What is the CoPR / eCoPR?

The Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) is the official IRCC document confirming that an applicant has been approved for Canadian permanent residence. It's the end product of any PR application — Express Entry, PNP, family-class sponsorship, refugee resettlement, business immigration, or humanitarian categories.

In recent years, IRCC has shifted to electronic CoPR (eCoPR) for most applicants — issued through the IRCC online account rather than physical paper. Some applicants still receive paper CoPRs (e.g., those required to land at a physical port of entry under specific category rules).

What's on the CoPR

• Applicant identifying information — name, date of birth, country of birth, nationality.
• PR landing date — the date the applicant officially becomes a permanent resident (the date of CoPR signing at landing for paper CoPRs, or the date IRCC processes the eCoPR for electronic versions).
• PR class — Express Entry CEC, FSW, PNP, family class, etc.
• PR-card eligibility date and CoPR confirmation number.
• Conditions (if any) — most modern CoPRs have no conditions, but some specific categories do.

Landing as a PR

Becoming a permanent resident requires "landing":

• Paper CoPR holders: Land at a Canadian port of entry (airport, land border). A CBSA officer reviews the CoPR, signs and stamps it, and the applicant is officially landed. The landing date becomes the official PR start date.
• eCoPR: For applicants already in Canada, IRCC processes the eCoPR through the online portal — landing happens electronically once the eCoPR is issued and the applicant confirms the landing details. No port-of-entry visit needed.

After landing

• Apply for PR card through IRCC — the physical card is mailed within 4-6 weeks after landing (sometimes longer).
• Apply for SIN (Social Insurance Number) at Service Canada — needed for work, banking, and tax purposes.
• Apply for provincial health insurance (OHIP in Ontario, MSP in BC, AHCIP in Alberta, etc.).
• Begin tracking days toward citizenship eligibility (3 out of 5 years of physical presence, counted from landing).

Common gotchas

• Validity period. CoPRs are valid for a specific period (typically 12 months from medical exam expiry, or 6 months from the date of issuance). Land before it expires or you lose PR.
• Changes between approval and landing. If your circumstances change between CoPR issuance and landing (new spouse, new child, criminality issue, status change), you must notify IRCC. Failing to disclose is misrepresentation.
• eCoPR confirmation delays. Some eCoPR processes have processing delays — verify your eCoPR status periodically through your IRCC account.

See also

• eAPR — the application that leads to CoPR.
• IRCC — the department that issues it.