Canada · Immigration accounts · Verified September 22, 2026
IRCC does not have one universal login. Depending on what you applied for, you may need the IRCC secure account, the IRCC Portal (including its newer version), or the Permanent Residence Portal. Using the wrong one is a common reason newcomers think an application has disappeared.
IRCC secure account: the GCKey/Sign-In Partner account
The IRCC secure account is the account most people associate with GCKey or a Canadian banking Sign-In Partner. GCKey itself is only the sign-in credential; after using it, you still have an IRCC secure account profile.
IRCC currently directs several major application types here, including:
- Express Entry
- work permits and work-permit extensions
- post-graduation work permits
- International Experience Canada
- visitor records
- study-permit extensions
- changing schools or work-permit conditions in supported cases
IRCC Portal: email-based sign-in for selected applications
The IRCC Portal uses an email-address login rather than GCKey. It is used for selected temporary-residence and other application streams. Visitor visa and study-permit applicants may have used either the secure account or an IRCC Portal depending on when and how they applied.
IRCC also now lists an IRCC Portal – New version for some visitor-visa and related workflows. Do not switch just because the new version exists; use the account tied to the application you actually submitted.
Permanent Residence Portal: many non-Express Entry PR applications
The Permanent Residence Portal is used for many permanent-residence applications outside Express Entry, including family sponsorship and a range of economic, humanitarian and provincial routes. It is also used for PR cards and permanent resident travel documents in supported cases.
The PR confirmation portal is not a fourth account you should create yourself
After IRCC approves permanent residence for someone who is already in Canada, it uses the PR Portal to confirm status and issue the electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence (e-COPR). If your original PR application was submitted through the Permanent Residence Portal, you generally use that account. If it was not, IRCC says it will contact you and create the confirmation access—it specifically warns applicants not to create their own extra portal account for this step.
Quick way to identify which account you used
- You signed in with GCKey or banking credentials: IRCC secure account.
- You signed in with an email address for a visitor visa or study permit: likely an IRCC Portal version.
- You applied for many non-Express Entry PR programs using an email login: likely the Permanent Residence Portal.
- You applied through Express Entry: IRCC secure account.
Can you link an application to another account?
Some applications can be linked to an IRCC secure account for status updates and messages, including certain paper or externally submitted cases. Not every application can be linked, and linking does not mean the original application was submitted through that account.
Where should requested documents go?
Follow the instructions in IRCC’s request letter. IRCC may tell you to upload documents in the account used to apply, in another linked account, through the webform, or by a specific alternative channel. Sending a document through a different route can delay processing.
Five account mistakes to avoid
- Thinking GCKey is the application account itself.
- Creating a new account because you cannot immediately see an old application.
- Trying to confirm PR by creating your own new PR Portal account.
- Uploading requested documents to a different portal from the one IRCC instructed.
- Assuming every “IRCC Portal” link leads to the same system.
Official sources checked
- IRCC — find the right account for your application
- IRCC — secure account
- IRCC — linking an application to the secure account
- IRCC — confirming permanent residence in the PR Portal
