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Pre-arrival checklists are not Express Entry leftovers

Pre-arrival checklists are not Express Entry leftovers

Client approved. Firm sends a congrats email. Nobody collects a Canadian mailing address or a current employer start letter until the client is sleeping on a cousin's couch in Brampton, scrambling for bank-account documents.

Direct answer

Build a pre-arrival landing checklist separate from the IRCC submission archive. IRCC's Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR, also called IMM 5292 or IMM 5688) is the landing document — not the ITA-era employer letter sitting in the Express Entry file. Collect what the client must carry and use after approval, with a guest link for overseas upload if that is in scope. See SIN delay intake for post-landing pending items.

Landing vs submission

Submission file (closed)Pre-arrival (active)
ITA-era employer letterStart-date letter only if your retainer covers settlement / employment admin
EE proof-of-funds snapshotNot a COPR substitute; some firms still keep a current funds snapshot because CBSA may ask questions similar to the PR application — confirm per stream
Digital photo already submitted to IRCCIRCC typically uses the COPR photo for the first PR card; they contact the client if it does not meet specs — do not invent a second photo chase unless IRCC asks
Police certificate from EEUsually closed for landing; note expiry only if you will reuse it elsewhere

GTA-bound clients often land before a lease is signed. IRCC mails the first PR card if the client gives a Canadian mailing address (and photo, where required) within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident. For inland confirmation, IRCC has said it does not mail PR cards to third-party addresses such as a representative's office — confirm current IRCC instructions before you offer your firm's address as a workaround. A temporary-address plan belongs on the landing checklist, not in the EE archive.

What IRCC and CBSA actually ask for at landing

Public IRCC and CBSA guidance for newcomers settling in Canada typically includes:

  1. Valid passport or travel document for each family member travelling.
  2. COPR presented at a port of entry on or before the COPR "Valid to" date (overseas landings). The officer checks the information and completes the COPR with the entry date.
  3. Two copies of personal-effects lists — goods accompanying the traveller and goods to follow, with value and identifying details where applicable. CBSA uses this to complete Form BSF186 (Personal Effects Accounting Document). Goods not listed at first arrival generally do not get the settler's duty-free treatment later.
  4. Canadian mailing address for the first PR card.

Do not invent a six-month passport rule as an IRCC landing requirement. Passport validity still matters because the COPR is tied to a travel document; airlines and CBSA can refuse travel on an expired passport. Confirm current instructions for the client's documents.

A "POE letter" is not a universal IRCC form name. Some clients hold a permanent resident visa in the passport in addition to the COPR. Collect what that client's approval package actually contains.

Workflow

  1. Clone a landing template at approval — not at Pearson panic.
  2. Guest link to the overseas client — upload COPR PDF and passport bio page; children's school or immunization records only if settlement support is in the retainer. See guest link for overseas clients.
  3. QC COPR "Valid to" date and travel-document expiry before tickets are booked.
  4. Co-agent landing coordinator only if the firm sells settlement support — Hivi-X is not a settlement agency.
  5. Export a landing package distinct from the CICC submission export.

Voice notes can capture border-prep questions from a consult. Log them as consultation notes; approved documents stay on checklist lines.

Hivi-X is document-collection software: reusable checklists, guest link with email OTP, missing-item dashboard, approve/reject/resubmit, and exportable PDF. It does not auto-remind clients, replace IRCC or CBSA, or certify that a landing file is complete.

Related: work permit intake, proof of funds EE.

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General information only. Not immigration, customs, or settlement advice. Hivi-X is document-collection software — not a licensed immigration consultant. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CICC, IRCC, CBSA, or Service Canada. Confirm current IRCC, CBSA, and Service Canada instructions for each client's stream and travel date.

Answers are general operational information only — not legal, tax, regulatory, clinical, privacy, immigration, or professional advice. Requirements vary by matter, client, and regulator.

Frequently asked questions

What documents belong in a pre-arrival landing checklist?
Typically the COPR (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688), a valid passport or travel document for each traveller, and a Canadian mailing address for the first PR card. Settlement retainers often add goods lists, employer letters, and children's records. Verify against current IRCC and CBSA guidance and the client's stream.
Should landing checklists duplicate Express Entry files?
Keep the EE submission archive closed. Open a landing checklist for documents clients still need to carry, refresh, or use after approval — especially COPR and address.
When do clients upload pre-arrival?
After approval and before travel, when the retainer covers landing support. A guest link with email OTP works from overseas; it does not replace IRCC portals.
How do SIN delays fit?
Service Canada typically accepts a COPR as the primary identity document within one year of becoming a permanent resident, plus a secondary ID. Put SIN on a pending line — see the SIN delay intake guide. Do not block COPR collection.
Does Hivi-X track landing separately from IRCC submit?
Use a separate checklist template or phase. Hivi-X shows missing items per checklist; it does not replace IRCC, CBSA, or Service Canada.

Collect complete immigration client files without the chase

Hivi-X helps Ontario RCICs collect passports, police certificates, employer letters, and IRCC forms with reusable checklists, the my-id.ca client portal, self-hosted AI summaries, and exportable PDF packages for your client file archive — alongside your immigration CRM.

Pre-Arrival Landing Document Package RCIC | hivi-x Docs