if a visa is required, the applicant will receive instructions for sending in the passport for processing. this can come by email or regular mail to the address the applicant listed in their application. once the passport is sent to the visa processing centre, it will take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to get it back with the COPR (confirmation of permanent residency). The applicant has until the expiration date on the COPR to land as a PR in canada. if the person is bringing a large amount of belongings to canada at landing or later, they will need to fill out the B4 (recently renumbered) declaration form to avoid being taxed on their goods. If they are only bringing a small amount of suitcases with clothes/every day items, this is not necessary.
once the PR is landed, the next step will be to get set up with a SIN#, healthcare card, bank account, free language classes, etc. In most provinces and for the SIN#, ONLY the Passport and COPR are needed to do this. Once they have the SIN# they can legally work. the physical PR card is not received at landing, an application is sent by CBSA, and the applicant will receive it 2-6 months later.
