As part of new initiatives intended to counteract delays imposed by anti-coronavirus measures, Canada's immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, has announced that IRCC will be enabling permanent resident landings via online portal. Previously, these landings required an in-person interview, at which new permanent residents were required to confirm they are in Canada, confirm their address, and submit a recent photo which would be used to make their PR card. PRs arriving to Canada would need to get their landing documentation at the airport or port of entry. Those who were in Canada would have needed to flagpole in order to exit and re-enter Canada to get their PR landing process initiated. Travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic have stalled this process. Now, thanks to the portal, all of this can be done easily and efficiently online.
The new portal is activated once a new Permanent Resident's immigration application is approved. The PR receives an invitation from IRCC, which asks them to confirm whether they wish to use the portal. Once the PR confirms, IRCC creates an account for the PR and all family members and sends them a link with all relevant sign-in instructions. PRs can then access their portal to confirm they are in Canada, provide their address and photo for PR card issuance, as well as obtain proof of their PR status when needed. Once all the documentation is verified, IRCC will simply issue the PR card. This welcome new development is one part of IRCCs efforts to digitize and modernize its processes in order to facilitate a more efficient turnover.
Originally Published by Fakhoury, December 2020
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