A passport-request letter can feel like the end of a Canadian visitor application. For an online applicant, however, there is still a practical step between the message in the account and being ready to travel: submitting the passport and receiving it with the visa.
Read the message inside your account
IRCC says approved online applicants receive instructions in their account for submitting the passport. Travellers cannot travel to Canada until the visa has been placed in the submitted passport. An email alert or a screenshot of the request is not a substitute for that document.
Open your account directly using your usual official route. Treat an unexpected payment link or a request to send your passport to an unrelated person as a reason to verify the instructions before acting.
Use the passport the application identifies
IRCC advises submitting the same passport supplied in the application. Sending a newer passport can delay processing and does not mean the visa will receive a longer validity period. If your passport situation has changed, use the instructions and contact channel for your case.
As a practical check, compare the passport number in the letter or account with the physical passport before arranging delivery. Keep copies of the submission instructions and tracking receipt in a secure place.
Inspect the returned document
When it comes back, review your identity details and the visa's validity, category and entry information. Raise any apparent error through the official channel rather than assuming the airline can correct it at check-in.
Do not organise your budget around an agent's promised return date. Until the document is back, leave room for delivery time, questions or correction of a mistake.
Your next step
Use IRCC's official after-application page below, then follow the passport-submission instructions in your own account. The letter is meaningful progress, but plan travel around the returned passport and applicable entry conditions. Approval and possession of a visa do not remove the checks made when you arrive.
Official sources
Sources reviewed on 29 Oct 2026. Requirements can change and depend on your nationality and circumstances. This article is general information, not a personal eligibility assessment.
