Key terms before we go step-by-step
Invitation to Apply (ITA): IRCC invites you to submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR) after you meet the Comprehensive Ranking System cut-off in an Express Entry draw. The ITA is not a visa it is a time-limited window (usually 60 days) to file a complete application.
Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR): After you submit, IRCC reviews completeness. When the file is accepted into processing, you receive an AOR letter with a date. That AOR date is what most applicants use as “day zero” when comparing timelines in forums and what AORTrack uses for cohort charts.
Passport Request (PPR) / Portal invitation: “PPR” historically referred to a request to submit passports for visa issuance. Many inland applicants now receive a Permanent Residence Portal invitation instead of a literal passport letter, but the community still calls this milestone “PPR” colloquially. Either way, it means you are approaching the end of the eligibility review.
Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR / eCOPR): The formal grant of permanent resident status. Inland applicants often receive eCOPR (electronic CoPR) in the portal. After CoPR you can apply for your first PR card; until it arrives, CoPR/eCOPR plus valid ID proves your status in many situations always read IRCC’s current instructions for travel and work.
Visual timeline ITA to CoPR
The diagram below shows the logical order of milestones. In reality IRCC works many checks in parallel, so your tracker may show medicals before background, or background before biometrics complete that overlap is normal.
Scroll horizontally on small screens. Times between nodes are illustrative community ranges, not IRCC service standards.
Median processing snapshot by stream (2026)
These medians come from self-reported AORTrack profiles aggregated by stream. They describe what applicants like you have experienced not what IRCC promises. Provincial programs add another layer before or after federal processing; the PNP column here focuses on the federal post-AOR stage where Express Entry-linked nominees still sit in the same IRCC queues with extra verification.
| Stream | Median AOR → eCOPR | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEC (Canadian Experience Class) | 184 days | 133 | 217 |
| FSW (Federal Skilled Worker) | 267 days | 192 | 315 |
| PNP (Express Entry–linked, federal stage) | 312 days | 235 | 410 |
| FST (Federal Skilled Trades) | 284 days | 210 | 340 |
| Atlantic Immigration (federal stage) | 228 days | 170 | 290 |
For stream-specific narrative and histograms, see our dedicated pages: CEC, FSW, PNP, FST, and Atlantic.
Full milestone guide what happens at each stage
The following sections walk through every major milestone from ITA to CoPR. We cite community median “days after AOR” where AORTrack has enough signal for CEC-style cohorts; FSW, PNP, FST, and Atlantic follow the same milestones but shifted later (or, for some Atlantic cohorts, earlier) on average. Treat numbers as orientation, not prediction.
Invitation to Apply (ITA)
You created an Express Entry profile, entered the pool, and ranked above the cut-off in a draw. The ITA locks in the program under which you may apply (CEC, FSW, or FST) and the 60-day clock to upload forms, police certificates, proof of funds (where required), work history, and supporting documents. Missing the deadline means leaving the pool and waiting for a new ITA so most applicants prioritize completeness over speed at this stage.
From an SEO and planning perspective, the ITA is not part of “AOR to PPR” timing but readers search the whole journey as one block, so we include it here for continuity.
Electronic submission & completeness check
After you pay fees and sign declarations, IRCC performs an initial machine-and-human triage: biometrics validity, document checklist, and obvious gaps. If something is missing, you may get a request for additional documents early that pause is not counted in community medians the same way across applicants, which is one reason real-world spreads are wide.
Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) your timeline anchor
The AOR email (or status update) is the moment most trackers start counting. It does not mean an officer has assessed eligibility in depth yet; it means the file is in the federal inventory. From here, IRCC may issue automated biometrics instructions, link existing medical exams, or queue you for manual review depending on stream and risk signals.
Why AOR matters for research: comparing “January 2026 AOR CEC inland Ontario” to “July 2025 AOR FSW outland” is apples-to-oranges. Always anchor comparisons to cohort (month + stream + type + province where possible).
Biometrics instruction letter (BIL) & collection
Most Express Entry applicants need valid biometrics on file. If yours expired or were never taken, IRCC issues a BIL shortly after AOR in many cases. Community data for CEC often clusters a biometrics instruction in the first ~15–22 days after AOR, with completion a week or two later but applicants who renewed early sometimes skip this wait entirely.
Delays here are operational (appointment availability, holiday closures) rather than legal “processing,” but they still affect when you feel movement on your file.
Immigration medical examination (IME)
You must use a panel physician approved by IRCC. Results upload to IRCC’s system; you do not send them yourself in most cases. Medical admissibility can trigger follow-up exams if findings are unclear. In community timelines, medical “passed” or “completed” often appears mid-lifecycle for CEC medians near the ~100–120 day range after AOR in aggregated AORTrack cohorts (rounded for readability; your dashboard shows exact cohort percentiles).
Background check & eligibility review
Security screening (including police certificates you submitted), criminality, and eligibility for the program you applied under are evaluated here. Status lines like “review required” or “we are processing your background check” can persist for months without implying a problem complex travel history, military service, or certain occupations can add layers.
This stage overlaps heavily with medicals and biometrics; do not assume a strict order of completion on MyTracker or the IRCC portal.
PPR, portal invitation, or “additional documents” near the end
When eligibility and admissibility reviews are positive, IRCC moves to closing steps. Outland applicants may receive a passport request for a counterfoil. Inland applicants are typically invited to the Permanent Residence Portal to confirm presence in Canada and upload portrait and address details in two phases (P1 and P2 in AORTrack’s milestone vocabulary).
Some files receive a procedural fairness letter instead that is not PPR; seek qualified advice if that happens.
CoPR / eCOPR you are a permanent resident
The CoPR document (or eCOPR upload) records the date your permanent residence takes effect. You must meet residency obligations from that date forward. PR card production is a separate logistics pipeline with its own mailing delays.
On AORTrack, logging the eCOPR milestone helps the next applicant in your cohort see realistic tail-end timing after portal steps.