a study permit, most students must include a letter of attestation issued by the province or territory where they will study. Leave it out, and in most cases IRCC sends the application back with your fees.

The government's sign-in for the IRCC secure account is a username and password called GCKey. IRCC asks that you log in starting at the home page, not from a bookmark that points to a page inside the account, because a link straight to an inner page will not get you in by itself.

Leave your browser at its default settings, because GCKey will not run without JavaScript. If a "Cannot Establish a Secure Connection" message appears, check the browser settings first.

Forgot your details? You recover them step by step on the GCKey site. For a forgotten username, the Recover Username screen asks for your recovery email. For a lost password, you either enter a confirmation code or pick your recovery questions and answers. You will need your existing email or authenticator app, or the recovery codes you saved, so store those somewhere you can find them.

A GCKey that sits unused for two years can be revoked, and once revoked, the username and password are gone for good. When that happens, you create a new account and bring your existing application into the new one.

A personal reference code appears once you have answered IRCC's eligibility questions, and it brings your answers into the account with it. The code expires 60 days after you receive it.

The code is not required to begin an application in the IRCC secure account. Your profile can go on without it, though you will need to type your information in again.

Sent an application that does not appear in your account? The solution is to connect that application to your account. The same step applies if you start a fresh account while your file sits in an older one.

If IRCC wants more from you, it reaches out by mail, email, or through your account. Do not expect the first email right away, it may show up several hours after you submit, so a quiet inbox that first afternoon is no cause for alarm.

If you have a question about a document request, IRCC says you can upload a document containing your question in place of the requested document.

Keep your contact details current so IRCC can find you. After you make a change, keep checking the email address and mailing address you used before, until IRCC confirms the update has gone through, since the change does not take effect as soon as you send it off.

You can check your status online in two ways: see the details here. The first option is the Client Application Status tool, where you choose whether you are an adult (18 and older) or a minor (under 18). The second is to sign in to the account you used to apply and check your status there. If you're locked out of GCKey, its help line answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Canada and the US, with a TTY line too, or at 1-800-2318-6290 from elsewhere.

IRCC also offers a separate timeline of your application, which can show more detail than your main account. You'll need to create another account to see it. To set it up, you need your unique client identifier (UCI), the email address in your application, and a code IRCC sends so you can create a password. If you applied online, this account is separate from the one you applied with.

If a representative manages your file, you will have to get your status from them. IRCC also has an automated phone line for status, available any hour of any day.

IRCC needs time to check that your application is complete, so a status that doesn't move at first is normal. You can also check the status of a first PR card, but only if you had to apply for it, for example because you didn't give IRCC a photo or your address within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident.

A status check shows what stage your file has reached. The processing time shows how long similar files are taking right now. These figures are drawn from IRCC's processing times tool, and the complete set sits on our processing times page.

Refugee travel documents and certificates of identity carry a service standard of 20 business days. IRCC updates these figures as things change, and they describe files being handled now, not a promise about yours.