A member accidentally tore their COPR right after landing and worried it needed to stay pristine until citizenship. The group's practical take:
- A minor tear is usually not fatal. As long as no critical information is lost, a small tear shouldn't invalidate the document.
- What you actually need later is the UCI number. For a citizenship application, applicants generally reference the UCI on the COPR rather than submitting the physical COPR itself — so the printed data matters more than the paper's condition.
- Protect it, but don't laminate. Slip it into a plastic folder to prevent further damage. Members warned against laminating, since a laminated document may not be accepted if it's ever needed in original form.