For authorized paid representatives submitting for clients: which of IRCC's three representative accounts to use, the IMM 5476 authorization, APR Portal enrolment, completing and paying for applications, and what the client must still sign.
Applies in: CA
This guide is for a person who is already an authorized paid representative and needs to complete, pay for, and submit an online application for a client through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It is not a guide to becoming a representative. Becoming a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant is a separate licensing path, covered in the related guide linked at the end of this guide, and this guide assumes the representative is already licensed and in good standing. It is also not the applicant-side guide to any single application, and it is not the tax version of this job: the Canada Revenue Agency's Represent a Client service, the IRCC Employer Portal used by employers hiring temporary foreign workers, and the general Use of a Representative form as an applicant fills it in are all different processes, and none of their steps is carried over here. The distinct point of this guide is the representative's own portal workflow: enrolment, choosing among three representative accounts, completing and transmitting the client's application, paying, and tracking it afterwards. Where the official pages leave a step unstated, this guide says so instead of filling the gap.
One warning governs everything that follows. There is no single IRCC representative portal. IRCC operates three accounts for authorized paid representatives, and the right one depends on the application. Starting in the wrong account wastes the enrolment and the work, because the accounts do not share applications. Section 4 sets out the three lists exactly as IRCC publishes them, including the overlap between two of them, and the rest of the guide follows the account named for each application type.
Paid representation is restricted. Use of a Representative Form (IMM 5476) states that anyone who represents or advises for payment in connection with IRCC proceedings or applications is breaking the law unless they are an authorized representative or have a specific agreement or arrangement with the Government of Canada, and that IRCC will only conduct business with paid representatives who are in good standing with their designated regulatory body. Paid representatives are consultants who are members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC); lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, and students-at-law under their supervision; and notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, and students-at-law under their supervision. The APR Portal glossary at How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal puts the same test in slightly different words: an authorized paid representative is a member, in good standing, of one of a provincial or territorial law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or a body designated under subsection 91(5) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The two wordings agree on the substance: one regulator, good standing, and membership that can be verified.
The consequence of getting this wrong is return, not a request to fix it. The same IMM 5476 page states that if a paid representative who is appointed is not a member in good standing of one of the designated bodies, the application will be returned. IRCC's operational guidance at Use of representatives: Complete applications states it more bluntly: where a compensated representative is designated but is not a member in good standing of a Canadian law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, the application will not be accepted into processing and IRCC has the authority to return the entire package and fees. Before starting any client's application, confirm the representative's standing with the regulator directly. For a consultant, that means the College's public register showing full membership and good standing, a point the APR Portal enrolment guide stresses in section 3 below. A lapsed, suspended, or transitional listing is not good standing for this purpose.
Unpaid representatives sit outside this guide's portal workflow. An unpaid representative charges no fee and receives no other consideration, and may be a friend, family member, or other third party, or a consultant, lawyer, or Quebec notary acting without charging, according to the IMM 5476 page. IRCC will conduct business with an unpaid representative the applicant appoints. But the portals in this guide are the authorized paid representatives' accounts. An unpaid helper works through the client's own account under the limits in the application help text, and cannot use the APR Portal enrolment in section 3. Do not enrol as a paid representative to act unpaid, and do not act paid without the standing this section requires.
Authorization on a file is recorded with form IMM 5476, Use of a Representative. Use of a Representative Form (IMM 5476) defines a representative as someone who provides advice, consultation, or guidance at any stage of the application process or in a proceeding and, once appointed by this form, has permission to conduct business on the applicant's behalf with IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The form is used only to appoint a representative, update a previously appointed representative's contact information, cancel an appointment, cancel and appoint a new representative, or withdraw as a representative. Each application takes one representative at a time: the same page states that an applicant can appoint only one representative at a time for each application submitted, and appointing a new representative ends the previous representative's authority on that application.
Both sides sign. The application help text at Getting help with your application from someone else directs the applicant to complete and sign the form, get the representative to sign it, and upload it with the application. The IMM 5476 page adds the effects the client should understand before signing: appointing a representative also authorizes IRCC and CBSA to share information from the application with that person in place of the applicant, the representative will receive all correspondence from IRCC or CBSA rather than the applicant, the application will not receive special attention or faster processing or a more favourable outcome, and the representative is authorized only for the citizenship or immigration matters related to the application submitted with the form. The client must be told about any change: the page requires notification to IRCC where the representative's contact information changes, or the representative is changed or the appointment is cancelled.
Use the current version of the form, and date it on the day it is signed. The form page states that a new version, 11-2025, is available and that previous versions were accepted until March 12, 2026. That acceptance date has now passed, so file the 11-2025 version and recheck the form page on the day of filing rather than reusing a saved copy. IRCC's operational guidance at Use of representatives: Complete applications states that both the applicant and the representative must sign the form, that an unsigned form is not duly completed and will be returned, and that a form dated more than three months, 90 calendar days, before it is received, or dated in the future, will be returned. Dependent children aged 18 years or older must complete their own copy where a representative is also conducting business on their behalf, according to the IMM 5476 page.
Do not confuse IMM 5476 with IMM 5475. To authorize IRCC to release information from an application to someone other than a representative, the applicant completes form IMM 5475, Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual, and the person designated under that form can obtain information such as the status but cannot conduct business on the applicant's behalf, according to the IMM 5476 page. A person who only needs to see the status gets IMM 5475. A person who will complete, submit, or correspond about the application needs IMM 5476 and, where paid, the standing in section 1.
Ending the appointment is the client's act, and it is covered in section 8. The representative cannot remove themselves by deleting the application from their own account. The client completes a new IMM 5476 to cancel the appointment and uploads it through the web form, then re-links the application to the client's own account where it was submitted online or linked to the representative account.
The APR Portal is not open on first sign-in. Enrolment guide: Authorized Paid Representatives Portal states that enrolment takes two moves: sign in using electronic credentials, a GCKey or Sign-In Partner, and submit an enrolment request, and that once the request is approved the representative can access the APR Portal to manage clients' applications. A representative may have only one APR Portal account, and multiple accounts are not possible. While the enrolment application is in process, only the documents submitted with the enrolment request can be viewed.
Start with a credential kept separate from every other portal. The enrolment guide states that a GCKey is a username and password for Government of Canada online services, that Sign-In Partner, the Interac sign-in service, signs in using banking information, and that a different GCKey is needed for each portal to avoid issues with the account. Create a new GCKey for the APR Portal rather than reusing the credential for another IRCC account. The sign-in flow then asks whether a Personal Identification Number was received to complete enrolment in IRCC's Portal, to which the answer at first enrolment is No, then asks which IRCC Portal to enrol for, from a drop-down list where the representative selects Authorized Paid Representative Portal, and then sets up personal security questions, one of which is asked at each login.
The enrolment request itself populates the Portal Enrolment Form for Authorized Paid Representatives, IMM 5661. The guide states that the representative answers a short series of questions, prints the form, signs it, scans it, and uploads it to complete the request, and that the request must be completed and submitted within 30 days or a new enrolment request has to be started. The questions cover the representative's name, whether they work for a firm or organization and its name, business telephone and mailing address, email address, fax number if any, the governing body to be contacted to verify eligibility, and the membership identification number. Two warnings in the guide decide most refusals: the membership number must be correct, the representative must be in good standing, and for the College, must be listed as a full member rather than a transitional member; and the two pieces of identification must be valid, the first a valid photo ID such as a driver's licence, the second including the representative's name and another piece of personal information such as date of birth or home address, with credit cards, bank cards, and Social Insurance Number cards expressly not accepted. The IMM 5661 form must also be signed by another member in good standing of a provincial or territorial law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or a body designated under subsection 91(5) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and the scanned documents must be legible.
Approval arrives by email. The guide states that an email titled IRCC Portal Enrolment Status from donotreply@cic.gc.ca will say whether enrolment is approved, refused, or needs additional documents, and that an approval email will say the account is active, after which the representative can log in and begin submitting online applications on behalf of clients. Add that sender to the safe sender list so the decision does not land in junk mail. A refusal can be remedied on the grounds the guide lists: a correct membership number and full-member College listing, valid and legible identification, a correctly completed and uploaded IMM 5661 signed by both required signatories, the governing body correctly identified, and a legible and recently dated request. No enrolment fee was stated on the enrolment guide or the portal guide, and none is quoted here. If a screen asks for payment to enrol, stop and check the enrolment guide again before paying.
Updating the account later means re-enrolling. How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal states that a new enrolment request must be submitted to update personal or business information, that the request must state that an existing Portal account is held so the technical team can merge the new account with the existing one without affecting files in the account, and that the re-enrolment needs a new GCKey, not the existing credentials, with yes selected for the question asking whether there was a previous successful enrolment. The email address, language preference, and security questions on the account profile can be updated directly from the home page, but business details cannot.
Sign in to an account for representatives states that there are three accounts authorized paid representatives can use, and that the correct account must be used for each application. Its lists, dated December 19, 2025, are:
The IRCC portal sign-in page at Sign in: IRCC portal as a representative states the same point from the other direction: authorized paid representatives can use the IRCC portal to complete, pay for, and submit certain online applications on behalf of clients, naming study permits, visitor visas, in-Canada refugee claims, and emergency and special measure temporary resident visas. That confirms the overlap rather than resolving it: study permits and visitor visas appear under both the APR Portal and the IRCC portal. The account finder at Sign in to your IRCC account adds a credential clue that separates the families: signing in with a GCKey username and password or Sign-In Partner means the IRCC secure account, while signing in with an email address means the IRCC portal or the IRCC portal new version, and the permanent residence portal is the account used with an email address for permanent residence, permanent resident cards, and permanent resident travel documents. The APR Portal is the GCKey and Sign-In Partner account of the three. Where the lists overlap, the application instructions for the exact application decide, and the representative should confirm the named account before enrolment, before starting the questionnaire, and again before transmitting. Do not start a questionnaire in one account expecting to move it to another.
The APR Portal home page is the working base for everything in this section. How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal states that from the home page the representative can access profile information, the help feature, log out, search for applications, start new applications, delete applications, continue in-progress applications, view previously submitted applications, link applications to the account, and view messages received about submitted applications. In-progress applications sit in a continue list and can be continued or deleted; once submitted, an application leaves that list and must be searched for. The portal navigation uses Back, Next, and Return to previous page buttons, and answers can be changed by clicking Start again or by modifying answers at the end of the questionnaire, with Exit Questionnaire used to save and sign out. The blue question mark icon beside a field gives help for completing it. The account messages inbox is personal to the representative and does not list messages received as part of a client's application; a separate Representative queue, searched by Category and Details, shows whether an application was updated or action is required, and an email is sent when a new message arrives.
This is the fullest workflow the portal guide publishes, and it is the pattern the other APR Portal flows echo. Work through it in order, and do not use the browser Back button to edit answers; use Start Again or the pen icon on the Review your answers page:
The payment rule for this flow is stated plainly in the guide: pay the fees with a credit card or Interac Online on behalf of clients when submitting the application. That is the application fee, paid for the client at submission, and it is distinct from any fee the representative charges the client under their own retainer, which no IRCC page addresses.
Express Entry runs in two steps: checking eligibility, then completing the profile. On the home page, click Apply for Express Entry, select the province or territory where the client plans to live, select the language test taken and its date where applicable, enter the test scores for speaking, listening, reading, and writing, add any other language results and any second language test, select the years of skilled work experience in Canada in the last three years and the relevant NOC level, and answer the remaining eligibility questions, clicking Next after each answer. The eligibility result appears on the Your results page, with the steps to create and submit a profile where the client is eligible.
To complete the profile, click Continue on the results page, or Continue Profile in the Representative Queue section at a later date. Each section of the profile has a form, started with Start form, with a status of Not started, In progress, or Complete, a green checkmark marking a complete section, and Update form to modify a completed form. Some fields are pre-populated from information already given; to modify pre-populated information, save and exit, return to the account home page, click Continue Profile, and click Modify Family Information. On the Application or profile details form, fill the ID document fields exactly as shown in the document and click Save and add. When a form is finished, click Check for Completeness, follow the links to change missing or incorrect information, and once all forms are complete, click Continue to the Your Declaration and Electronic Signature page, select I agree to the personal information terms and agree or disagree to consent for research and evaluation use, fill in the representative's given and last names, answer the security question, and click Sign. Review the Signature page, click Transmit, review the Congratulations page, and click Exit Questionnaire.
After submission, acceptance into the Express Entry pool brings a message in the messages section of the client's application and in email, carrying the client's Express Entry number or Personal Identification Number, with the eligibility results and Comprehensive Ranking System score in the profile. While the client is in the pool, gather the supporting documents for the permanent residence application and update profile information if the client's situation changes. If the client is selected, IRCC sends an Invitation to Apply. The portal guide does not state an Express Entry fee step in this flow, so do not assume one from the visitor visa flow: check the invitation and application instructions for the fee route that applies to that invitation.
International Experience Canada also runs in two steps: eligibility, then the profile. Click Apply for International Experience Canada, select the passport-issuing country, the client's current country or territory of residence, and date of birth, indicate whether the client has a letter from a listed organization that will help plan the trip or find work, and answer the remaining eligibility questions. Where eligible, click Continue to start the profile, or Continue Profile in the Representative queue later. Complete every section, using Validate at the bottom of a form to find missing information, Save and exit to leave a form in progress, and choosing the category or categories the client wants to apply for in the Application details form, noting that selecting No for a category means the client will not be invited for it. Finish with the declaration page: select I agree, fill in the representative's given and last names, answer the security question, click Sign, review the Signature page, click Transmit, review the Congratulations page, and click Exit Questionnaire.
Pool mechanics matter here because the clock is short. Acceptance into the pool brings a message in the application and in email. If selected, the client receives an Invitation to Apply, and the representative has 10 days to accept or decline it. Accepting starts the temporary residence application: complete a temporary resident web form, upload the required documents, pay the necessary fees, and submit the application to IRCC. Declining places the client back in the pool, and taking no action lets the invitation expire, removes the profile from the pool, and requires a new profile. The 10-day invitation rule is the only invitation deadline stated on the portal guide pages; do not carry it over to Express Entry invitations, for which no such deadline was stated.
For an electronic travel authorization, click Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization on the home page, click Continue to be redirected, click Apply for an eTA, answer the questions to find out whether the client needs one, and select Yes where asked whether applying on behalf of someone. The Parent, guardian or representative details section then appears: under I am, select the designated body belonged to, noting that the required fields change with the selection, enter the representative information, check the boxes in the Representative's declaration and Representative's authorization, fill in the client details, check I Agree in Consent and declaration, enter the representative's name in the Signature box, and click Proceed to Payment. On the Summary of Fees page, click Transmit and pay, make the payment, and once it is approved the system automatically sends the eTA application, with a confirmation message in the client's submitted applications, which can be found by searching.
For the Interim Federal Health Program, click Apply for temporary health care benefits for refugees, answer the questions, select the type of request for coverage, select the city where the client lives or the closest city where eligible, select the documents to upload, review and edit with the pen icon, continue through the summary of the four steps, upload the documents, select I agree, fill in the representative's given and last names, answer the security question, click Sign, review the Signature page, click Transmit, review the Congratulations page, and click Exit Questionnaire. The portal guide states no fee step for this flow, so do not assume one: check the coverage instructions for the client's situation.
Non-Express Entry permanent residence applications use the permanent residence portal, and the division of labour there is different from the APR Portal. Sign in: Permanent residence portal for representatives states that the representative creates the client's application by entering the client's name and email address, which triggers an automatic email to the client saying a permanent residence application has been started for them, then chooses the program, fills out the forms that apply, and uploads supporting documents and a copy of the fee receipt. Starting the application creates a Principal Applicant's Profile with the client's basic information, which is automatically added to the digital forms; that basic information can be edited through the profile, but cannot be edited directly in the forms, and as many dependant profiles as needed can be created.
The forms split into two kinds. The digital forms in the portal, filled out for the principal applicant and any family members aged 18 or older, are the Generic Application Form for Canada, IMM 0008, Schedule A Background and Declaration, IMM 5669, Additional Family Information, IMM 5406, and Supplementary Information Your travels, IMM 5562, where it applies. The PDF forms must be filled out by the client and any family members coming to Canada according to the instruction guide for the immigration program applied for. Where the principal applicant is a minor child under 18, the parent or legal guardian must sign the forms, consent, and make the declaration on the child's behalf. For signatures, the page distinguishes a hand signature, printing and signing by hand; an e-signature, typing a full name or checking a box as indicated, only on digital forms inside the portal; and a digital signature on PDF forms, typing a name or using DocuSign or secure signatures. The instruction guide or document checklist for the program decides which signature a form needs, and the principal applicant's signature is needed on the overall consent and declaration to complete the online application.
The client, not the representative, signs the application. After the representative has created the application and filled out and signed the forms, the client must log into the client portal to review and electronically sign. The client cannot make changes to the application itself. The client reads and signs the consent and declaration page and the IMM 5669 web form, where a typed electronic signature is required, and once the client has signed, the representative provides a declaration by checking the declaration box. All mandatory forms and documents must be included, and once the signatures, declarations, and validations are complete, the submit button turns blue and the representative can submit. If the client's temporary one-time password is lost or expired and the client does not already have a portal account, the representative can send a new one using the resend temporary password button under the Client Information section of the application details page, which sends a new password to the client by email.
Incomplete applications are returned and flagged in the dashboard, and can be re-submitted after the missing information is completed, according to the same page. Applications returned for other reasons, for example a limit on the number of applications accepted or the client not being eligible, are also returned. The fee receipt point in this flow deserves care: the page directs the representative to upload a copy of the fee receipt, and describes no payment screen, so the fee must be paid under the program's own fee instructions before or alongside submission, and the receipt uploaded as a supporting document. No fee amount is quoted in this guide for the same reason as in section 5: amounts vary by program and none was verified for a specific program on the official pages.
The IRCC portal for representatives carries the applications in section 4 that are not in the APR Portal or permanent residence lists, and its best-documented flow is the in-Canada refugee claim. Guide 0174 states that a claimant may create their own IRCC Portal account, complete the questionnaire, upload all documents including a signed Use of a Representative form, and electronically sign and submit their own claim, with the claimant typing their own name to submit. Where the representative submits the claim, the representative must create their own IRCC Portal account, complete the questionnaire, upload all documents including a signed Use of a Representative form, and electronically sign using their own name and submit the claim, typing their own name rather than the client's and clicking the button to submit on the client's behalf. The representative may provide advice, help prepare documents, and help the client use the portal in person, by phone, or online using screen-sharing technology, but those forms of help do not replace the representative's own account and signature where the representative is the one submitting.
Two documents are specific to this flow. The required documents include a complete Basis of Claim form and a complete Use of a Representative form where applicable, plus a Declaration, Authorization for representative to submit a refugee claim through the IRCC Portal, IMM 0175, where the representative is submitting the portal claim on the client's behalf. The guide states that where the representative is submitting, the Use of a Representative form and the Declaration form should be combined into one scanned file and uploaded to the Use of a representative field in the portal. The declaration records that the client authorizes the representative to submit the claim, that the client has reviewed the application for completeness and accuracy, and that the information and accompanying documents are truthful, complete, and correct. Do not submit a refugee claim through the APR Portal or the permanent residence portal on the strength of this section: the claim belongs in the IRCC portal for representatives, and the questionnaire in that portal carries its own representative routing, including an instruction to skip to a later question where an authorized representative is submitting through the IRCC portal account for representatives.
For the other IRCC portal applications, study permits, visitor visas, and emergency and special measure temporary resident visas, as listed on the IRCC portal sign-in page, no step-by-step representative flow was stated on the official pages beyond the sign-in page's statement that authorized paid representatives can use the portal to complete, pay for, and submit those applications. The Canada-Ukraine authorization alerts on that page show the kind of program-specific instruction that can override a general flow: for an open work permit inside Canada, the form instructions direct the representative to enter specific wording under job title and duties, and for study permit and temporary resident status extensions, to choose other and enter the specified wording in the expenses or purpose fields. Check the program instructions and any alerts on the sign-in page for the exact application before starting, and do not import the APR Portal questionnaire steps into the IRCC portal.
Payment has already been dealt with flow by flow, because the route differs. In the APR Portal, fees are paid at Transmit and Pay by credit card or Interac Online through an external payment site, and the Transaction Approved page is the receipt to print and keep. For an electronic travel authorization, payment runs through Proceed to Payment and Transmit and pay, and approval automatically sends the application. In the permanent residence portal, a copy of the fee receipt is uploaded with the application, and the payment itself follows the program's fee instructions. In every flow, the fee options selected must match the applicants: the APR Portal guide's family-rate and fee-exempt options exist to stop overpayment, and selecting the family rate for the wrong applicant, or omitting a fee-exempt option where it applies, produces the wrong total on the Summary of Fees page. Check the summary before transmitting, not after.
Linking brings an existing application under the representative account. How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal states that the representative has to link the client's application to the APR Portal account, that the client cannot do this for the representative, and that the representative clicks Add a client's application to your account on the home page, selects the application type, completes all fields, and clicks Search for my application. Once linked, the application appears in the applications table, and where it has been processed, it must be searched for. Where more than one result matches, the system returns the representative to the home page showing the most recently submitted application, and the representative receives all future correspondence for the client. Where the information does not exactly match the application form, a warning appears and linking is possible only when all information matches. The same exact-match discipline should be assumed for the other portals, although no linking steps for them were stated on the official pages.
Tracking runs through the account, not through the client's inbox. In the APR Portal, the Application status and messages page shows the current status of the client's application or profile, a link to view the submitted application or upload documents, the client's information including unique client identifier, application number, date received, and biometrics where available, a processing times bar showing estimated remaining processing time, the steps involved in processing, the status of submitted documents, messages about the application, and, once closed, a table showing the document issued and its date. The account messages inbox is separate and holds personal messages, such as a request for additional documents during enrolment or a notice that an application was linked. An email is sent when a new message arrives. In the permanent residence portal, returned applications are flagged in the dashboard. Check the messages in the representative account regularly, and treat an email notice as a prompt to sign in, not as the message itself.
Ending the appointment, and closing an account, are separate acts. To remove a representative from an application, How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal states that the client completes a Use of a Representative form, IMM 5476, to cancel the appointment, uploads it using the web form, and, where the application was submitted online or linked to the representative account, signs in to the client's own account, clicks Link application to this account under What would you like to do today, and follows the instructions to link the existing e-application back to the client's account, after which the application is no longer connected to the representative account. To close an APR Portal account entirely, the guide states only that a request to close the account is submitted to the Immigration Representatives mailbox. No closure timeline or confirmation step was stated on the page, so do not tell a client an account is closed until IRCC confirms it.
The client is not a bystander, even where the representative submits. Across the official pages, the client's own acts are: complete and sign IMM 5476 with the representative, and notify IRCC of any change to the representative's contact information or appointment; provide the information and documents the application needs, and review the application for completeness and accuracy, as the refugee claim declaration expressly requires; log into the client portal, review, and electronically sign where the permanent residence portal requires it, without changing the application; keep their own email address current, since the permanent residence portal notifies the client by email when an application is started and the APR Portal sends email notices of new messages; and give biometrics where required, under the biometrics instructions for the application. The client must also never hand over their portal username and password: the application help text forbids the representative signing in with the client's credentials, and the permanent residence portal page forbids the representative creating a client-portal account on the client's behalf. Where a client asks the representative to sign for them, the answer follows the portal: in the APR Portal and the IRCC portal refugee flow, the representative signs with their own name; in the permanent residence portal, the client signs and the representative checks the declaration box. In no flow does the representative type the client's name as a signature, and in no flow does appointing a representative change the processing or the outcome.
No. A paid representative works through their own representative account, not the client's. The application help text at [Getting help with your application from someone else](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/reference-include/help-app-rep-en.html) states that a paid representative cannot open a portal account on the client's behalf, cannot electronically sign the application for the client, and cannot sign in to the portal using the client's username and password. The permanent residence portal page at [Sign in: Permanent residence portal for representatives](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/partners-service-providers/authorized-paid-representatives-portal/sign-in-permanent-residence-portal-representatives.html) states the same bar for the client portal: as a licensed representative, you cannot create an account in the client portal on the client's behalf, and an account created by mistake has to be deleted through the web form before the representative portal can be used with that email. Enrol in the correct representative account first, following section 3 of this guide for the APR Portal, and wait for approval before starting a client's application.
Yes, where a representative is acting on the file. The application help text at [Getting help with your application from someone else](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/reference-include/help-app-rep-en.html) directs a person using a paid representative to download the [Use of a Representative (IMM 5476)](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/information/applications/representative.asp) form, complete and sign it, get the representative to sign it, and upload it with the application. [Use of a Representative Form (IMM 5476)](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/information/applications/representative.asp) states that only one representative may be appointed at a time for each application, that the representative will receive all correspondence from IRCC or the Canada Border Services Agency instead of the applicant, and that dependent children aged 18 years or older must complete their own copy where a representative is also conducting business on their behalf. Use the current version: the form page states that a new version, 11-2025, is available, and that previous versions were accepted until March 12, 2026, a date now passed, so file the 11-2025 version and recheck the form page on the day you file. Do not file a stale or future-dated form: IRCC's operational guidance at [Use of representatives: Complete applications](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/use-representatives/complete-applications.html) states that a form dated more than three months, 90 calendar days, before it is received, or dated in the future, will be returned.
They do, and the difference follows the portal, so follow the signature screen in the portal you are in and preserve the distinction this guide draws. In the APR Portal, [How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal](https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/portal-guide.asp) directs the representative to select I agree on the declaration page, fill in their own given and last names, answer the security question, and click Sign, and for in-Canada refugee claims the [Guide 0174](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0174-inland-refugee-claims-portal.html) directs the representative to electronically sign using their own name, typing their own name and not the client's. In the permanent residence portal the rule is the reverse: [Sign in: Permanent residence portal for representatives](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/partners-service-providers/authorized-paid-representatives-portal/sign-in-permanent-residence-portal-representatives.html) states that the client logs into the client portal to review and electronically sign, cannot change the application itself, and that the representative then provides a declaration by checking the declaration box before submitting. The general help text at [Getting help with your application from someone else](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/reference-include/help-app-rep-en.html) states that a paid representative cannot electronically sign the application for the client and that the client must be the one to type their name. That help wording matches the permanent residence portal flow, not the APR Portal flow. Never type the client's name as a signature in any portal, and never sign in with the client's credentials.
Use the account named for that application type on [Sign in to an account for representatives](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/e-services/portal.asp), and check it again on the day you start, because the lists overlap. That page, dated December 19, 2025, assigns the APR Portal to visitor visa, study and work permit, Express Entry, International Experience Canada, electronic travel authorization, and Interim Federal Health Program applications; the permanent residence portal to permanent residence other than Express Entry, with a long list of programs from the Agri-Food Pilot and the Atlantic Immigration Program through sponsorship and the Start-up visa; and the IRCC portal for representatives to in-Canada refugee claims, temporary resident visas, and emergency and special measure temporary resident visas. Temporary resident visas therefore appear in more than one list: visitor visas sit in the APR Portal list and also in the IRCC portal list. Do not guess from the overlap. Start from the application instructions for the exact application, confirm which account they name, and use that one. Using the wrong account is a wasted enrolment, not a shortcut.
Keep the two apart. No fee for enrolling in or using a representative portal was stated on any official page, so this guide quotes none: do not charge a client a portal fee on the basis of this guide. The application fees themselves are a separate matter, and they vary by application, so this guide quotes no dollar amount for any of them; check the fee instructions for the exact application before you transmit. In the APR Portal, [How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal](https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/portal-guide.asp) states that the representative pays the fees with a credit card or Interac Online on behalf of clients when submitting, selects the fee types that apply, and at the signature page clicks Transmit and Pay where fees apply, after which the system takes the representative to an external payment site. In the permanent residence portal, [Sign in: Permanent residence portal for representatives](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/partners-service-providers/authorized-paid-representatives-portal/sign-in-permanent-residence-portal-representatives.html) directs the representative to upload supporting documents and a copy of the fee receipt, which means the fee is paid under the program's own fee instructions rather than inside that portal step, and no payment screen is described on that page. Check the program's fee instructions for the payment route, and keep the receipt either way.
You can link it, but only you can do the linking, and only where every detail matches. [How to use the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal](https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/portal-guide.asp) states that the representative has to link the client's application to the APR Portal account, that the client cannot do this for the representative, and that the application can only be linked when all of the information matches: a mismatch produces a warning, and no results means the attempt was unsuccessful and can be tried again. Removing yourself works in reverse and starts with the client: the same guide states that the client completes a [Use of a Representative form, IMM 5476](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/information/applications/representative.asp), to cancel the appointment, uploads it through the web form, and, where the application was submitted online or linked to the representative account, signs in to their own account and links the application back to it, after which it is no longer connected to the representative account. If the client has no account of their own, settle that before cancelling, or the file will have no account holding it.
No application fee amount, enrolment fee, processing deadline for a representative submission, or biometrics collection location is stated in this guide, because none was verified on an official page for the specific application. Figures not stated in this guide: any dollar amount for a visitor visa, study permit, work permit, Express Entry, or permanent residence fee, which vary by application and program and were not verified for a specific application on the fee pages; any enrolment or portal-use fee, none of which was stated on the enrolment or portal guides; any Express Entry invitation deadline, none of which was stated for that flow, as distinct from the 10-day International Experience Canada invitation rule that was stated; any sign-in credential for the permanent residence and IRCC representative portals beyond the email-address clue on the account finder page, since neither sign-in page states its credential in full; and any IMM 5476 upload field inside the APR Portal questionnaire, which the portal guide's step lists do not name, so the document checklist shown for each application governs. Recheck the sign-in page for the account in use, the IMM 5476 form page, and the fee instructions for the exact application on the day of filing.