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What documents do I need to move to Canada as a China citizen?

Typical pathway: Express Entry

Last verified: September 22, 2026

• Valid People's Republic of China passport (biographical data pages) (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html
  Ordinary PRC passport valid well beyond the intended landing date; scans of the bio-data page and all pages with stamps/visas are uploaded to the e-APR. Renew before submitting if it expires soon, since the permanent resident visa counterfoil is affixed to this passport and its expiry limits COPR validity.
• Digital photograph meeting IRCC photo specifications (before) — Source: IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
  A recent digital photo of the principal applicant and each accompanying family member, uploaded only if it appears on your personalized IRCC document checklist. This is distinct from the biometric photo captured at a VAC and from the 50x70 mm printed photos used for some paper forms.
• Biometrics enrolment (fingerprints and photo) at a Canada Visa Application Centre in China (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/biometrics.html
  PRC citizens aged 14–79 must give biometrics after the Biometric Instruction Letter is issued, in person at a Canada VAC (e.g. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Chongqing, Wuhan, Jinan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Kunming). Fee applies. This is separate from any fingerprinting done for a police certificate. Verify current VAC locations and fees with the official source.
• Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions (公证书) plus its notarized translation (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how/china.html
  IRCC specifically names two items for China: the Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions issued by a Chinese notary public office, and a notarized translation of that certificate. The plain police-station 无犯罪记录证明 alone is not accepted — the notary office keeps that original and issues the notarial booklet. Apply at the notary public office or police station nearest the address on your hukou; a family member may act as your representative with a signed notarized authorization letter.
• Police certificates from every other country of residence (6+ months since age 18) (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/police-certificates.html
  Separate from the Chinese notarial certificate: a police clearance from each other country where you lived 6 months or more, in the last 10 years, since turning 18 — e.g. Hong Kong SAR (Certificate of No Criminal Conviction, sent directly by the Hong Kong Police Force to the Canadian consulate), Macao SAR, or countries of study/work abroad. Start early; these are among the slowest documents to obtain.
• Hukou (household registration) booklet copy / Certificate of Residence Cancellation (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how/china.html
  Copies of the hukou booklet pages are commonly needed to apply for the no-criminal-record certificate at the correct jurisdiction, and are sometimes requested as supporting identity evidence. If your hukou registration has been cancelled (e.g. after emigrating), a Certificate of Residence Cancellation from the local police station may be required. Requirements vary by city — verify with the local public security bureau or notary office.
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for Chinese degrees (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/education-assessed.html
  Report from an IRCC-designated organization (WES, ICAS, CES, IQAS, ICES, or a professional body) assessing your Chinese diploma/degree against Canadian standards. For Chinese credentials the assessing body normally requires verification through CHESICC/CSSD (学信网 / 学位网) reports sent directly by the verification centre.
• Approved language test results (IELTS General Training / CELPIP-General, or TEF/TCF Canada) (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/language-requirements.html
  Results must be less than two years old on the day the e-APR is submitted and must match what was declared in the Express Entry profile. Test centres for IELTS/TEF operate in mainland China; CELPIP availability in China is limited — verify test-centre options with the official test provider.
• Employment reference letters from each employer claimed (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html
  Letters on company letterhead from Chinese (and any foreign) employers stating job title, NOC-matching duties, dates of employment, hours per week, annual salary and benefits, signed with contact details and company stamp (公章). Support with labour contracts, social insurance (社保) records or tax records where the letter is weak.
• Proof of funds — official bank letters on institution letterhead (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html
  Required for Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants (CEC applicants and those with a valid job offer plus work authorization are exempt but must upload a letter explaining the exemption). Letters from every bank where you hold accounts, on letterhead, showing institution contact details, your account numbers, dates opened, current and 6-month average balances, and outstanding debts. Funds must be unencumbered and legally accessible on arrival — note that China's annual USD 50,000 foreign-exchange conversion quota should be planned for.
• Certified translations into English or French with translator affidavit (before) — Source: IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
  Every Chinese-language document (hukou, marriage certificate, notarial certificates, reference letters, bank letters) must be accompanied by a translation from a certified translator, or by a non-certified translator's translation plus a sworn affidavit. IRCC expects the original scan, the translation and the affidavit combined into a single file per document.
• Civil status documents — marriage certificate (结婚证), divorce certificate, or children's birth certificates (出生医学证明) (before) — Source: IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
  Notarial civil-status certificates from a Chinese notary public office are generally expected rather than the plain booklet: marriage certificate if married, divorce certificate and separation agreement if divorced, death certificate if widowed, and birth certificates naming both parents for each dependent child included in the application.
• Immigration Medical Examination by an IRCC panel physician in China (before) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/medical-exams/requirements-permanent-residents.html
  Must be done by an IRCC-designated panel physician (available in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other cities) — not by any hospital of your choice. Upfront medicals are no longer required before submitting the e-APR; you may upload a placeholder and wait for IRCC's medical instruction letter. Keep the eMedical / IME reference number, as the medical validity date caps your landing deadline.
• Permanent resident visa counterfoil in the PRC passport (before) — Source: IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
  Because China is a visa-required country, an approved applicant residing outside Canada must send the passport to the responsible visa office/VAC to have the PR visa counterfoil affixed. You cannot board a flight to land as a PR without it. Verify the passport-submission procedure with the Canadian visa office responsible for China.
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR / e-COPR) (during) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/permanent-residents/status.html
  The document confirming approval that must be presented to the CBSA officer at your first port of entry to complete landing. It is not a travel document on its own — it is used together with the passport and PR visa counterfoil. After landing, the printed and signed e-COPR proves PR status until the PR card arrives.
• Form BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document (plus BSF186A for goods to follow) (during) — Source: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/bsf186-eng.html
  As a 'settler' under tariff item 9807.00.00 you must personally declare household and personal goods at your first CBSA port of entry, whether they accompany you or arrive later. Goods arriving later must be listed on the BSF186A 'goods to follow' list and stamped at landing, or duty and tax may be charged. Bring two copies of each completed list.
• Currency declaration for CAD 10,000 or more (Form E677 / CBSA declaration) (during) — Source: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
  Cash, bank drafts, or other monetary instruments totalling CAD 10,000 or more carried into Canada must be reported to CBSA on arrival. Relevant for Chinese applicants transferring settlement funds, alongside the PRC foreign-exchange rules on outbound transfers.
• Canadian mailing address declared to the border officer (during) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/permanent-residence/card/program-administration.html
  At landing you must give a valid Canadian residential/mailing address so the first PR card can be produced and mailed; IRCC will not mail PR cards outside Canada. If you don't have one at landing, you have 180 days to provide it through your IRCC/PR Portal account.
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) from Service Canada (after) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin.html
  Apply in person at a Service Canada centre (or online) with your COPR/e-COPR and passport; the SIN is issued free of charge and is required before an employer can put you on payroll or before you can access most benefits.
• Permanent Resident (PR) card (after) — Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card.html
  Your first PR card is produced automatically once you confirm your Canadian address and submit a photo through the PR Portal — no separate application for the first card. It is the proof of status required to board a commercial carrier back to Canada after travel abroad; renewals use form IMM 5444.
• Provincial/territorial health insurance card registration (after) — Source: Provincial/territorial ministries of health (e.g. Ontario Ministry of Health, BC Health Insurance BC)
  Register with the provincial health plan (e.g. OHIP in Ontario, MSP in British Columbia, RAMQ in Quebec) as soon as you arrive, using your COPR/e-COPR or PR card, passport and proof of residential address. Some provinces impose a waiting period of up to three months, so private interim coverage may be advisable. Requirements vary by province — verify with the provincial health ministry.
• Driver's licence exchange with certified translation of the Chinese licence (after) — Source: Provincial licensing authorities (e.g. ServiceOntario/DriveTest, ICBC, SAAQ)
  PRC driving licences are not covered by a full reciprocal exchange agreement in most provinces, so you will usually need a certified translation (or IDP) and may have to take knowledge and road tests. A notarized driving-record/experience letter from the Chinese traffic authority can be used to claim experience credit for insurance. Verify rules with the provincial licensing authority.

Not legal advice. Based on cached research — verify with official sources before making decisions.

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