How to Upload Documents to IRCC

An online IRCC application means turning paper documents into files and putting them into upload fields in your account. Two rules matter more than the rest. Each field keeps only one file, and a document you have uploaded has not reached IRCC until you submit it.

This guide covers documents in your IRCC secure account, which most applicants use. If your request came by mail or email rather than through your account, IRCC says to follow the instructions in that letter or email instead.

How do I submit a document IRCC asked for?

When IRCC asks you for a new document after you have applied, its help centre describes these steps:

1. Upload the document in your account.
2. Check that the document's status reads "Uploaded - not submitted to IRCC".
3. Sign and submit. IRCC calls this transmitting the document.
4. Watch for the confirmation email, which tells you the document was sent.

Step 2 is where people stop: the file is in the field and the page looks finished. The document is still sitting in your account, waiting for the signature in step 3.

Is uploading the same as submitting?

No. Uploading puts a file into a field in your account. Submitting sends it to IRCC. Between the two, the status "Uploaded - not submitted to IRCC" is IRCC's way of telling you the job is half done.

We suggest treating the confirmation email as the only proof that a document went through. If you uploaded something days ago and never got an email, sign in and check the status before you assume IRCC has it. A document that was never submitted can't be reviewed, and you may only find out when a deadline has passed.

I have several files but only one upload field. What can I do?

IRCC's help centre answers this directly. Each upload field takes one file, and if you upload more than one, only the last is kept. So six monthly bank statements, or the front and back of a certificate, have to become one file before they go into the field.

IRCC lists a few ways to do that:

• Merge several PDFs into one PDF.
• Put photos or scans into one document, or into one PDF.
• Save the result at 150 DPI or less, or with a minimum size option, so the combined file stays small.

You can merge PDFs into one file for IRCC in your browser. If some pages are phone photos, turn them into a PDF first with JPG to PDF, then merge. IRCC adds a warning about this step: it can't guarantee the security of third-party tools, and it asks you to read a tool's terms and privacy policy. Both of ours run on your own device, so the files are never sent to a server.

The order of pages is up to you in most cases. Our advice is to put pages in the order an officer would read them: statements by date, certificates by page number, the main document before its supporting pages.

One exception: IMM forms. Upload each one on its own in the field meant for it, and don't merge it with anything. The IMM form validation guide explains why.

What if the combined file is over the limit?

Merging adds file sizes together, so a combined PDF is often over the limit even when every part was under it. Most IRCC accounts take files up to 4 MB, the IRCC Portal takes 5 MB, and some application types set a limit as low as 2 MB.

If the merged file is too big, compress the PDF to 4 MB, or to 2 MB if your instructions give the lower figure. We suggest merging first and compressing last, so you only reduce the size once and can check the final file in one pass.

Before you upload, the IRCC file checker tests the combined file against the limit for the account you choose, along with its format, and flags passwords and fillable IMM forms before you find out at the upload screen.

Can I add documents after I submit?

For Express Entry, IRCC's help centre says that once you have submitted your application for permanent residence, you generally can't upload more supporting documents. The exception is when IRCC asks for something, and the request appears as a message in your account.

If you need to send a document IRCC did not ask for, IRCC points you to its web form instead of your account.

Sometimes IRCC asks for a document and the upload option doesn't appear. IRCC says to report this through the web form, to send only one form about it, and to attach screenshots of what you see.

What should you check before you upload?

These are our own habits, not IRCC rules, but they prevent most failed or weak uploads:

• Open every file after you create it. Zoom in on account numbers, dates and stamps. If you have to squint, so will the officer.
• Count the pages. A merged statement missing one month is easy to miss when you only look at the first page.
• Match each file to the field's label. A field that asks for proof of funds should not hold a reference letter.
• Run the batch through the IRCC file checker for size, format and passwords.
• Keep your originals. Our compressor turns pages into images, so keep the uncompressed version for your records.

If any document is not in English or French, it needs a translation before it goes in. The IRCC translation requirements guide covers who can translate and what to upload with it.