What is an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

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An Invitation to Apply (ITA) is a letter sent to selected applicants in the Express Entry pool whose CRS score is higher than the threshold score established for each draw. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sends the letter, which is received on the Express Entry profile's correspondence area. Only after receiving an ITA that an applicant is eligible to apply for permanent residence.

 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sends the letter, which is received in the correspondence section of the Express Entry profile. A candidate may only submit an application for permanent residence after receiving the ITA.

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When IRCC conducts a draw from the pool, candidates who meet the minimum eligibility requirement are invited to submit an application for permanent residence. Your ITA will specify the program that you can apply for, your CRS score with a breakdown and the date by which you should submit the electronic application for permanent residence.

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An ITA is only valid for 60 days. It CANNOT be extended. 

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However, receiving an ITA does not guarantee permanent residency; there are essential steps to follow to ensure a positive outcome for your permanent residence application.

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What are my options after receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) ?

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1. Accept the ITA: You will have 60 days from the issuance date on your ITA to submit your completed application for Permanent Residence. 

2. Reject the ITA: Your profile will be returned to the Express Entry pool and will continue to be active for upcoming invitations.

3. Do nothing/No response: Your ITA will expire and your Express Entry profile will become  invalid. If you want to be a part of future draws, you will have to create a new profile.

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What are the next steps after receiving an ITA for Canada?

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1. Respond to the ITA - Accept or Decline. If you do nothing, you ITA will expire.

2. Complete your Application for Permanent Residence (APR) while including all relevant and necessary documents. 

3. Submit your APR

4. Wait for Medical Request (if you did not submit an upfront medical assessment)

5. Receive CoPR - Confirmation of Permanent Residence

6. Fly to Canada and validate your Permanent Residence at port of entry.

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What are the documents required after receiving an ITA? 

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The documents you need to submit directly co-relate with the points you claimed while creating an express entry profile. In simpler terms, for every point you claimed you need to provide supporting evidence.

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Here's a document checklist for reference: 

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1. Identity and Civil Status Documents

Passport(s) - Biographical page for primary applicant as well as accompanying family members. It is best practice to include all pages from your passport which have stamps on them.

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Birth Certificate(s) -  You are required to submit birth certificates for each person included on your application. Some nations do not provide birth certificates; if this is the case, you can present a document that verifies your date of birth and the names of at least one parent. If you are not submitting an official birth certificate, it is advised that you include a letter of justification with your application.

 

If you have adopted children, adoption certificates are also necessary.

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Marital Certificate - Depending on your marital status, you will need to provide relevant supporting document.

• Single (never married): in most cases, no documents are required to prove you are single

• Married: marriage certificate 

• Common-law/conjugal: evidence of a genuine relationship

• Divorced: divorce certificate for each divorce you had

• Widowed: marriage and death certificate

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Digital Photographs - The primary applicant as well as all included family members need to submit photographs as per IRCCs photo requirement guidelines.

 

2. Documents supporting CRS points claimed

 

Language Test Report - While creating your profile you must have submitted your language test result report number. This gives IRCC to access your test results and verify them directly from the test conductor. However, in some cases, IRCC may request a copy of your test report. Keep it handy. 

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Work Experience Documents - You need to submit proof of work experience documents for all occupations you have claimed CRS points for. These documents include: 

• Foreign Work Experience:

  • Letter of employment

    • Must include - Job Title + Compensation drawn + hours of work + job roles and responsibilities  + appraisal information + start and end date of employment term​

    • These documents need to be provided for each occupation/employer you claimed work experience points for.

  • Pay slips/paystubs/salary slips/salary certificates

  • Tax returns

• Canadian Work Experience:

  • Notice of assessment for the fiscal year​ including Option C lines

  • T4's

  • Work permit documents

• LMIA letter from a Canadian employer if you claimed job-offer points

• Certificate of Qualification - ​If you declared having received a provincial/territorial certificate of qualification, you have to provide a copy of said certificate.

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Relatives in Canada - If you claimed an additional 15 points under this category you will need to provide proof that your Canadian permanent resident or citizen relatives are A) related to you and B) Have an identification document from Canada that proves their Canadian PR or Canadian Citizenship. 

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Provincial Nomination - If you claimed points for provincial nomination your profile must show the nomination directly linked through the province.

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Education Documents - 

• Copies of certificates, diplomas or degrees for each completed program of post-secondary study you have claimed points for

• Copies of transcripts for each completed secondary and post-secondary program

• An original Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report

• If you have claimed points for Canadian education, you must provide proof of successful completion of the program.

 

3. Additional Mandatory Documents

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Medical Examination Report - You need to complete a mandatory medical assessment from an IRCC authorized panel physician. Your medical report will be shared with the IRCC by your authorized panel physician.

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Police Clearance Certificates - You and all of your family members will need to submit police clearance certificates from every country you or they resided in for 6 months or more since the age of 18.

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Proof of Funds - to show that you have sufficient funds to support your relocation to Canada. A CBSA officer is most likely to ask for proof of settlement funds at the port of 1st entry to Canada. You are exempt from submitting proof of funds if you have an arranged employment offer included in your application. 

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Receipt of IRCC fee payment

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