Overview
What to do after an Express Entry invitation
After an invitation, the candidate has 60 days to submit the electronic permanent residence application. The first task is to verify that the invitation remains valid; the next is to turn every eligibility and CRS claim into organized evidence.
Days 1–3: preserve and verify
Download the invitation, submitted profile and CRS breakdown. Identify the invitation program and round cut-off, then recalculate the score using current family status, document validity and employment facts.
If the corrected score falls below the round cut-off or the named program is no longer met, consider declining before investing in the application. An invitation is not permission to ignore a changed fact.
First week: request the slow evidence
Order police certificates, updated employer letters and financial-institution letters immediately. Check whether any country issues police certificates only after IRCC provides a request letter.
Book or follow the current immigration medical-exam instructions shown for the application. Obtain civil-status and family records, certified translations and replacement passports early enough to fix defects.
Complete histories before uploading
Prepare a master chronology of addresses, travel, education, employment and other activities. Use it to complete each form so dates do not conflict or leave unexplained periods.
Compare the new detail with past Canadian applications. Explain genuine differences in dates, titles or family status and support the explanation where records exist.
Build each upload around the claim
A reference letter proves work only if it contains useful facts about duties, dates, hours and pay. A bank letter must meet IRCC’s settlement-fund elements. An ECA must support the exact Canadian equivalency entered.
Name and order combined files so an officer can follow them. Use a letter of explanation for a defined gap or discrepancy, not as a substitute for evidence that could have been obtained.
Submit early enough to recover from a technical problem
Pay the fees and attempt final submission before the last day. Save the confirmation, payment receipt and a complete copy of the application as filed.
If the portal fails, record the time, error and screenshots and use IRCC’s stated technical-problem process. Evidence of the problem is more useful than a later general statement that the website did not work.
When to get legal advice
When the immigration pathway does not fit the facts neatly: What to do after an Express Entry invitation
An immigration lawyer can compare the program rules with the applicant’s work history, education, documents and status before an application is submitted.
Eligibility depends on how experience is classified
A qualifying date is close to a threshold
Family or employment information changed
An earlier application contains different information
A focused question may only need 15 minutes.
Use the time to identify the issue, any immediate risk and the next sensible step. If the matter needs more work, the lawyer can explain the proposed scope before you decide whether to proceed.
Read what an immigration lawyer can do and how an immigration law firm may handle further work.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about what to do after an express entry invitation
When does the 60-day ITA period start?
It starts from the invitation issued in the IRCC account. Use the date and deadline shown in the account.
Can I submit an Express Entry application without every police certificate?
IRCC describes limited situations where proof of timely efforts and an explanation may be considered. Follow the country-specific instruction and do not assume the exception will be accepted.
Related guides
