Receiving an invitation to apply

Overview

Receiving an invitation to apply

An Express Entry invitation to apply is valid for 60 days. Before submitting, confirm the named program, recalculate the CRS score using the facts that will be documented and decide whether the invitation remains valid after any change.

Read the invitation before gathering documents

The account message identifies the program under which IRCC invited the candidate. That matters because the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program have different work, language, education and fund requirements.

Save the invitation and the profile as they appeared on the invitation date. The application will ask for more detailed personal, address, travel and employment histories than the profile did.

Recalculate the score

Recalculate when a birthday, expired test, lost nomination, changed marital status or any other development affects points. Compare the corrected score with the cut-off for the actual round.

If the recalculated score is below that cut-off, IRCC advises declining the invitation. Submitting anyway may lead to refusal without a refund. A change that raises the score does not excuse inaccurate information in the original profile.

Declining and expiry are different

Declining within the response period returns an otherwise eligible profile to the pool, where it may be considered again. Another invitation is not guaranteed.

If the candidate neither declines nor applies within 60 days, the invitation expires and the profile is removed. The person must create a new profile and qualify again to re-enter the pool.

Use the document checklist as a starting point

The personalized checklist identifies uploads, but each document must prove the related answer. Check validity dates for passports, language tests, ECAs, police certificates and funds.

Report family members completely, including non-accompanying family where required. An application can fail because a fact that earned the invitation cannot be substantiated, even when the upload field contains a document.

Triage the first week

Request slow documents immediately, especially police certificates from countries with long processing or special request-letter procedures. At the same time, obtain updated bank and employer letters so there is time to correct missing details.

Complete the online forms early enough to expose the personalized checklist. Waiting until the last days to open each form can reveal an unexpected upload after there is no practical time to obtain it.

Create a dated list of missing items and follow-ups. It helps distinguish a genuine third-party delay from an application that was simply left until the deadline.