Maple News reports that thousands of aspiring Canadian permanent residents remain stranded abroad due to pandemic-era disruptions, even after completing nearly all stages of the immigration process. Among them is Prashant Gupta, who received his Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) in early 2020. He resigned from his job and booked a flight to Canada for March 18, just two days before Canadian borders abruptly shut down in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
COPRs and accompanying Permanent Resident Visas (PRVs) are typically valid for one year, during which time applicants wrap up their affairs — quitting jobs, selling property, withdrawing children from school — in preparation for a permanent move to Canada. However, delays caused by COVID-19 saw many applicants’ documents expire before they could travel.
Even now, individuals with expired COPRs cannot legally enter Canada without special authorization from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), despite having completed nearly all legal immigration steps. IRCC launched a dedicated webform in July 2020 to gather information from affected candidates and begin processing travel authorization requests.
As of mid-October 2020, IRCC had received 2,700 principal applications through the webform. Yet only 120 applicants had been issued authorization letters, leaving the majority in a holding pattern. Many frustrated applicants say communication with the IRCC remains opaque, with no reliable way to track progress or estimate processing timelines.
“Many of us have filled out the webform,” said Favour Elegbede, an expired COPR holder from Nigeria. “We receive vague replies like, ‘Your documents have been forwarded,’ but there’s no transparency. Who is the responsible office, and why aren’t they acting on our files?”
IRCC officials have confirmed via social media that they are unable to provide timelines for when COPR extensions or authorizations will be processed. Some IRCC offices have started to reopen, but the backlog of immigration files from the pandemic remains significant.
This bureaucratic bottleneck has left thousands of families worldwide suspended between countries — unable to immigrate to Canada, but having already dismantled their lives at home in anticipation of a fresh start. For many, the lack of clarity and support only deepens the stress they have endured during an already challenging global health crisis.
Maple News will continue monitoring updates and provide guidance as IRCC resumes normal operations and clears this critical immigration backlog.