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What Is a Verification of Status (VOS) in Canada? How to Get One or Replace a Lost Immigration Document (IMM 5009)

A verification of status is a plain paper document from IRCC that reproduces the immigration information already on file for you, such as the date and place you entered Canada. IRCC does not reissue your original document. You apply for a verification of status, or to replace a lost temporary resident document, using form IMM 5009, for a $30 fee per person.

That last point trips people up more than any other part of this process. Applicants who lose a study permit or work permit often spend weeks sending IRCC web forms and calling the call centre, expecting a fresh copy to arrive. It will not. Without this application, IRCC will not reissue the document, and the delay can stall a job, a Social Insurance Number renewal, or a border re-entry. Getting the right form in the mail is the only thing that moves it.

A distressed young man in a dimly lit Vancouver apartment at night, overwhelmed by clutter on his desk. He holds a phone to his ear with an exasperated expression, staring at a computer screen that shows a web form error, illustrating the frustration of trying to resolve a lost status document by phone or web form instead of mailing the correct application. A physical IMM 5009 form and a $30 fee receipt are visible but ignored amidst the chaos.

What a verification of status document actually is

A verification of status document, often shortened to VOS document, is a printout of the historical information IRCC holds about your immigration record. It can reproduce details from your Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence, work permit, study permit, visitor record, or other documents. People use it to prove things like their date and place of entry to Canada when the original paper is lost or was never issued.


Two things matter here. First, IRCC issues a plain paper document, not a replacement of the original card or certificate. Second, a VOS document cannot be used for travel and is not an identity document. If you are a permanent resident outside Canada without proof of status, you need a permanent resident travel document instead, not a VOS. You can read IRCC's own description on the official Application for a Verification of Status (VOS) or Replacement of an Immigration Document page.

The two situations IMM 5009 covers

Here is where most of the confusion comes from. IMM 5009 is really two very different applications sharing one form.


The first is verification: you want proof of your immigration history, most often your date of landing or your permanent residence record, and IRCC sends a plain paper VOS document with that information.

The second is replacement: you had a current and valid temporary resident document that was lost, stolen, or destroyed, and you want a copy. Under IRCC's instruction guide, you can request a replacement of a valid visitor record, work permit, study permit, or temporary resident permit, and you must provide the police report number proving the document was lost or stolen.

From Amir's desk

In practice, the people who reach my desk for this are usually international students and workers in Vancouver whose study permit or work permit was lost, stolen, or destroyed, or who applied for an extension, answered something incompletely, and simply never received the new permit. Both routes run through this same application. The single most important thing I tell them is below.

Sending web forms or calling IRCC will not get your permit reissued. Without this application, IRCC will not send you a new document, no matter how many times you ask.

If you are unsure which of the two situations applies to you, that is exactly the kind of question worth confirming before you mail anything, because the supporting documents differ. A lost or stolen permit needs a police report; a request for historical status information does not.


Not sure whether your case is a verification or a replacement? That is a 30-minute question you can put to Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC directly ($80) before you fill anything out.


Verification of status, replacement, or amendment: which one you need

These three requests look similar and use different forms. Use this table to find yours before you start.

Your situation

What you need

Form

Prove your immigration history (landing date, PR record)

Verification of Status document

IMM 5009

Replace a valid temporary document that was lost or stolen

Replacement of an immigration document (police report required)

IMM 5009

Correct an error on your Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence

Request to amend the record

IMM 5218


Note the third row. If your goal is to change wrong information on your Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence, IMM 5009 is the wrong form. You use IMM 5218 to amend those records instead.

Documents you must include

The document checklist is part of the IMM 5009 form itself. Missing any required item means IRCC returns your application without processing it, so gather these before you mail anything.

  • A photocopy of one piece of government-issued photo identification, such as the passport or travel document you used to enter Canada, your driver's licence, or your photo health card

  • A photocopy of one more piece of government-issued identification, with or without a photo, such as your birth certificate or marriage certificate

  • The police report number if you are replacing a temporary document that was lost or stolen, or a brief explanation if you cannot obtain one

  • A death certificate and proof of executorship, if you are requesting a VOS document on behalf of a deceased person

  • An English or French translation plus a translator's affidavit for any document not already in English or French

IRCC will not accept a SIN card, bank card, credit card, school identification card, income tax return, or temporary driver's licence as your identification.


A close-up photograph of methodical hands carefully completing a paper IMM 5009 Canadian immigration form on a clean wooden table. The form sections for 'Verification of Status' and 'Replacement' are in focus. Neatly arranged next to the form are the required supporting documents: a photocopy of a passport identification page, a photocopied valid driver's license, and an online receipt for the $30 fee, visualizing the correct application procedure.

How to apply for a verification of status, step by step

The process is a paper application mailed to IRCC. The instruction guide, IMM 5545, walks through each stage.

  1. Read the IMM 5545 instruction guide and download the forms in the package: IMM 5009, and Use of a Representative (IMM 5476) only if someone is representing you.

  2. Fill out, sign, and date the forms, and complete the document checklist.

  3. Pay the $30 fee online, print two copies of the receipt, and attach one to your application.

  4. Mail the complete application to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa at the address in the guide.

The fee is $30 per person, per document, and is non-refundable even if you are not approved. There is no fee in a few situations: if you receive provincial social assistance or Resettlement Assistance Program support, if you are a Protected Person requesting a VOS that shows Protected Person status and you are not a permanent resident or citizen, or if the request goes to Library and Archives Canada or The Rooms for very old records.

Why this matters for your immigration application

A VOS document is often needed at a moment when something else is on the line: a pension file that Service Canada is about to close, a job offer that depends on proof of status, or a family emergency requiring travel. IRCC allows urgent processing in exactly those cases if you mark the envelope "URGENT" and include proof, but the standard route can take time, and processing times change. Confirm the current estimate on IRCC's check processing times page rather than relying on an old number.


The deeper reason to get this right is consistency. Your landing date and status history follow you into later applications, including citizenship and any future permanent residence step. When explaining this to students, the point I make is that the information on a VOS document should match what you write everywhere else, because an unexplained mismatch is the kind of small inconsistency an officer notices.

Frequently asked questions about verification of status

What is verification of status?

Verification of status is IRCC's process for confirming and issuing the immigration information it holds about you. The result is a plain paper document reproducing details such as your date and place of entry to Canada, applied for with form IMM 5009.

It is a plain paper printout of your historical immigration information, drawn from records like your Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence, work permit, or study permit. It proves your history but cannot be used for travel and is not an identity document.

IRCC does not publish a fixed timeline for this application, and processing times change without notice. Check the current estimate on IRCC's official check processing times page, and request urgent processing only if you meet the guide's criteria.

Read the IMM 5545 guide, complete form IMM 5009 and the document checklist, pay the $30 fee online, and mail the package to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa. Include your identification and, for a lost or stolen permit, the police report number.

The fee is $30 in Canadian dollars per person, per document, and is non-refundable. Some applicants pay no fee, including those receiving provincial social assistance and certain Protected Persons requesting a VOS that shows Protected Person status.

No. A verification of status document cannot be used for travel and is not an identity document. Permanent residents re-entering Canada need a PR card or, from outside Canada, a permanent resident travel document.

Related Posts

Which situation are you in: proving your status, or replacing a lost permit? Three signs the IMM 5009 route needs a professional read before you mail it: you are not sure whether you need a verification of status or a replacement, your permit was lost or stolen and you have no police report yet, or you applied for an extension and the new permit never arrived. Any one of these is what Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC untangles in a $80, 30-minute consultation, and if your case is simple enough to file yourself, that is the answer you will get, not a pitch. Ansari Immigration is led by a licensed RCIC (R709304), regulated by CICC, with flat, transparent fees quoted upfront and additional family members quoted separately. Have you dealt with a lost permit or a VOS request? Tell us how it went in the comments, and keep it general, for advice on your specific case book a consultation below.



This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.

 
 
 

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