4. Gather your documents
You must include copies of all the documents Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) asks for with your application.
Read IRCC’s guide, information about the pathway, and the Document Checklist – IMM0203 to know what documents they want.
You usually submit copies of your documents, as IRCC does not return original documents. But you must submit original passport photos. And if you need to send police certificates, send originals.
Documents
Here are some of the documents that IRCC asks for:
Child protection
Documents that prove a child protection agency or authority in Canada, such as a Children's Aid Society in Ontario, was legally responsible for your care for at least one year. This could be, for example:
- court documents
- records from the child protection agency or authority that was responsible for your care
- a confirmation letter from the child protection agency or authority that was responsible for your care
The document checklist says what information this letter must include.
In Ontario, you can get your personal records from child protection agencies. They must respond to your request within 30 days and cannot charge you fees.
If they do not respond in time or do not give you the records, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
It can be hard to get copies of child protection or court records. Get legal help if you cannot get your records. A lawyer may be able to get your records for you. Or they may be to get other documents that IRCC may accept as proof.
Proof of residence
Documents to show that you lived in Canada for the last 3 years. For example, you can send:
- copies of rental agreements
- utility bills
- a letter from your landlord with the dates you lived there.
Proof of identity
You and every applying for permanent residence with you must submit a copy of a document that proves who each of you are.
This can be a valid passport or travel document. Or an identity document issued by a country to people who are:
- stateless, which means they are not citizens of any country, or
- residents or refugees who could not get a passport or travel document from their country of citizenship or nationality.
If you do not have any of the documents above, apply with any identity document issued outside Canada before you entered Canada.
If you do not have that, in some cases you can apply with 2 statutory declarations that confirm you are who you say you are. One must be from you. The other must be from a person on IRCC's list of people that they accept a declaration from.
A lawyer can help with this.
Photos
You need one photo for your for you and one for each person included in your application. The photos must be taken no more than 6 months before you apply. See IRCC's rules about photos.
Criminal convictions
If you were convicted of a crime in any country, it's best to get legal advice from an immigration lawyer about what documents or information to provide about your convictions.
Justice for Children and Youth can help you with legal advice if you're younger than 25, and came to Canada as a child.
Police certificates
If you're 18 or older, you must get a police certificate from every country you lived in for at least 6 months in a row. You do not need one from Canada.
But if you were younger than 18 years for all the time you lived there, you do not need to give a police certificate for that country.
You need to send police certificates for every family member 18 years and older. You do this even if they're not applying for permanent residence with you.
But family members who are permanent residents or Canadian citizens do not need to get police certificates.
If you have a pardon, include a copy of it.
Relationship documents
Include documents to prove your relationship to family members applying with you. For example:
- marriage or divorce certificates
- birth certificates or adoption papers
Documents that prove you're in a common-law relationship include:
- proof of a joint bank account, lease, or mortgage
- statutory declarations from people confirming that you are in a real relationship
Translations
If a document is not in English or French, you must give IRCC:
- a certified photocopy of the original document, and
- an English or French translation.
The translation cannot be done by you and your relatives. Follow IRCC's instructions for translating documents.
