Landing in Canada as a Permanent Resident: What to Bring and What to Do First

Your approval comes with a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). If you are from a visa-required country, IRCC also places a permanent resident visa in your passport. Check both documents carefully:

• Your name, date of birth, and passport number must be correct
• Note the COPR expiry date. It is usually tied to your passport or your medical exam, whichever expires first. You must land before this date. IRCC can't extend a COPR in most cases
• Report changes before you land. If you married, had a child, divorced, or had any other change in your family or personal situation after you applied, you must tell IRCC before you land. Failing to do this can cause serious problems later, including being unable to sponsor that family member

Your accompanying family members can land with you or after you, but not before you. If you are the principal applicant, you must land first or at the same time.

Carry these in your hand luggage, not in checked bags:

• Passport (and permanent resident visa, if you have one) for each family member
• COPR for each family member
• Proof of funds, if you immigrated under the Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades program and were not exempt. The officer may ask to see it. See proof of funds
• Two copies of a list of goods you are bringing with you, and a separate list of goods arriving later
• Your Canadian address, so your PR card can be mailed to you
• Important original documents: birth and marriage certificates, education records, and job reference letters

At the airport or land border, tell the officer you are landing as a new permanent resident. The officer checks your documents, may ask a few questions, and confirms your permanent residence.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) lets new permanent residents bring many personal and household items into Canada without paying duty, if they declare them properly when they first arrive.

• List everything you are bringing now, and everything arriving later (goods to follow). Goods to follow must be listed at your first arrival to qualify for duty-free entry.
• Some items have limits or special rules, such as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, vehicles, food, plants, and animals.
• You must declare CAD $10,000 or more in cash or monetary instruments (such as bank drafts or checks) that you carry. Carrying money is legal, but not declaring it can lead to seizure and penalties.

Check the CBSA website for current rules before you pack.

If you are in Canada when your application is approved, IRCC usually asks you to confirm you are in Canada and upload a photo through its online PR confirmation portal. After IRCC confirms your permanent residence, you receive an electronic COPR and your PR card is ordered. In most cases you don't need to travel to a border crossing.

Keep your temporary status valid until your permanent residence is confirmed. Once you become a permanent resident, your work or study permit no longer controls where you can work or study.

Your permanent resident card is the document you use to re-enter Canada after travel. IRCC mails it to your Canadian address.

• Give IRCC your Canadian mailing address when you land, or update it online within 180 days of landing. If IRCC doesn't have your address in that time, you may have to apply and pay for the card yourself.
• The card is usually valid for 5 years. Your status does not end when the card expires, but you need a valid card (or a permanent resident travel document) to board a flight to Canada.
• If you travel before the card arrives, you may need a PRTD to come back. Plan your first trips with this in mind.

When your card is close to expiring, see our PR card renewal guide.

As a permanent resident, you must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days in every 5-year period. The days don't need to be continuous. Track them with our residency obligation calculator and read the residency obligation guide.

After 1,095 days of physical presence in the 5 years before you apply, you may be eligible for Canadian citizenship. See how to apply for citizenship and check your dates with the citizenship calculator.