If you receive the Portal 2 email (requesting your photo/biometric-style picture) but you're traveling and won't be back before the stated deadline, treat the deadline as firm.
Key points from the group:- If the email explicitly says a number of days (e.g. 7 days), try to meet it — replying later risks delaying or jeopardizing your application.
- It's better to flag travel plans earlier, at the 'Portal 1' email stage, so IRCC can pause processing around your trip in advance rather than dealing with it reactively at Portal 2.
- There's also a re-entry consideration: once you receive confirmation of PR, your current Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) becomes invalid, which affects how and when you can return to Canada. If your applicant is out of the country, replying to the portal email with your travel timeline can buy some flexibility, but expect this to add delay to the overall PR process.
Bottom line: try to submit within the stated window if at all possible; if that's truly not possible, respond to IRCC directly with your travel dates rather than staying silent, understanding this will likely push out your timeline.