Express Entry Invitations to Apply (ITAs)

On This Page, You Will Find:

• What is an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?
• How rounds of invitations work
• The 2026 Express Entry categories
• CRS cut-off scores and the tie-break rule
• What to do after you receive an ITA
• Documents you need for your e-APR
• If you decline an ITA or let it expire
• After you submit: processing times and next steps
• Looking ahead: proposed Express Entry reforms
• Frequently asked questions

An Invitation to Apply (ITA) is the message that moves an Express Entry candidate from the pool to an actual application for permanent residence. Getting an ITA is a major milestone, but it is not a guarantee of approval.

This guide explains how ITAs are issued, what changed with the removal of arranged employment points in March 2025, the 2026 category-based selection categories, and exactly what a candidate must do in the 60 days after an ITA arrives.

What Is an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

When Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs a round of invitations, it invites the top-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool to submit a complete application for permanent residence, known as an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). The ITA message in a candidate’s IRCC account states which program the candidate is being invited under and what to do next.

Receiving an ITA does not by itself confirm permanent residence. The e-APR is still assessed for program eligibility, admissibility, and the accuracy of the information in the candidate’s profile.

How Rounds of Invitations Work

IRCC uses three types of invitation rounds:

• General rounds, which invite the top-ranking candidates across the whole pool regardless of program.
• Program-specific rounds, which invite top-ranking candidates eligible for a particular Express Entry program, such as the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
• Category-based rounds, which invite candidates eligible for a category the Minister has established to meet an identified economic goal, such as a language ability or a specific occupation.

All three round types work the same way once a candidate is identified as eligible: candidates are ranked by Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, and the highest-ranking eligible candidates receive an ITA.

The 2026 Express Entry Categories

For 2026, IRCC announced the following category-based selection categories:

• French-language proficiency
• Healthcare and social services occupations
• Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations
• Trade occupations
• Education occupations
• Transport occupations (including pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors)
• Physicians with Canadian work experience
• Senior managers with Canadian work experience
• Researchers with Canadian work experience
• Skilled military recruits (highly skilled foreign military applicants recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces)

The French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trade and education categories were renewed from 2025, while the transport occupations, physicians, senior managers and researchers categories, along with skilled military recruits, are new for 2026. Also new for 2026: candidates must now have at least one year of qualifying work experience gained in the previous three years to be selected under an occupational category, up from six months.

Category-based rounds supplement, rather than replace, general and program-specific rounds. Candidates must still meet the minimum requirements of one of the three Express Entry programs, and each round’s ministerial instructions set out the exact eligibility criteria in effect at that time.

CRS Cut-Off Scores and the Tie-Break Rule

Every candidate in the pool is ranked by their CRS score. In each round, IRCC invites candidates down to a minimum cut-off score for that round. If more than one candidate shares the lowest invited score, the tie is broken by the date and time the candidate submitted their Express Entry profile: earlier submissions are invited first.

On 25 March 2025, IRCC removed the CRS points previously awarded for a valid job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Job offers no longer add CRS points in the current system, so a candidate’s core human capital factors (age, education, official language ability and skilled work experience) and provincial nomination points now weigh more heavily on cut-off scores. Cut-off scores move round to round, so always check the current Express Entry rounds of invitations results before assuming a particular score will be competitive.

What to Do After You Receive an ITA

An ITA is valid for 60 days only. Candidates should start their e-APR right away, because gathering documents can take time. Recommended early steps include:

• Confirming that language test results will still be valid when the e-APR is submitted (test results are valid for two years from the test date).
• Starting the process for any required police certificates immediately, since processing times vary widely by country.
• Booking an immigration medical exam with a panel physician if one hasn’t already been completed, or confirming that a prior exam (within the last five years) can still be used.
• Confirming that the candidate still meets the requirements of the program named in the ITA – the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, or the Canadian Experience Class.
• Recalculating the CRS score if personal circumstances have changed since the ITA was issued (for example, a lost job offer, an expired provincial nomination, or new language test results).

If a recalculated score would have fallen below that round’s cut-off, the candidate should decline the ITA rather than submit an application likely to be refused.

Documents You Need for Your e-APR

Once the online application form is complete, the system generates a personalized document checklist. Most applicants must upload:

• Police certificates for themselves and any family members 18 or older, covering every country where they lived for six months or more since turning 18.
• Proof of funds showing they have enough money to settle in Canada, unless they are currently authorized to work in Canada or are applying under the Canadian Experience Class.
• Valid language test results from an approved testing organization.
• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for any education completed outside Canada, if claiming points for that education or applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. ECA reports are accepted for five years from their issue date.
• Civil status documents such as a marriage, divorce or adoption certificate, where applicable.
• Results of an immigration medical exam from a panel physician, or proof that a prior exam is still usable.

Documents not in English or French must be submitted with a certified translation. Applicants must also pay the processing fee, the right of permanent residence fee, and the biometrics fee before the application can be submitted; the current fee schedule is on the IRCC fee list.

If You Decline an ITA or Let It Expire

Candidates can decline an ITA at any time within the 60-day window. Declining has no negative effect on future rounds – the candidate returns to the pool and remains eligible for future invitations as long as their profile is still active.

Candidates who neither accept nor decline within 60 days have their ITA expire automatically. An expired ITA means removal from the Express Entry pool entirely; the candidate must create a brand-new profile, be re-assessed for eligibility, and re-enter the pool before they can receive another ITA.

After You Submit: Processing Times and Next Steps

Once a complete e-APR is received, applicants aged 14 to 79 have 30 days from the date of IRCC’s letter to give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo), if they haven’t already done so for this application. IRCC then reviews the application for completeness, eligibility, and admissibility, which includes the results of the medical exam, police certificates and background checks.

IRCC’s published service standard is to process most Express Entry applications within six months of confirming a complete application. This clock excludes delays outside IRCC’s control, such as the time needed to obtain a provincial nomination or an employer’s Labour Market Impact Assessment. Applicants can track real-time performance against this standard, and check the status of their own file, in their IRCC secure account.

What Happens After Your ITA Is Accepted and Approved

If the application is approved, IRCC issues a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and, for applicants who need one, a permanent resident visa. The COPR cannot be extended, so approved applicants must travel to Canada and complete their landing before it expires. Applicants already living in Canada use their COPR to finalize their permanent resident status without leaving the country; those applying from outside Canada must land at a port of entry to become a permanent resident.

If an application is refused or rejected instead, the candidate is not automatically returned to the pool. To be considered again, they must submit a brand-new Express Entry profile, meet the eligibility criteria, and be accepted back into the pool.

Looking Ahead: Proposed Express Entry Reforms

Between 23 April and 24 May 2026, IRCC ran a public consultation on possible changes to Express Entry and the CRS. The proposals under consideration include replacing the three current programs (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class) with a single program with simplified minimum requirements, updating CRS factors to better reflect current research on newcomers’ economic outcomes, and introducing a new CRS factor for candidates with Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-wage occupation – which would partially reintroduce job-offer points removed in March 2025, but only for high-wage roles. Any resulting changes would be published through the Canada Gazette process, and further consultations on category-based selection priorities are expected later in 2026. Candidates should watch official IRCC channels for confirmation before assuming any of these proposals have taken effect.

For a wider view of Canada’s economic immigration options, see the immigration to Canada overview or the Canada immigration FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions