How soon you can move to Canada after PR approval?

by Mansi Sahai Published on 08/Aug/2022

If your Federal Express Entry PR application is approved by the IRCC, you must move to Canada as per the official procedures.

A lot of newly confirmed PRs also choose to delay their migration to Canada so that they can complete their school, work, or other responsibilities back in their home country.

Those who are wondering how soon they must move to Canada upon their Express Entry PR application approval, must understand the process.

Land in Canada

Once an applicant get Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), they must land in Canada before their CoPR document expires.

If they have also included any dependent family members on their application, they must land either before or at the same time. All the dependents must complete Canada's landing process before their CoPR document expires.

Whereas, if the applicant is already in Canada, they must confirm their PR status via IRCC’s online portal.

Validity of CoPR

Upon final processing of PR application, applicants receive their CoPR visa in their passport. The expiry date of a COPR is generally based on the validity of applicants' medical examination results, which are valid for 12-months.

Thus, if applicant have taken their medical exam in June 2021, their CoPR document will expire in June 2022. Whereas, if their passport's expiry date before their medicals, then the CoPR document will be valid as per their passport expiry date.

Apply for Canada PR card

Upon landing in Canada, people will become a permanent resident of Canadian and qualify to apply for their PR card. Since they need to prove that they a Canadian PR for re-entering Canada, thus it's advisable to apply for their Canada PR card immediately.

Staying in Canada upon completion of the landing process

Upon completing Canada's landing process and becoming a permanent resident, people must meet their residency obligations, i.e., to be present in Canada physically for a minimum of 730 days within a 5-year duration.

In case they decide to return to their home country, they should ensure that they'll you return in time and will spend a minimum of 730 days in Canada to fulfill the obligation.