Express Entry

Receiving Invitation to Apply (ITA) — Complete Guide

Any applicant in the Express Entry pool who has been chosen by IRCC to submit an application for immigration to Canada is given an invitation to do so. When IRCC conducts a draw from the Express Entry pool, which is made up of applicants who have expressed interest in moving to Canada, Invitations to Apply are distributed in order of priority.

The initial eligibility to enter the Express Entry pool, a job offer from a Canadian business, or a provincial nomination certificate should not be confused with an invitation to apply. Candidates for Express Entry are sent an invitation to apply via their Express Entry profiles in an automatically created letter.

How to Obtain ITA

Only applicants who satisfy the minimal requirements of a federal economic immigration programme and are qualified to immigrate to Canada are allowed to apply for a spot in the Express Entry pool, where they are rated using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Candidates are ranked by the CRS according to the following criteria:

• Factors related to core human capital, accompanying spouse or common-law partner, if applicable, skill transferability, and factors connected to a provincial nomination, a qualifying offer of arranged employment, prior study in Canada, having a sibling in Canada, or evidence of French proficiency.

Under the CRS, a total of 1,200 points are available.

At the time of the draw, the government of Canada announces a minimum CRS cut-off score and notifies those applicants who have been invited to apply for permanent residence. This is how the government of Canada issues Invitations to Apply to specific candidates in the Express Entry pool based on their ranking.

Accepting ITA

After the Invitation To Apply is sent out, the original profile information will be maintained for 60 days. Candidates will have this much time to submit a thorough application with all necessary supporting materials.

Candidates are urged to start gathering these papers and making sure they are in good shape before receiving an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence because of the short window of time available. A candidate must reapply to the Express Entry pool if they miss the 60-day window and lose the validity of the invitation to apply for permanent residence that was issued to them.

Applicants have the choice to submit an application once all required documents have been uploaded and are complete. The option to submit isn’t accessible until every field has been filled out. The application is deemed accepted when it is submitted in its entirety. Once the file is uploaded, an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) will be generated automatically.

The application will be examined by IRCC, which will decide if it is eligible and complete. Within six months of the applicant’s application submission, IRCC hopes to finish this procedure.

Expiration of ITA

By that point, it will be erased if no application has been submitted. If a candidate does not object to an invitation to apply and does not respond within 60 days, the invitation will expire. Candidates who still intend to apply for immigration to Canada through Express Entry must complete a new profile, submit it, and be approved into the pool once more in order to be taken into account for next invitation rounds. Candidates will still need to meet the minimal requirements in order to re-enter the pool.

Declining of ITA

In the event that a candidate chooses to decline an invitation to apply, their profile will be re-added to the Express Entry pool for future invitation rounds, provided that they continue to satisfy the minimal requirements of a federal economic immigration programme.

Candidates are not guaranteed to get another Invitation To Apply at a later time. However, declining an offer won’t prevent applicants from receiving an invitation to apply at a later time.

Documentation Required for ITA

Currently, all applicants who get an invitation to apply must also include the following supporting papers and application costs in their submissions:

• current passport
• birth registration
• Results of language tests
• Documentation confirming job experience
• police clearance document (s)
• Direct medical invoice
• pictures of the main applicant and their relatives

The following paperwork might be needed, depending on the programme under which a candidate received an invitation to apply and the details on his or her Express Entry profile:

• Education Credential Assessment OR Canadian Education Credential (ECA)
• document attesting
• official transcripts demonstrating the courses you have taken in your post-secondary education programme
• documents for secondary education
• Evidence of family ties in Canada
• Evidence of payment monies
• legal records indicating name or date of birth changes
• a marriage licence (s)
• documentation attesting to cohabitation for at least a year as well as a signed Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union
• divorce decree or annulment decree (s)
• Death certificates for any past partners or spouses (s)
• birth certificates for kids
• Adoption documents
• evidence of complete custody of children
• travel papers (non-passport)
• Certified copy of a skilled trade certification certificate from a Canadian province or territorial authority
• a copy of the employment agreement and/or pay stubs
• records pertaining to income tax