Submitted mine on May 12th, the inspect tool shows completed and the last updated date was May 17th. However, no info whatsoever besides that since submission no matter if it's through gckey portal or the other ircc portals for checking applications. i guess we just gotta wait. Some get their card within a few days so idk how this whole application processing system works.
Unless IRCC has recently published/posted more information about internal operating procedure,
as best we can figure out, online applications are electronically screened upon submission.
If the application meets the criteria for automated decision-making it is then electronically triaged and "
low complex" applications will benefit from immediate automated decision-making. These applications are approved without officer review so the process to approve and order a new PR card to be issued is very fast. Most of the time it takes to get the new card is physical, logistical processing; that is, the actual printing and mailing the card.
Apart from applications requesting urgent processing, it appears that all other online applications (all those that did not meet the criteria for automated processing as a
low complex application) go into a queue and are opened/examined by a processing agent/officer in the same chronological order as mailed in applications, which currently looks to be nearly ten weeks from date of submission. Most
medium complex applications are likely fully processed when opened/examined or at least within a very few days. Some will require additional non-routine processing that can take from a few days to weeks to complete.
Until opened, which again is currently around ten weeks, there is nothing in the system regarding the application.
Complex applications are referred to the Domestic Network and will take considerably longer to process. How long depends on the issue or concern that makes it a complex application.
We do not know the criteria used to identify or classify the complex level for an application. Many factors that are likely to trigger higher complex classification are easily recognized, like inconsistencies in information, omissions, system alerts (based on prior interactions with CBSA or IRCC), name record criminal hits.
The main distinction, and the one that probably makes the biggest difference for most online applications, is between low complex and medium complex. Low complex applications are almost immediately approved. Medium complex are mostly on the same timeline as mailed in paper applications. And we just do not know what the criteria is that determines which level of complex applies to any particular PR's application. It is very likely this criteria is not fixed but is constantly revised by AI like processing.
There have been a couple anecdotal reports from PRs who claim they benefitted from the fast online processing notwithstanding just barely meeting the PR Residency Obligation, so
cutting-it-close alone does not appear to foreclose being a low complex application which can result in a new PR card within just a couple to four or five weeks (depending on printing and mailing timeline).