- At the end, click on the button to print the IRCC official receipt with barcode. Print two copies.
- Keep the second copy of the receipt for your records.
Do not exit without printing the receipt! The printed receipt is your proof of payment!
This is not a legal document. The explanations and definitions are not legal definitions. In case of a discrepancy between the language in this document and the relevant legislation or regulations, the legal text in the legislation and regulations prevails.
For legal information, consult the following documents:
This application package has:
The instruction guide:
Read the instruction guide completely and then fill out each of the applicable forms.
The forms are designed with questions that will help the processing of your application.
This guide uses these symbols to draw your attention to important information:
What you must do to have your application processed.Important information that you need to know to avoid delays or other problems.
Where to get more information.
Note: Tips that will help you with this application.
Use this application to obtain a Verification of Status (VOS) document or a replacement copy of a valid temporary resident document that has been lost, stolen or destroyed.
A Verification of Status document will contain information that appeared on your original Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence, Work Permit, Study Permit or other immigration documents. This document can be used when you must provide proof of historical immigration information, such as the date and place of entry to Canada.
You may obtain a VOS document outlining the pertinent historical information for the following:
Note: The actual document itself will not be issued. Instead, a plain paper document will be issued that will provide information about your immigration history.
If you require specific information that was originally captured on the immigration document (immigration category, document validity dates etc), you must specify this in your application for a Verification of Status document.
The Verification of Status document cannot be used for travel and is not an identity document.
The Permanent Resident Card is the proof of status document for permanent residents re-entering Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train or bus).
If you are a permanent resident of Canada and are travelling outside the country without the appropriate documentation to prove your status in Canada, you will need to obtain a travel document to demonstrate to representatives of a transportation company that you are entitled to re-enter Canada as a permanent resident. For more information, consult the application package Applying for a Travel Document (Permanent Residents Abroad) (IMM 5529).
You may request a replacement of a current and valid temporary resident document if it is lost or stolen. You must provide the police report number proving that your current and valid temporary resident document has been lost or stolen. The following documents can be replaced:
If your document was issued:
Note: To request changes to your Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688) complete the Request to Amend the Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents (IMM 5218).
In certain circumstances, you may qualify for urgent processing. If you meet one of the criteria outlined below, you must clearly mark “URGENT” on your mailing envelope and must submit sufficient proof why urgent processing is required. If you do not meet the criteria below, your application will be placed in the regular processing queue.
The criteria for urgent processing are as follow:
In each of the above circumstances, you must provide:
If you are requesting a Verification of Status document for a deceased person, there are specific criteria that must be met. Please note that replacement of a valid temporary resident document will not be issued for a deceased person.
Personal information can be released, without consent, if an individual has been deceased for more than 20 years. If you are requesting a VOS document for someone who has been deceased for more than 20 years, you must include a death certificate or a copy of the vital statistics record from the province/territory where the person lived.
We cannot disclose personal information about an individual who has been dead for less than 20 years. In some cases, an exception will be made if the executor or the estate or on having Power of Attorney requires the deceased’s personal information to administer his/her estate. In these cases, you must provide proof of death, which may include a copy of an obituary notice, a death certificate or photograph of the person’s tombstone, as well as proof of executorship or Power of Attorney.
The application form provides an opportunity to give your email address to IRCC. When you provide your e-mail address, you are authorizing IRCC to send all correspondence regarding Verification of Status documents, including your verification of status document and personal information on your file, to the e-mail address you provided. If you have not indicated an e-mail address, all correspondence will go to the mailing address you provided on your application form. This will reduce delays associated with mailing time.
Note: When you receive your document by email, in order to properly view it, you must open it on a desktop or laptop computer. If you open the document on a smart phone or tablet, the document will often appear blank.
Use the Document Checklist (part of the IMM 5009 application form) to gather the documents you need to support your application. Failure to include any of these documents will result in your application being returned to you without processing. Do not submit your originals unless specifically requested, as these will not be returned to you. The following documents must be included with your application:
Note: If you no longer have the passport or travel document you used on entry, then include a copy of the pages listed above from your current passport. However, as the information contained on your original passport simplifies the retrieval of your records, this may result in delays in the processing of your application. Please ensure that you have included your name at the time of entry to Canada on your application form. This is particularly important, if you do not include your original passport.
Note: If the country in which you were born does not or did not issue birth certificates, include an alternate official document showing the name, date, and place of birth of your parents. This may include a baptismal certificate, family composition form, etc.
Note: the following identification is not accepted:
Note: Baptismal certificates, birth certificates and marriage certificates issued in Quebec before January 1, 1994, are no longer accepted. If you have one of these certificates you must obtain a new document. Find out how to apply for a certificate.
Note: If the person has been deceased for less than 20 years, you are required to provide proof that you are the executor or administrator of the estate and proof of your identity. Proof of your identity is a photocopy of one piece of federal or provincial/territorial government issued photo identification.
You must include the following along with any document that is not in English or French:
Translations may be done by:
If the translation isn’t done by a Canadian certified translator, the person who completed the translation must provide an affidavit swearing to their language proficiency and the accuracy of the translation.
The affidavit must be sworn in the presence of:
In Canada:
Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Consult your local provincial or territorial authorities.
Outside of Canada:
Authority to administer oaths varies by country. Consult your local authorities.
Important information: Translations must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by members of the applicant’s family. This includes a parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew and first cousin.
Note: An affidavit is a document on which the translator has sworn, in the presence of a person authorized to administer oaths in the country where the translator is living, that the contents of their translation are a true translation and representation of the contents of the original document. Translators who are certified in Canada don’t need to supply an affidavit.
To have a photocopy of a document certified, an authorized person must compare the original document to the photocopy and must print all of the following on the photocopy:
Only authorized people can certify copies.
Important information: Certifying of copies must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by an applicant’s parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin.
People authorized to certify copies include the following:
In Canada:
Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Check with your local provincial or territorial authorities to learn who has the authority to certify.
Outside Canada:
Authority to certify international documents varies by country. Check with your local authorities to learn who has the authority to certify in your country.
Complete this form only if you:
If you have dependent children aged 18 years or older, they are required to complete their own copy of this form if a representative is also conducting business on their behalf.
A representative is someone who provides advice, consultation, or guidance to you at any stage of the application process, or in a proceeding and, if you appoint them as your representative by filling out this form, has your permission to conduct business on your behalf with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
You are not obliged to hire a representative. We treat everyone equally, whether they use the service of a representative or not.
When you appoint a representative:
Important information: You must notify IRCC if your representative’s contact information changes, or if you change your representative, or cancel the appointment of your representative. For more information on updating IRCC with your representative’s information, please see below section - Notify IRCC about any changes.
Uncompensated representatives do not charge fees or receive any other form of consideration or compensation for providing advice or services to represent you before IRCC or the CBSA.
Uncompensated representatives include:
Note: You do not have to pay someone for them to be your representative. IRCC will conduct business with an uncompensated representative if an applicant appoints them on their behalf.
Compensated representatives charge a fee or receive some other form of consideration in exchange for the representation that they provide.
It is important to know that anyone who represents or advises you for payment - or offers to do so - in connection with IRCC proceedings or applications is breaking the law unless they are an authorized representative or they have a specific agreement or arrangement with the Government of Canada that allows them to represent or advise you. This applies to advice or consultation which happens before or after a citizenship or an immigration application is made or a proceeding begins.
IRCC will only conduct business with compensated representatives who are in good standing with their designated regulatory body. For more information see - Find out if your representative is authorized.
Note: If a representative is being paid or compensated by someone other than you, the representative is still considered to be a compensated representative.
Authorized representatives are:
If you appoint a compensated representative who is not a member in good standing of one of these designated bodies, your application will be returned. Learn about using a representative.
Write your last name (surname or family name) and given name(s).
Write your date of birth.
Write your IRCC’s Identification (ID) or Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number (if known). If you have not dealt with IRCC since 1973, you will not have a UCI or a Client ID.
Write your representative’s full name.
If your representative is a member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), a law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec , print their name as it appears on the organization’s membership list.
Check one box to indicate if your representative is uncompensated or compensated.
Write your representative’s contact information.
If you are appointing a student-at-law to represent you, include their supervising lawyer’s information including their membership ID.
Note: By indicating your representative’s e-mail address, you are hereby authorizing IRCC to transmit your file and personal information to this specific e-mail address.
Question 8To accept responsibility for conducting business on your behalf, your representative must:
Fill in this section if you wish to cancel the appointment of a representative. Write the representative’s full name.
Complete all sections of the form if you wish to both cancel a representative and appoint a new one.
By signing, you authorize IRCC to complete your request for yourself and your dependent children under 18 years of age.
For sponsorship application, your spouse or common-law partner does not have to complete a separate request. If your spouse or common-law partner is included in this request, they must sign in the box provided.
To authorize IRCC to release information from your case file to someone other than a representative, you will need to complete the form Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual [IMM 5475] (PDF, 593.57 KB).
The person you designate under that form (IMM 5475) will be able to obtain information on your case file, such as the status of your application. However, they will not be able to conduct business on your behalf with IRCC.
If you have not yet submitted your immigration or citizenship application:
Send this form along with your application to the office listed in the guide of your application.
If you have already submitted your immigration or citizenship application:
You may use this Web form to upload IMM 5475 or IMM 5476.
If you know which IRCC office is processing your immigration or citizenship application, send the completed form to the office mailing address. Consult IRCC office mailing addresses.
If you have not yet submitted your immigration or citizenship application:
Upload this form along with your online application
If you have already submitted your immigration or citizenship application:
You may use this Web form to upload IMM 5475 or IMM 5476.
You must let IRCC know if any information changes regarding the person you authorized to represent you on your application.
Include the processing fee for your application submitted to IRCC. The fee is per document, non-refundable, and does not guarantee approval of your application. If you are not approved you will not be issued a Verification of Status document or receive a replacement document.
| Application (per person) | $CAN |
|---|---|
| Verify your status (VOS) or replace an immigration document | $30 |
Note: There is no fee for applicants in receipt of provincial welfare payments or assistance under the Resettlement Assistance Program. If you are receiving Social Assistance Benefits, provide a letter from the appropriate provincial Ministry or other proof that you are receiving benefits (proof of payment). There is no fee for applications submitted to The Canadian Genealogy Centre Library and Archives Canada or to The Rooms located in Newfoundland.
Note: There is no fee for a VOS document indicating Protected Person status if you are a Protected Person and are not a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen. There is a fee for the replacement of a valid immigration document, or any other VOS document.
To pay your fees for your application you’ll need:
Visit the link below and follow these instructions to pay:
Do not exit without printing the receipt! The printed receipt is your proof of payment!