Create an Express Entry profile: Respond to your invitation to apply

If we invite you to apply for permanent residence, you'll get a message in your account telling you:

• which program you've been invited to apply for
• what to do next

You'll need to show proof of the information you gave us in your Express Entry profile. We’ll assess whether the information you submit in your application is different from what was in your profile.

If we find that you gave us false information or left out important details, we could:

• refuse your application
• find you inadmissible
• bar you for 5 years from applying to come to Canada for any reason

Apply for permanent residence

Program requirements

You can check the criteria for the program you've been invited to apply under to make sure you're still eligible.

By understanding your program requirements, you'll be more prepared to apply. It could also help you decide whether to accept an invitation to apply.

Changes to your personal situation

If your situation (or that of your spouse or common-law partner) changes, you should re-calculate your score before applying online for permanent residence.

If your recalculated score is less than the lowest score in your round of invitations, you should decline the invitation. If you decide to apply anyway, we may:

• refuse your application
• not refund your application fee

Some examples of changes that could lower your score:

• you no longer have a valid job offer
• you no longer have a provincial nomination
• your language test scores:
  • have expired
  • are lower after you were retested

Declining an invitation to apply

If you decline an invitation, you'll be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You'll be considered in future rounds of invitations, if you’re still eligible.

The cut-off score varies from round to round. If your score isn’t high enough, you might not be invited to apply again. In some cases, you may have to take steps to be invited to apply again. For example, you may need to:

• improve your score
• update your Express Entry profile

There is no guarantee that you'll be invited to apply again. However, if you choose to re-enter the pool, declining an invitation won't affect whether or not you’re invited to apply later.

If you don't decline an invitation and you don't apply within 60 days, the invitation will expire and your profile will be removed from the pool. To be considered in future rounds of invitations you'll have to:

• fill out and submit a new Express Entry profile
• meet the eligibility
• be accepted into the pool again