The short answer
You check a Canada visa application online by signing in to the IRCC account you applied with, or to IRCC's application status tracker using your UCI and application number. The tracker shows Received, In progress or Closed, plus a status for eligibility, medical, background and biometrics. VFS tracking only follows your passport, never the decision.
In Bangla
কানাডার ভিসা আবেদনের অবস্থা দেখতে যে IRCC অ্যাকাউন্টে আবেদন করেছেন সেখানে লগইন করুন, অথবা UCI ও আবেদন নম্বর দিয়ে IRCC-র অ্যাপ্লিকেশন স্ট্যাটাস ট্র্যাকারে দেখুন, যেখানে Received, In progress বা Closed লেখা থাকে। VFS-এর ট্র্যাকিং শুধু পাসপোর্ট কোথায় আছে তা দেখায়, সিদ্ধান্ত নয়।
Key takeaways
- Your IRCC account is the official place for messages, letters and the decision on a Canada visitor visa.
- The application status tracker, which needs your UCI and application number, covers visitor visas and shows a more detailed timeline.
- Closed means a decision was made or the file ended; it does not tell you which, so read the letter in your account.
- Waiting on you is the one status that needs action from you, usually a document, medical or biometrics request with a deadline.
- IRCC has no public page that checks a Canadian visa by passport number, so any site charging for that is not IRCC.
A Canada visa check online happens in one of three places: the IRCC account you applied with, IRCC's application status tracker, or the visa application centre's tracking page for your passport. Each shows something different, and only the first two come from IRCC. This guide gives the official address for each, explains every status word you can see and tells you what to do when one changes.
How do you check a Canada visa application online?
Sign in to the same IRCC account you used to apply and open your application; the messages and letters there are the official record. For a more detailed timeline, IRCC's check your application status page also links the application status tracker, which IRCC lists for visitor visas. The tracker needs its own sign-in, your unique client identifier (UCI) and your application number.
You can only check status after IRCC sends an acknowledgement of receipt confirming the application is complete. The email you get when you press submit is not that acknowledgement, so a blank status in the first few days is normal.
Which IRCC account did you apply with?
IRCC runs more than one online account, and your status is only visible in the one you used. The check-status page sorts it by how you signed in.
- A GCKey username and password, or a Sign-In Partner such as a bank login: the IRCC secure account.
- An email address with a one-time code: the IRCC Portal, or the newer version of the Portal that first-time adult applicants can use.
- Not sure: try each sign-in, and search your email for the confirmation IRCC sent when you created the account.
- Applied on paper: link the paper application to an IRCC secure account using the details on your acknowledgement letter.
If an agency submitted your application, ask which account it used and how you will see the letters. You are entitled to know where your own decision will arrive.
What does each status mean in the IRCC tracker?
The tracker shows one overall status for the application and a separate status for each of four review sections: eligibility, medical exam, background verification and biometrics. The meanings below follow IRCC's help centre answer on tracker statuses, with what to do next.
| Status | Where it appears | What IRCC means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received | Overall | IRCC has your application and is checking it is complete | Wait; book biometrics if your letter has arrived |
| In progress | Overall | IRCC is still reviewing the application | Wait and keep checking messages |
| Closed | Overall | IRCC approved it, refused it, or it was withdrawn or abandoned | Read the letter in your account to see which |
| Not started | A section | IRCC has not begun reviewing that section | Nothing; sections start at different times |
| Waiting on you | A section | IRCC needs more information or documents from you | Act now: read the request and meet its deadline |
| In progress | A section | IRCC is still reviewing that section | Nothing unless a message asks you to |
| Completed | A section | IRCC has finished reviewing that section | Nothing; it is not a decision on the whole file |
| Exempted | A section | You do not need that section, such as biometrics for a child under 14 | Nothing |
Two points cause most confusion. A completed section is not an approval: eligibility can be completed while background verification is still in progress. And Closed covers both good and bad outcomes. IRCC says it contacts you before closing an application, so the letter in your account is what tells you the result.
Which letters can arrive in your IRCC account?
The account's messages carry more meaning than any status line. These are the letters a Bangladeshi visitor visa applicant is most likely to see, roughly in the order they arrive.
- Acknowledgement of receipt: your application is complete and in the queue. From now on, status checks work.
- Biometric instruction letter: book fingerprints and a photo at the Canada visa application centre in Dhaka before the deadline in the letter.
- Request for documents: an officer wants a specific paper. Upload exactly what is asked, by the date given.
- Medical instructions: see an IRCC panel physician; your own doctor's report is not accepted.
- Procedural fairness letter: the officer has a concern, often about a paper or an answer, and is giving you a chance to respond before deciding. Treat it seriously and answer fully and truthfully.
- Passport request: your application is approved; submit the same passport you applied with.
- Refusal letter: the decision and its reasons, usually with the officer's decision notes.
How do you track your passport at VFS?
Once you hand in your passport after approval, the visa application centre's tracking service on the VFS Global Canada site for Bangladesh follows it, using the reference number on your receipt. It shows where the passport is, for example received at the centre, sent to the visa office, back at the centre, ready for collection or dispatched by courier.
VFS tracking never shows a decision. The centre handles biometrics and passports for IRCC; it does not assess applications and cannot tell you why a file is taking time. For the decision, use your IRCC account.
If an agency handles your file, you should not have to log in to three places to know where it stands. Agencies that use Visolv give each client a portal under the agency's own brand, opened from the agency's link or a one-time code on the phone, where the client sees the appointment, messages from the caseworker and the decision once it arrives. The agency's own view shows which stage each file is in and who it is waiting on.
Why do some Canada visa check websites ask for money?
Because they are not IRCC. There is no public IRCC page where anyone can type a passport number and see a Canadian visa or its status. Your status sits behind your own sign-in. Sites and social media pages that offer a "Canada visa check by passport number" for a fee, or ask you to upload a passport scan to "verify" a visa, are at best useless and at worst collecting your identity for fraud.
- IRCC never charges to check a status, and the tracker is free.
- IRCC addresses end in canada.ca or gc.ca; the passport tracking page is on vfsglobal.com.
- Nobody can see inside your file without your account details, so do not share your GCKey password with anyone, including an agent.
- A message saying your visa is approved but needs a payment to release it is a scam. IRCC approvals arrive as a passport request in your account.
What should you do when a status changes?
Most changes need nothing from you. The ones that do are clear: a section marked Waiting on you, a new letter in your messages, or Closed. When the tracker shows Closed, open the latest letter. A passport request means book the passport submission at the centre; a refusal means read the reasons and the officer's notes before deciding whether to reapply.
If nothing changes for weeks, that is usually normal. Compare the time since your application was received with IRCC's current estimate, explained in our guide to Canada visa processing time. If you were refused, our guide to the reasons a Canada visa is refused explains each ground in the letter.
Check status in your own IRCC account, follow the passport at VFS and ignore anyone who wants money to look. For the whole route from application to visa, start with our Canada visit visa from Bangladesh guide, and if you want a caseworker watching the file with you, choose a visa agency that uses Visolv and see how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check my Canada visa status with my passport number?
No. IRCC has no public tool that shows a Canadian visa or application status from a passport number. You check status by signing in to the IRCC account you applied with, or to the application status tracker with your UCI and application number. The visa application centre tracks your passport with the reference number on your receipt. Sites charging for a passport-number check are not official.
What does Waiting on you mean in the IRCC tracker?
It means IRCC needs more information or documents from you for that section of the application, such as a paper, a medical exam or biometrics. It is the one status that needs action. Read the matching message in your account, provide exactly what is asked and meet the deadline, because a missed deadline can lead to a refusal or a closed file.
Does Closed mean my Canada visa was refused?
Not necessarily. In IRCC's tracker, Closed means the application was approved, refused, withdrawn or abandoned. The status alone does not tell you which. Open the latest letter in your IRCC account: a passport request means approval, and a refusal letter gives the reasons and usually the officer's decision notes. IRCC says it contacts you before closing an application.
Where do I find my UCI and application number?
Both appear on the letters IRCC sends to your account, including the acknowledgement of receipt and the biometric instruction letter. The unique client identifier is a number IRCC gives you for life, and it also appears on any Canadian visa you held before. The application number identifies this particular application. You need both to set up the application status tracker.
How do I know if my Canada visitor visa is approved?
An approval arrives as a letter in your IRCC account asking you to submit your passport, and the tracker will show the application as Closed. In Bangladesh you then book a passport submission appointment at the Canada visa application centre. You cannot travel until the visa has been placed in your passport and you have it back.
Can VFS tell me why my Canada visa is delayed?
No. The visa application centre collects biometrics and passports for IRCC, but it does not assess applications or see the officer's work. Its tracking page only shows where your passport is. For anything about the decision or a delay, use your IRCC account, the application status tracker and, if you are well past the processing time, IRCC's web form.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
