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PR card renewal · Canada

Your PR card renewal, made simple.

Every step IRCC requires, explained from inside the portal. Checked against canada.ca, and free.

Processing time right now: 38 daysIRCC source linked on every stepNothing you type is sent to us

Where are you?

My card expires within 9 months

You can apply now. Start at step 1 and follow the path.

Start at step 1

My card has already expired

Your status is not affected by an expired card. Renew the same way.

Start at step 1

I'm outside Canada right now

A PR card can't be renewed from abroad. You need a PR travel document instead; that guide is coming.

Read step 1 first
1

Check when you can apply

IRCC says
Apply when your card is within 9 months of expiring, or has already expired. You must be in Canada when you apply.1
You do
  • Look at the expiry date printed on your card. 9 months before it, you're on.
  • Sign in to the Permanent Residence Portal (not the paper form) and choose *renew or replace a PR card*.
  • Keep your old card until the new one arrives, even if it has expired.
Don't start the downloadable IMM 5444 PDF if you're applying online. The portal has its own digital version of the form.

Next step: Count your days

2

Count your days

IRCC says
You must have been physically in Canada for at least 730 days in the last five years. The portal counts it the other way round: fewer than 1,095 days outside Canada, and the days you leave and return don't count as days away.2
You do
  • List every trip outside Canada in the last five years: departure date, return date, where, why.
  • Rebuild the list from passport stamps, flight emails and your CRA account.
  • Put the trips in the calculator. It gives you the three totals the portal asks for, formatted for its table.
Residency days calculator
Free. Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Open the calculator
Don't guess dates. When you consent in the application, IRCC compares your list with the border entry and exit records.

Next step: Gather your documents

3

Gather your documents

IRCC says
Your application is returned if anything on the document checklist (IMM 5644) is missing.3
You do
  • Current PR card: front and back, one file.
  • Passport photo page: your primary identity document.
  • Proof you live here (2): a Notice of Assessment is the strongest. Then a lease or pay stubs.
  • Photo, front and back: two images. See step 5.
File name pattern the portal asks for
Last-First-DocumentType-1.pdf
Don't name files freely. The portal accepts only letters, digits, hyphen, underscore and dot. PDF, JPG or PNG, 4 MB max each.

Full document list and printable checklist

Next step: Fill in IMM 5444

4

Fill in IMM 5444, screen by screen

IRCC says
The portal's digital form has five sections: applicant situation, personal details, immigration history, personal history, residency obligation. Numbering jumps from 2.7 to 2.9 and from 5.5 to 5.7; that's normal.4
You do
  • 1 Applicant situation: your UCI, the date and place you became a PR. Both are on your COPR or the back of your card.
  • 2 Personal details: your name exactly as on your COPR. Eye colour, height in cm, addresses.
  • 3 Immigration history: four yes/no questions. "IRPA" is the immigration law for everyone, not only refugees; the questions apply to you too.
  • 4 Personal history: five years of addresses and jobs, no gaps. Months without work go in as "unemployed"; they are not left blank.
  • 5 Residency obligation: your trips table. Copy the rows from the calculator. Leave the humanitarian box empty if your totals are fine.
Don't leave a table without pressing Save Table. "Save and continue" does not save table rows; the portal drops them silently.

IMM 5444 screen by screen

Next step: Get the photo right

5

Get the photo right

IRCC says
One photo taken in the last 12 months, uploaded as two images: the front, and the back showing your name and date of birth, the studio's name and address, and the date it was taken (stamped or handwritten).5
You do
  • Go to a photo studio and ask for a "Canadian PR card photo". They know the spec and will stamp the back.
  • Ask for the digital file too, JPEG, under 4 MB. Photograph or scan the stamped back.
Don't use a selfie or a phone photo. The back must carry your name, date of birth, the studio's name and address, and the date, stamped or handwritten by the studio; a selfie has none of that, and the portal will not accept it.

Photo requirements in detail, including the back

Next step: Pay the fee

6

Pay the fee

IRCC says
The fee is $50. Pay on IRCC's online payment site, save the official receipt with the barcode, and attach it to your application. If the payment can't be processed, the application is returned.5
You do
  • Pay on the separate payment site, then save the receipt as a PDF.
  • Come back to the portal and upload it under Proof of payment.

Fee, payment site and receipt

Next step: Sign, submit, wait

7

Sign, submit, wait

IRCC says
The consent and declaration form acts as your digital signature. Once submitted, nothing can be changed.4
You do
  • IRCC's current processing time for renewals is 38 days (last verified Sep 11, 2026). Nothing to do until then.
  • The new card is mailed to your residential address. A PO box is accepted only if that is where you live; a third party's address is never accepted.
You're set. If you followed all seven steps, nothing on this page will get your application returned.

Today's processing time and what happens after you submit

Common questions

How long does a PR card renewal take?
IRCC's published processing time is 38 days for a renewal right now (IRCC updated Sep 9, 2026). Add mailing time. The processing-time page tracks the figure.
Can I renew my PR card online?
Yes. Renewals are made in the Permanent Residence Portal: a digital IMM 5444, uploads for your documents and photo, the fee receipt, and a digital declaration.
Do I need to renew my PR card after five years?
The card expires; your status does not. Renew when the card is within 9 months of expiring or has expired, if you are in Canada. Outside Canada without a valid card, you need a PR travel document to fly back.
How many months before expiry can I apply?
9 months. An application for a card still valid for longer than that is returned.

Sources

  1. 1.canada.cacanada.ca
  2. 2.canada.ca, residency obligationcanada.ca
  3. 3.IMM 5644canada.ca
  4. 4.PR Portalprson-srpel.apps.cic.gc.ca
  5. 5.Guide 5445canada.ca

* IRCC processing times — IRCC updated Sep 9, 2026 · we verified Sep 11, 2026