Citizenship and Immigration Canada Secure Online Services

Please note that MyCIC will be unavailable from 08:00 to 12:00 (Eastern daylight time) on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 in order to perform system maintenance.

MyCIC

MyCIC is your space on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website. You can use MyCIC to apply for certain services online. If you have applied online, you can also update your email address, view your correspondence with CIC and pay electronically for your Online Application.

To find out if you are eligible to apply, you can use a Self-Assessment Tool before applying online.

If you are eligible, you will first need to register for a Government of Canada epass.

What you need to know before you register:

• Which applications and requests are currently available online?
• What is a Government of Canada epass?
• Why do I need an epass to access CIC Secure Online Services?
• How do I register for an epass?
• What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?
• What is a digital signature?
• Can a representative access CIC Secure Online Services?
• Do I have to accept the security message?

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Which applications and requests are currently available online?

If you are in Canada, MyCIC allows you to apply online for the following:

• an initial Study Permit or an extension of your Study Permit;
• your Off-Campus Work Permit;
• your Post-Graduate Work Permit;
• your Work Permit; and
• an extension to stay in Canada as a visitor.

When you apply for one of the above, you can also:

• restore your temporary resident status;
• restore temporary resident status for your family members in Canada;
• obtain an initial Work Permit or extend the Work Permit of your family members in Canada;
• obtain an initial Study Permit or extend the Study Permit of your family members in Canada; and
• extend the temporary stay of your family members in Canada.

If you are applying for an Off-Campus Work Permit, you must use MyCIC to:

• Request Eligibility Verification from your current educational institution (school); or
• Transfer your Eligibility Verification to your new educational institution (school).

Check back with CIC in the future as more citizenship and immigration applications will be available online.

What is a Government of Canada epass?

Currently with CIC, you can use an epass to apply online for an Off-Campus Work Permit and an initial Study Permit or an extension of your Study Permit.

Epass is a new service that uses the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). This gives Canadians the ability to obtain state-of-the-art secure electronic services from any Internet terminal in the world, using the convenience of a user ID and password. When registering for an epass, you get a unique electronic credential that gives you access to online programs and services that require enhanced security measures, including digital signatures.

As more Government of Canada programs and services become available online, it will be possible for you to choose to use one epass to access multiple programs and services, or you may choose to obtain and use a different epass for each program or service. You will be able to select the option that best suits your needs.

If you already have an epass, you do not need to register again.

Why do I need an epass to access CIC Secure Online Services?

The security and protection of confidential client information is CIC’s highest priority when offering services over the internet. In order to achieve this, we have enhanced our procedures for accessing CIC Secure Online Services and have included registering for a Government of Canada epass.

How do I register for an epass?

To access MyCIC for the first time, you will be asked to register for a Government of Canada epass. This one-time registration process is done in three steps and you will be required to provide some personal information. Once you have completed the registration process, you will be able to access MyCIC by simply logging in and using your epass User ID and Password. Note that, for your first log in, you will be required to provide some personal information to enrol with MyCIC.

If you already have an epass, you do not need to register again.

What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?

PKI is a combination of policy and technology that establishes a secure working environment, allowing Internet users to conduct secure electronic transactions. PKI operates using public key cryptography and digital certificates held by each party transmitting over the Internet. This ensures that private information is kept protected from tampering and that the identities of the participants can be guaranteed.

More details about PKI are available on the following websites:

• Government of Canada Public Key Infrastructure (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat)

What is a digital signature?

A digital signature is a type of electronic identification that can confirm the identity of the sender of a message, whether the message is encrypted or not. Digital signatures can only be generated by the signer. They can be verified, are tamperproof, cannot be forged and ensure that the information contained in the message is not changed during transmission.

Can a representative access CIC Secure Online Services?

At this time, a representative cannot access your account online. Spouses, family members and authorized representatives cannot access the private information of another person.

Do I have to accept the security message?

Yes – epass Canada uses a signed applet from Entrust Limited. This applet has been designed to enhance security. When you encounter the security message shown below, click on “Always”. Selecting “Always” means you will never encounter this message again. If you select “Yes” instead, you will be prompted to reply to this security message every time you enter this site.