UCI Number Canada: Where to Find It on a PR Card or Permit

UCI Number Canada: Where to Find It on a PR Card or Permit

As of September 26, 2026.

A UCI number is the personal client number Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gives you the first time you apply. It is 8 or 10 digits, written 0000-0000 or 00-0000-0000, and it stays the same for every application you ever make. This guide shows where it is printed on a permanent resident (PR) card, a work or study permit, and IRCC letters, and how to tell it apart from the other numbers on those documents.

TL;DR

UCI means Unique Client Identifier, also called a client ID | It is 8 or 10 digits in the format 0000-0000 or 00-0000-0000 | IRCC prints it on every document it sends you, including PR cards, work permits, study permits and letters | It never changes, unlike your application number or permit document number | First-time applicants do not have one yet and write "N/A" on the form | It is not your Social Insurance Number (SIN)

What is a UCI number?

Short answer: UCI stands for Unique Client Identifier. IRCC's help centre says it is also known as a client identification number, or client ID, and that it appears on the official documents IRCC sends you. It has either four numbers, a hyphen and four more numbers (0000-0000), or two numbers, a hyphen, four numbers, a hyphen and four more (00-0000-0000). IRCC creates it the first time you apply, then links every later file to it: visitor visas, study permits, work permits, permanent residence and citizenship. That is why it is on almost every IRCC form. If you apply for five things over ten years, you get five application numbers but only one UCI. Source: What is a UCI?

How do I find my UCI number?

Short answer: Look at any document IRCC has already issued to you. IRCC's help page Where can I find my client ID/UCI? names two places: the letters IRCC sent you, and your immigration documents, such as a PR card, study permit or work permit. That includes your acknowledgement of receipt (AOR), biometrics instruction letter, visitor visa approval letter and Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). If you apply online, the same number shows on the documents in your IRCC secure account. The fastest check is the hyphen pattern. A number that reads 0000-0000 or 00-0000-0000 is your UCI. A number that starts with a letter is something else.

Where to look, document by document

Where is the UCI number on a PR card?

Short answer: IRCC confirms the UCI is printed on your PR card, but the card carries two long numbers, so use the format to pick the right one. The UCI is the one written as 0000-0000 or 00-0000-0000. The other number is the PR card number. IRCC's Client Application Status help page says the PR card number is in the top right corner on the back of the card and starts with two letters followed by ten numbers (example RA0302123456) or two letters followed by seven numbers (example PA0123456). That card number changes every time you renew or replace the card. Your UCI does not. When the IMM 5444 PR card application asks for your UCI, enter the hyphenated number, not the letter-led card number.

If your PR card is lost, the UCI is still on your COPR and on older IRCC letters. See our lost PR card replacement guide for the rest of the steps.

Where is the UCI on a work permit or study permit?

Short answer: Work permits and study permits are both printed on form IMM 1442, and IRCC lists them among the documents that show your UCI. Each permit also has a document number, which is one letter plus nine digits and is specific to that permit. Forms that ask for "UCI" or "client ID" want the hyphenated 8- or 10-digit number. Forms that ask for "document number" or "permit number" want the letter-led code. The two get mixed up often, and a wrong entry can send a form back or stall a school or employer portal. We cover the permit side in detail in work permit document number and study permit document number.

Is UCI the same as SIN number?

Short answer: No. The UCI and the Social Insurance Number (SIN) come from two different federal departments and do two different jobs. IRCC issues the UCI to track your immigration files. Service Canada issues the SIN, which the Government of Canada describes as the 9-digit number you need to work in Canada or access government programs and benefits. The UCI is 8 or 10 digits with hyphens. The SIN is always 9 digits. Your employer asks for your SIN, not your UCI. IRCC forms ask for your UCI, not your SIN. Never write one in the other's field. For the SIN side, including why temporary residents get a SIN starting with 9, read our SIN number guide.

What is my UCI ID number?

Short answer: Your UCI ID number is the same thing as your client ID. IRCC's help page What is my client ID? says the client ID, "also referred to as a UCI," is on all documents IRCC sends you and is an eight or ten digit number that looks like 0000-0000 or 00-0000-0000. So "UCI," "UCI ID," "client ID" and "client identification number" all point to one number. Copy it exactly as printed on your IRCC documents, including the hyphens if the form accepts them.

How to get UCI ID?

Short answer: You do not request a UCI separately. IRCC's help page When will I get my client ID/UCI? says you get it once you apply. If this is your first application to Canada, you will not have one yet. On a paper form, write "Not Applicable" or "N/A" in the UCI field. On an online form that will not accept text in that field, leave it blank. IRCC then assigns a UCI while it processes your first file, and it appears on your AOR, your biometrics letter and every document after that. If you applied before, even years ago for a visitor visa that was refused, you already have one, so use it rather than leaving the field blank.

How do I find my UCI code?

Short answer: If you cannot find any document, IRCC's help page I forgot my client ID/UCI says to check the letters IRCC sent you and your immigration documents, such as a PR card, study permit or work permit. If you have none of those and need to complete an application, IRCC says you may leave the UCI field blank. Other places worth checking first:

1. Your IRCC secure account. Sign in with GCKey or a Sign-In Partner and open any past correspondence.
2. Your email. Search your inbox for "IRCC" or "Client ID". AOR and biometrics emails show it.
3. Your passport. A past Canadian visitor visa counterfoil carries it.
4. Your representative. If a licensed consultant or lawyer filed for you, their file copy has it.

If none of those work, you can send IRCC a request through the IRCC web form. Never guess a UCI. If you are unsure, leave the field for IRCC to match rather than typing a number you cannot confirm.

How do I check my UCI application status?

Short answer: Status is tracked per application, not per UCI. IRCC's help page What is an application number? says your applications share the same UCI but each has its own application number, which IRCC sends when it starts processing. Examples it gives are C123456789 for citizenship and W993830598 for a work permit. Check status in your IRCC secure account, or in the IRCC status tracker for your program, using the application number together with your other identifying details. The UCI helps IRCC confirm who you are. The application number tells it which file you are asking about. If your file is past the posted time, compare it with current IRCC processing times before you contact IRCC.

When do you need your UCI?

Short answer: You need your UCI on almost every IRCC form after your first application. That includes extending a work permit on IMM 5710, renewing a PR card on IMM 5444, applying for citizenship, sponsoring a family member, filling out the IRCC web form, and linking a paper application to your online account. Some provincial programs, schools and settlement agencies also ask for it to confirm your status. Keep a note of it somewhere safe outside your wallet, because the card or permit that shows it is exactly what gets lost.

How can Go Far Global help with your application?

Short answer: Most UCI questions come up in the middle of a bigger application: a PR card renewal, a permit extension, a sponsorship or a citizenship file. Go Far Global is a Canadian immigration firm led by Rami Mamar, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) under licence R515110. We check that every identifier on your forms matches IRCC's records before anything is submitted, so a numbering mistake does not cost you weeks. Start with our free immigration assessment to see which programs fit your profile, or book a consultation to have a licensed consultant review your file. We work in English, Farsi and Arabic.

Sources

• IRCC Help Centre: What is a UCI?
• IRCC Help Centre: Where can I find my client ID/UCI?
• IRCC Help Centre: When will I get my client ID/UCI?
• IRCC Help Centre: I forgot my client ID/UCI. How can I get it?
• IRCC Help Centre: What is my client ID?
• IRCC Help Centre: What is an application number?
• IRCC Client Application Status: Identification Number
• Service Canada: Social Insurance Number
• IRCC: Application for a PR card (IMM 5444)