Once you apply for permanent residence or citizenship in Canada, you may check your application status online. However, it completely depends on which category you applied for, hence you may not be able to check the status online for some certain categories. In that case, you are recommended to use processing time as a guide to find out how much time it might take to process the application.

The process of checking the status online is different for online application and paper application. They may differ depending on what you’ve applied for from the following categories:

Immigration:

Immigration application can be done for the following categories:

• Federal skilled trades
• Federal skilled workers
• Caregivers
• Provincial nominees
• Canadian experience class
• Temporary resident permits
• Humanitarian and compassionate cases
• Protected reasons
• Start-up visas
• Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program
• Self-employed persons

Note that, if you’ve applied for Canada’s previous Immigrant Investor or Entrepreneur Programs, there is a possibility of your application to be canceled. Click here to find out why your application got canceled and how to get a refund.

Online Applications:

You have to sign up first to apply online. Then, you can log in to your account using your ID and password, and check your status by clicking “check status and messages” under “View my submitted applications or profiles.”

Paper Applications:

If you applied through the paper, you can check your status online using one of the following processes:

• Create an online account and then link your paper applications to it. It will provide you:
• Complete application status in real-time
• Online messages and email alerts regarding your application instead of by mail
• Use the Online services. It is updated regularly.

Note that, not every paper application you can link to your online account. Click here to find out which applications you can link.

Family sponsorship:

Family sponsorship can be done for the following categories:

• Partner
• Spouse
• Common law partner
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Dependent children
• Adopted children
• Orphans
• Children to be adopted
• Other family classes

Paper Applications:

If you applied through paper applications, you can check your application status online using one of the following processes:

• If you are the person being sponsored, you can sign up for an online account and link the paper application to it. It will provide you:
• Complete application status in real-time
• Online messages and email alerts regarding your application instead of by mail
• There is an online tool to check the status, which can be used by both you and your sponsor. You can check processing times if the online tool doesn’t work.

Citizenship:

Citizenship application can be done for the following categories:

• Grant of citizenship
• Certificate of citizenship (This is the proof of your citizenship)
• Renounce Canadian citizenship
• Resume Canadian citizenship

Client Application Status:

You can use this check application status tool, which will let you securely check your application status online. You can also check your processing time if the check application status tool doesn’t work.

To check your application status online you should:

• Put together all the required documents you have got regarding your application
• Get your identification numbers from these documents as you need them to log in.

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA):

You can check your existing eTA status using this online tool. It will serve you with updates on your pending applications and the expiration date of your existing eTA.

Visitor Visa:

Visitor visa application can be done for:

• Business visa
• Tourist visa
• Transit visa
• Super visa

Online Application:

If you applied through online, log in to your account and click “check status and messages” under the “View my submitted applications or profiles” section to view your status.

Paper Application:

Create an online account and link your paper application to it. This account will let you view your application status and receive messages regarding your application.

Work Permit:

This application can be done for:

• Work permit, or
• Work permit extension

Online Application:

If you applied through online, you can check your visa application status by logging in to your online account. Go to “View my submitted applications or profiles” section and click “check status and messages.”

Paper Application:

If you applied on paper, create an online account and link your paper application to it. You can view your application status and receive messages regarding your application using this account.

Study Permit:

This application can be done for:

• Study permit
• Extension of study permit
• Work permit for student

Online Application:

If you applied for a visa through online, log in to your account using your ID and password. Then view your application status by clicking “check status and messages” under the “View my submitted applications or profiles” section.

Paper Application:

Create an online account. Link your paper application to this account, which will help you see your application status online and receive messages regarding the application.

Permanent Resident Card (PR Card):

This application can be done for:

• Initial PR card
• Replace of PR card
• Renewal of PR card

Client Application Status:

You can use this check application status tool (which is updated daily) to securely check your application status online. You can also check your processing time if the check application status tool doesn’t work.

To check your application status online you should:

• Put together all the required documents you have got regarding your application
• Get your identification numbers from these documents as you need them to log in.

Refugees:

Application for refugees includes:

• Convention refugees
• Group of five
• Humanitarian protected persons
• Sponsorship agreement
• Sponsorship by agreement holders and constituent groups
• Community sponsors
• Joint assistance program

Client Application Status:

You can use this check application status tool (which is updated daily) to securely check your application status online. You can also check your processing time if the check application status tool doesn’t work.

To check your application status online you should:

• Put together all the required documents you have got regarding your application
• Get your identification numbers from these documents as you need them to log in.

Verification of status (VOS) or request to amend:

This application can be done for:

• Work permit
• Study permit
• Confirmation of permanent residence
• Replacement of visitor record
• Amendment of visitor record

Check processing time:

You may not use the check application status tool for this application. In this case, you can check your processing time that lets you see how much time it usually takes to process your type of applications.