safe to share copy of copr?

[smtele]

Hi,

A prospective employer that I have been touch with is asking for a proof of PR. Since I don't have the PR card yet, is it safe to share the COPR, or is it a confidential document like the SIN card?

 

[CDNPR2014]

i've never been asked to prove my status when starting a job. your SIN# would be enough. i would recommend asking for documentation that suggests it is a requirement for the job. in canada, they don't ask for passports or pr cards to start working. they ask for a SIN# only. i would not recommend giving a copy unless they can prove why they need it. it certainly isn't for tax/payroll purposes. They need your SIN#, they don't need proof of your status, unless you are on a work permit. The SIN# proves your eligibility to work legally. what kind of job is it? perhaps there are exceptions for gov't jobs...

 

[smtele]

It's a software engineer job. They need the proof of PR before on-boarding me in Canada, since I mentioned that I don't need a work permit. But I don't have a PR card to show right now.

 

[CDNPR2014]

It's a software engineer job. They need the proof of PR before on-boarding me in Canada, since I mentioned that I don't need a work permit. But I don't have a PR card to show right now.

again, i've never been asked to provide this proof, and it is not required as far as i know from the labour laws here. i've had multiple part time jobs and just started a full time one. All that was required was my SIN# and possibly a picture id (ie: license). the only reason i see why you would need to provide a copy of the copr is if they require a passport as id. then, you would want them to have documentation of your copr. you may be confusing the situation by bringing up a work permit when you don't need to mention it at all. you are a permanent resident and don't need to prove your status as far as i know. i've been asked the question, and never had to provide proof.

if you are not comfortable giving a copy of your copr, then don't. you are required to give them your SIN#. that is enough to prove your legal status to work. tell them you are a permanent resident and give them your sin#. if they suggest they need more, ask them for documentation that states they need a copy of your copr or pr card. perhaps they do have a legit reason to ask for it. your sin# and government issued picture id/driver's license should be good enough for any onboarding they need to do.

if you are comfortable giving them the copr, then give them a copy of it. it will not matter either way if they have it, nor can they use it for anything anyway. it will most likely just sit in your file. You do not need to wait for the pr card, the COPR proves your PR status and is accepted for federal/provincial services, so there's no reason for a private company not to accept it.

 

[smtele]

Thanks for your reply.

>> you may be confusing the situation by bringing up a work permit when you don't need to mention it at all.

I bet they are a bit confused. When I had started the hiring process with this employer, I told them that I would need a work permit, because at the time my PR application was under process, and I wanted a back-up if it fell through. Then when I got the PR status, I declared that I no longer needed a work permit, which made them want to see the proof of PR. This was actually the immigration firm working for the employer, and HR who wanted to see it.

>> if you are comfortable giving them the copr, then give them a copy of it. it will not matter either way if they have it, nor can they use it for anything anyway.

I ended up giving them a copy of copr, with the application ID blanked out. They seem to be happy with it.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thanks for your reply.

>> you may be confusing the situation by bringing up a work permit when you don't need to mention it at all.

I bet they are a bit confused. When I had started the hiring process with this employer, I told them that I would need a work permit, because at the time my PR application was under process, and I wanted a back-up if it fell through. Then when I got the PR status, I declared that I no longer needed a work permit, which made them want to see the proof of PR. This was actually the immigration firm working for the employer, and HR who wanted to see it.

>> if you are comfortable giving them the copr, then give them a copy of it. it will not matter either way if they have it, nor can they use it for anything anyway.

I ended up giving them a copy of copr, with the application ID blanked out. They seem to be happy with it.

yes, well that makes sense why they were asking for it! I would expect they would need it to confirm your status if you had started the process needing a work permit. glad it worked out!

 

[jc94]

Employers should be aware that a PR card starting with a number other than a 9 is for a PR/Citizen and not require any additional proof.

I sent a copy of my CoPR to my immigration lawyer, but they already have every possible piece of information about me!