The P1 email from IRCC, also called the Portal 1 email, is what applicants call the first of two emails IRCC sends when it approves a permanent residence application and you are in Canada. It asks for some basic information. It does not make you a permanent resident.
- What it is: the first of 2 emails IRCC says it sends if you are in Canada and it approves your permanent residence application. It asks you to respond with some basic information.
- What to do: answer every question in your own email truthfully, check your entry dates against your travel records, and do not create a new portal account.
- Deadline: IRCC’s confirmation page does not give a general deadline for replying. If your own email gives a date, reply by that date.
- What comes next: the second (P2) email, then you confirm in the portal that you are in Canada, then your e-COPR and your first PR card.
What is the P1 email from IRCC?
The P1 email is the first of 2 emails IRCC says it sends if you are in Canada and it approves your permanent residence application. IRCC’s page on confirming permanent residence says this first email asks you to respond with “some basic information”, and the second says IRCC is ready to confirm your status.
“P1”, “Portal 1” and “P2” are words applicants use. IRCC does not use them on that page, so your email may not say P1 anywhere. This guide is for people in Canada. If you are immigrating from abroad, IRCC’s COPR page says it issues the COPR before you travel, so the steps are different. If you live in Canada but are abroad when the email arrives, do not assume those steps apply to you. Answer truthfully about where you are, and read the travel section below.
| Name people use | What IRCC says it is | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| P1 email | First email, asking for some basic information | Respond with correct information |
| P2 email | Second email, saying IRCC is ready to confirm your status | Sign in to the Permanent Residence Portal, choose Confirmation of permanent residence, and confirm you are in Canada |
| e-COPR | Electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence, uploaded to your portal account | Check it matches your passport, then print and sign it |
| First PR card | Mailed to your Canadian address once your photo is approved | Give your address and upload your photo in the portal |
How can you tell the P1 email is really from IRCC?
Start with the sender, then read what the email asks for. IRCC’s Express Entry approval page says its emails come from a mailbox ending in cic.gc.ca, and its scam warning page says its employees never use free email such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo Mail to contact you.
An address that looks right is not full proof. IRCC’s scam page lists a request for personal information, such as a password, credit card or bank details, as a possible sign of a scam, and says its employees will never ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account. A real first email does ask for “some basic information”, so if you have doubts, do not click any links or share anything until you have checked who sent it. You can report a suspicious email to IRCC.
More than one email is not by itself a sign of a scam. IRCC’s confirmation page says a mailbox issue in December 2024 meant it might have re-sent the first email, and that if you received multiple identical emails from different addresses, you should respond to the most recent one. If you are expecting an email and do not see it, IRCC says to check your junk or spam folder.
Why did you get the P1 email twice?
The only reason IRCC’s confirmation page gives is the one in the section above: a mailbox issue in December 2024 meant it might have re-sent the first email. Its instruction for multiple identical emails is short: respond to the most recent one.
If two emails ask different questions, or one does not come from an address ending in cic.gc.ca, check them as set out in the section above before you reply.
Does the P1 email mean your PR is approved?
IRCC says it sends these emails when it approves your application, but you are not a permanent resident yet. Even a later step, declaring you are in Canada, “does not mean you are a permanent resident yet”, IRCC says.
What our RCICs see: people panic about whether their PR is already approved. The document to watch for is the e-COPR. IRCC’s COPR page says it shows the date you became a permanent resident and, once completed, is valid proof of status until you get your PR card.
Until then, your current status and its expiry date still matter. If you hold a work permit, IRCC’s extension page says you should apply at least 30 calendar days before it expires.
How should you reply to the P1 email?
Answer exactly what your own email asks, and check your dates before you send. If your email gives a date to reply by, reply by that date. IRCC’s Express Entry approval page says its emails may ask you to confirm your email address and that you are physically in Canada, and IRCC does not publish a full list of questions on the pages linked here.
What our RCICs see: people rush their P1 reply. They give wrong entry dates or incorrect information about whether they are physically in Canada, and travel history is where most of the confusion happens.
In his video, Omer Khalil, RCIC R710149, explains 3 terms that can come up when you reply to a P1 email:
- Original date of entry. Generally, the very first time you physically entered Canada, even for a short visit. In his example, someone visits for 10 days in July 2024 and returns on a work permit in August 2025, so the original date is July 2024 (0:51).
- Most recent entry. The last date you entered Canada, for example after a trip abroad (1:12).
- Port of entry. The actual airport or land border where you entered Canada. If you landed in Toronto, cleared immigration there and flew on to Edmonton, your port of entry is Toronto (1:40).
These are Omer’s explanations, not IRCC definitions. We did not find IRCC defining these terms for this email on the pages linked here. If your email says something different, follow your email.
Video from October 8, 2026. General information, not advice for your case.
Is there a sample reply to the P1 email?
IRCC does not publish a sample P1 email or a sample reply on the pages linked in this guide, so there is no official template to copy. Reply to the questions in your own email, in the way your email tells you to, with information that matches your passport and travel records.
A template copied from a forum or social media post can carry someone else’s dates or answers into your reply. Before you send, MAK suggests checking these points (our checklist, not an IRCC form):
- Every question in your email has an answer.
- Your original date of entry and most recent entry match your own travel records.
- Your answer about whether you are physically in Canada is true on the day you reply.
- The email address you give is one you check, including its junk or spam folder.
- You keep a copy of what you sent.
When will you get the P2 email after P1?
IRCC gives no waiting time for the second email on the pages linked here, so treat any exact number you see online with care. IRCC says the second email lets you know it is ready to confirm your permanent resident status.
What our RCICs see: people panic about when the P2 email will arrive and how long the e-COPR will take. Keep checking your junk or spam folder, and do not create your own portal account while you wait. IRCC says creating your own account can delay the process.
If you did not apply through the Permanent Residence Portal, IRCC’s confirmation page says it will create your account and email you a username and temporary password. If you did apply through that portal, you use the same account. IRCC says the portal is separate from your IRCC secure account. A temporary password expires 30 days after IRCC creates the account, and IRCC says to contact the email address in your invitation to have it reset.
How long does the e-COPR take after you confirm?
IRCC says that once you have confirmed you are in Canada, uploading your e-COPR “can take up to a few weeks.” This is only the time after you confirm, and it is not counted from the day you got your P1 email.
When it arrives, IRCC says to check that your information is correct and matches your passport. If there is an error, IRCC points to its guide on correcting a COPR. That guide covers errors made by immigration officials, and for the date of original entry it asks for supporting evidence that an official made the error. If the error came from something you told IRCC, get advice first. While you wait for your PR card, IRCC says you can use your printed and signed e-COPR to prove your status and to apply for services such as a social insurance number.
Can you travel outside Canada after the P1 email?
Contact IRCC first if you plan to travel before you receive your e-COPR, because IRCC says it cannot confirm your permanent resident status while you are outside Canada. IRCC says to use the email address on your invitation message, and that you must tell it if you leave Canada before it grants you status.
What our RCICs see: people also panic about whether they can travel outside Canada. If you only have the first email so far, the IRCC pages linked here do not name an address, so follow what your email says or reply to the address that sent it.
The IRCC rule about telling it if you leave has no exception for short trips. If you have already left and come back, tell IRCC, and make sure your most recent entry date is correct in anything you send. Until you are a permanent resident, plan to return on your current temporary documents, so check your visa or eTA and your permit before you leave.
After you become a permanent resident, there is a second issue. IRCC says that if you are outside Canada without a valid PR card and returning by plane, boat, train or bus, you need a permanent resident travel document.
IRCC’s confirmation page also says that if you need to leave Canada and you have not received your PR card, you need to apply for a permanent resident travel document to return to Canada. MAK’s PR travel document guide explains IRCC’s processing-time wording and its urgent route.
What if you gave a wrong answer in your P1 reply?
Do not leave a wrong answer in place: correct it truthfully and soon, and get advice on your own facts if you are unsure how. IRCC’s scam warning page says “It’s against the law to give false or misleading information in your application”, and that you are responsible for all the information in it, even if a representative completes it for you.
What our RCICs see: a wrong answer about being physically in Canada can delay finalization, because IRCC may need to clarify your location before it completes the virtual landing process, the step that finishes your permanent residence.
IRCC’s pages linked here do not set out a specific step for correcting a first-email reply, so follow what your email says or ask a licensed representative. If you have left Canada, do not wait for that advice, because IRCC says you must tell it. In an IRCC news release, the minister says giving false or misleading information, even if advised, can lead to a refusal or a five-year ban from entering the country. How IRCC treats a particular mistake depends on your file.
An immigration representative can advise you and help with the portal for a fee. IRCC says a representative cannot sign in using your username and password, and cannot declare that you are in Canada for you. That declaration has to be yours.
What do you need for your first PR card?
You need to give IRCC your Canadian mailing address and upload a photo in the portal. IRCC’s COPR page says you normally do not need to apply for your first card if you provide both within 180 days of immigrating. If you do not, IRCC says you will need to apply for your first card.
Do not leave the address step for later: IRCC’s confirmation page says that if you do not give it your address, your application will be delayed.
IRCC’s photo rules ask for a professional photo taken within the last 12 months, on a plain white background, not edited beforehand. The portal has you position and crop it in its own photo tool. It must be a JPEG or PNG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, and no larger than 4 MB. IRCC does not mail PR cards to third-party addresses, such as family members or representatives, and accepts post office boxes only in rural areas without home delivery.
For what comes next, see MAK’s newcomer checklist and PR card renewal guide.
Travel history and time outside Canada can make a reply less simple than it looks. MAK’s RCICs can go through your email and your dates with you, from Mississauga, Scarborough or online. If you are earlier in the process, see MAK’s Express Entry and Canadian Experience Class pages, or try the free Immigration Scanner. No consultant can guarantee an outcome or speed up IRCC’s processing. IRCC makes all final decisions.
Last checked against official sources: 5 November 2026. This page is general information, not advice for your case. IRCC’s instructions can change, and the instructions in your own IRCC email come first. IRCC makes all final decisions.
The quick answer, the sections on repeat emails and sample replies, and the added notes on travel and your address were checked against IRCC sources by MAK on 9 November 2026. IRCC’s confirmation page was dated 2026-04-09 when we read it.
