An outland FSW applicant received the stamped passport, visa letter and paper COPR, yet a week later the GCKey account still showed 'Final decision: your application is in progress'. The question: is it safe to book flights?
What group members explained:- The lag is a known glitch. In a small number of cases the IRCC officer simply hasn't updated the online file even though the physical decision is complete. The paper COPR and visa counterfoil are the real decision documents.
- Raise a web form. The consistent advice was to inform IRCC via web form so the account gets updated rather than waiting silently.
- Be cautious about booking travel before the update. One experienced member advised that the GCKey account should show the final decision 'for a seamless travel experience' — you can book tickets, but if IRCC delays the update it could become an issue at travel time. Others noted the account typically updates fully once you receive COPR.
- Timeline reference: this file went from ITA (mid-August) to visa-in-passport (mid-December) — about 4 months, typical for that period.
Practical approach from the thread: send the web form immediately, give the portal a short window to catch up, and prefer refundable or flexible fares if you book before the status flips.