How to Correct an Error on a Canadian Immigration Document With Form IMM 1436

When should you use Form IMM 1436?

Use Form IMM 1436 when Canadian immigration officials recorded information incorrectly on an immigration document covered by the amendment process.

The form is officially called Request to Amend Valid Temporary Resident Documents, or Information Contained in the Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Protected Person Document.

This procedure is intended mainly for clerical or administrative errors that existed when IRCC created the document. It is not a general way to update every later change in your life.

Which immigration documents can be corrected?

For temporary residents, IRCC allows amendments to the following documents while they are still valid:

• visitor record, IMM 1442;
• work permit, IMM 1442;
• study permit, IMM 1442;
• temporary resident permit, IMM 1442.

IRCC can also record corrections relating to:

• Record of Landing, IMM 1000;
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence, IMM 5292 or IMM 5688;
• certain protected person documents;
• certain other historical immigration documents listed in Guide 5218.

Review the current IRCC amendment guide before preparing the application.

Can IRCC correct an expired temporary resident document?

No. A visitor record, work permit, study permit or temporary resident permit must still be valid when you request the correction.

IRCC treats expired temporary resident documents as historical records and does not amend them through this process.

What information can be corrected on a valid temporary resident document?

With supporting evidence that an immigration official made an error, IRCC may correct information including:

• family name;
• given name;
• date of birth;
• country of birth;
• citizenship;
• sex or gender identifier;
• travel document number as it existed when you originally applied;
• document issue date;
• document expiry date, subject to special rules for International Experience Canada;
• employment information on a work permit;
• certain work restrictions or conditions added in error;
• institution or field of study information on a study permit where it should match the original letter of acceptance.

Can you use IMM 1436 for information that changed after the document was issued?

Usually not. If the information was correct when IRCC issued the document and changed later, the amendment process is generally the wrong route.

For example, if you obtained a new passport after entering Canada and now want your temporary resident document to show the new passport information, IRCC says you should normally apply for a new temporary resident document instead.

The same principle applies to major employment changes. Changing employer, occupation or work location is not normally treated as a clerical correction to the old work permit.

Can you correct an error on a work permit?

Yes, if IRCC recorded the original approved employment information incorrectly.

IRCC can correct typographical or editorial errors in fields such as employer, occupation or employment location when the corrected information matches the original Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA-exempt offer submitted for the permit.

IRCC warns that the employer, occupation and work location shown on an employer-specific work permit need to be accurate. If you actually changed employer, city or position after the permit was issued, use the appropriate work permit application process rather than asking IRCC to rewrite the old permit as an error.

Can you correct a study permit error?

Some study permit errors can be amended if the information should have been different when IRCC issued the permit.

Examples include an institution or field of study that does not match the original letter of acceptance, or an eligible on-campus or off-campus work authorization condition that should have appeared on the permit.

When correcting study information, IRCC may require a copy of the original letter of acceptance or enrolment documentation.

What if you only became eligible to work off campus later?

If the permit correctly restricted off-campus work when it was issued and you became eligible only later, this is not an administrative error. IRCC says you must apply for a new or extended study permit through the appropriate process instead of using IMM 1436 to rewrite the earlier decision.

Can you correct an error on a Confirmation of Permanent Residence?

Yes, when IRCC recorded information incorrectly at the time the record was created.

Eligible information on a Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or protected person document can include family name, given name, date or place of birth, country of birth, citizenship, sex or gender identifier and marital status, subject to IRCC's detailed rules.

These records are historical. IRCC generally will not amend them simply because personal information changed after you became a permanent resident or protected person.

What information cannot be corrected on a COPR?

IRCC states that certain fields on a Confirmation of Permanent Residence cannot be corrected through this amendment procedure, including:

• height;
• eye colour;
• photo;
• signature;
• immigration category;
• relationship;
• last entry date.

What documents do you need to submit?

The exact evidence depends on the correction, but the standard package includes:

• a completed and signed original IMM 1436;
• a photocopy of the passport or travel document used to enter Canada or provided with the original application, where available;
• additional government-issued or internationally recognized identification showing the correct information when required;
• a photocopy of the immigration document being amended;
• other evidence that proves the information was recorded incorrectly.

For passport evidence, IRCC asks for relevant pages showing information such as the passport number, issue and expiry dates, photo, name, date and place of birth, amendments and entry stamps where applicable.

What if you no longer have the old passport?

If you no longer have the passport or travel document used to enter Canada or used for the original application, Guide 5218 provides alternatives. These can include relevant pages from your current passport or, when those are unavailable, eligible government-issued photo identification.

Still include the name you used when you entered Canada or originally applied so IRCC can retrieve the correct historical record.

What evidence proves that IRCC made an error?

The supporting evidence should show what the information was at the time IRCC issued the original document.

Depending on the requested correction, useful evidence can include:

• a birth certificate;
• identity documents issued before entry to Canada;
• a marriage certificate where relevant;
• the passport used for the original application;
• the original school letter of acceptance;
• an employer letter confirming the information in the LMIA or LMIA-exempt employment submission;
• legal documents showing a correction that existed before you entered Canada or before you applied.

What if your supporting documents are not in English or French?

You must include an English or French translation.

If the translation was not completed by a Canadian certified translator, IRCC also requires an affidavit from the translator confirming their language ability and the accuracy of the translation.

The applicant and specified family members cannot translate the documents themselves.

How much does it cost to correct an immigration document?

An administrative or clerical correction made necessary by an IRCC error is generally free.

There is a different rule when you are asking for a permitted name or gender change that is not the result of an immigration officer's error. IRCC currently charges CAD $30 per document.

For these non-error name or gender changes, additional forms and supporting documents are required. Certain applicants receiving provincial welfare or assistance under the Resettlement Assistance Program are exempt from that fee.

Can you use IMM 1436 for a name change after marriage?

The core IMM 1436 correction process is not intended to rewrite historical records simply because your name changed later. IRCC does, however, allow certain name changes on some valid temporary resident or protected person documents under a separate set of requirements within Guide 5218.

A permitted non-administrative name change requires Form IRM 0001, linking documents and the applicable CAD $30 fee unless an exemption applies.

This is different from proving that IRCC misspelled or incorrectly recorded the name you already had when the original document was issued.

Where do you send Form IMM 1436?

IRCC requires this application to be mailed to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa.

For regular mail, the current address in Guide 5218 is:

Request to Amend Valid Temporary Resident Documents or Information Contained in the Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Protected Person Document
Operations Support Centre (OSC)
P.O. Box 8784 STN T CSC
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5J3
Canada

For private courier or registered mail, Guide 5218 gives:

Request to Amend Valid Temporary Resident Documents or Information Contained in the Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Protected Person Document
Operations Support Centre (OSC)
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Canada

IRCC recommends using a postal or courier service with tracking if you want proof that the package was delivered.

Can you request urgent processing?

Yes, but only in specific situations and with evidence.

IRCC may consider urgent processing if, for example:

• you face an immediate loss of employment or an employment opportunity because you do not have correct proof of your immigration information;
• the document error prevents you from receiving an urgent federal, provincial or municipal government service;
• your application was seriously delayed because of an administrative error by Canadian immigration officials.

For an urgent request, clearly write Urgent on the envelope and include documentary evidence supporting the urgency.

Requests simply to add on-campus or off-campus work authorization wording to a study permit do not qualify for urgent processing under this rule.

What happens if IRCC approves a temporary resident document correction?

If IRCC approves an amendment to a valid visitor record, work permit, study permit or temporary resident permit, you receive a new IMM 1442 showing the correction.

After receiving the corrected document, IRCC instructs you to destroy the temporary resident document that contained the error by shredding it.

Do not destroy the original Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or protected person document.

What happens after a COPR or Record of Landing correction is approved?

IRCC does not normally replace the historical Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence with a newly rewritten original.

Instead, the amendment is recorded in IRCC's system and you receive a Verification of Status showing the corrected information.

Keep the original historical document and present it together with the Verification of Status when you need to show the corrected immigration record.

What happens if the correction request is refused?

If IRCC refuses the request, it sends a letter explaining the reasons.

IRCC also records a note on your immigration file indicating that you requested a correction.

What if you move while the request is processing?

Tell IRCC if your address changes before the amendment request is completed.

Your mailing and email information should remain valid during processing because IRCC may use them to communicate about the file or deliver the result.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Using IMM 1436 to report a personal change that happened after the document was correctly issued.
• Trying to amend an expired temporary resident document.
• Changing employer, occupation or work location and treating it as a typo on the old work permit.
• Sending IMM 1436 without evidence showing what the information should have been originally.
• Sending original identity documents when IRCC asks for photocopies.
• Submitting untranslated documents that are not in English or French.
• Forgetting the translator affidavit when the translation is not completed by a Canadian certified translator.
• Using the amendment process for a PR card error without checking the separate PR card reissue procedure.
• Assuming an approved COPR correction means IRCC will destroy and replace the original historical COPR.

IMM 1436 correction checklist

• Confirm that the problem is an IRCC recording error or another change specifically permitted by Guide 5218.
• Confirm that a temporary resident document is still valid.
• Complete and sign IMM 1436.
• Copy the passport or travel document used for the original application where available.
• Gather additional identification proving the correct historical information.
• Copy the immigration document being corrected.
• Add work, school or other evidence relevant to the particular error.
• Translate documents that are not in English or French according to IRCC rules.
• Include IMM 5476 if you use a representative.
• Pay the CAD $30 fee only if you are making an eligible name or gender change not caused by an administrative error and no exemption applies.
• Mail the package to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa.
• Use tracking if you want proof of delivery.
• If requesting urgent processing, mark the envelope Urgent and include supporting proof.
• Keep copies of the entire submission for your records.