Replacing a lost, stolen or destroyed immigration document requires Canadian newcomers to submit an application for a Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has a specific process for replacing immigration documents that have been stolen, destroyed or lost.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Understanding this process begins with awareness of what IRCC perceives as an immigration document. This is important because IRCC states that the document replacement process outlined in this article is specifically for those who need to “replace a temporary resident document.”

What IRCC calls an immigration document

According to the glossary included on the IRCC Help Centre webpage, an immigration document is “an official document issued by an IRCC or Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office, Case Processing Centre (CPC) or Canadian visa office outside Canada.” Examples of immigration documents include:

• A Canadian work, study or temporary resident permit
• A permanent resident (PR) card
• A visitor record

Note: The above is not a legal definition

In light of the above, IRCC notes that the document replacement process below cannot be used by those who are looking for changes to their Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence.

Instead, the immigration department notes that concerns related to those documents can be addressed using a Request to Amend the Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents.

Steps to take when replacing a lost, stolen or destroyed document

On this Government of Canada webpage, IRCC includes the application package required for this document replacement process. This application package includes:

• The Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document form [IMM 5009]
• The Use of a Representative form [IMM 5476]
• An Instruction Guide [IMM 5545]

Once a user downloads the application package above, they must take the following four steps to submit their Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document form.