How the IRCC Processes Permanent Residence Applications – ASKMigration: Canadian Lifestyle Magazine

Canada welcomed 471,550 new residents permanent in 2023, exceeding Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) immigration levels plan. The large number implies that the IRCC will have to deal with hundreds and thousands of new applications every year.

This is on top of the word and study permit requests allowed in a calendar-year. Only eligible applicants are granted permanent residence and millions of others are denied because they do not meet the requirements. Here’s an overview of how the IRCC processes permanent residence applications every year:

Before you apply for permanent residence

If you’re looking to become a permanent resident in Canada, it’s important to review the process leading up to your application. Most permanent residence programs use a candidate-applicant model. This simply means that all newcomers will be required to submit a profile to the IRCC.

If you meet the requirements, you may receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence (ITA). Existing programs include Express Entry managed programmes, Provincial Nominee Programs and other economic programs. The IRCC can start processing your application as soon as you receive an ITA. Express Entry programs, for instance, can be broken down in the following ways:

• Submitting a profile of a candidate to the Express Entry pool
• The IRCC will invite you to apply for a visa.
• Within 60 days of receiving a ITA, you can apply for permanent residence.

IRCC Permanent Residence Application Process

The IRCC follows a set of steps to process applications for permanent residence. All begins when you submit a permanent residence application. As we have already mentioned, you can only do this after receiving your ITA following the submission of a public-profile. The processing of the permanent residence application can be broken into three steps:

1. Receiving Applications

The IRCC receives thousands of applications every year from newcomers who are looking to become permanent Canadian residents. These applications come from those who’ve received an invitation to apply from the IRCC. The IRCC creates a case in the Global Case Management System department once the application has been received.

2. Verification and Documentation

During the process of verification, the Immigration Department will check if you have submitted all the required documentation. The police certificate, proofs of funds and other documents are included. The department will also prepare the documents needed for the next step, which involves determining if you’re eligible for a permanent residence application.

If a document is missing, or if the application is incomplete the IRCC returns the application so that you can submit a fresh application. This option is not available to Express Entry managed programs such as the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program. In these cases, your application is rejected and your fees are refunded. This means you will have to restart the process.