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Express Entry Invitation to Apply (ITA): What to Do in the Next 60 Days

After an Express Entry invitation to apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit your complete permanent residence application online, or to decline the invitation. Recheck your CRS score first: if your details have changed and your score is now below the cut-off for your round, decline. If you neither apply nor decline in time, the invitation expires and your profile leaves the pool. IRCC says it processes most complete Express Entry applications in 6 months or less.

Last updated: 12 November 2026 · Written by the PrepEve team

Deadline

60 days from the invitation

If you decline

Your profile goes back into the pool

If you do nothing

The invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool

IRCC fees

CAD 1,590 for the principal applicant, plus CAD 85 biometrics (all fees)

Medical exam

Upfront, after the invitation and before you submit

Processing

Most complete applications in 6 months or less (IRCC)

First, check before you start

• Recalculate your CRS score with your details as they are today. A new job, an expired test, a change in marital status or a new child can all change it. If your score is now below the lowest score in your round, IRCC advises you to decline. Use the CRS calculator.
• Check your language test dates. Your result must still be less than 2 years old on the day you submit. If it will expire, IRCC suggests you can decline, retest and come back to the pool. See IELTS validity for Canada PR.
• Check your ECA. It must be less than 5 years old.
• Check the program you were invited under. It decides whether you need proof of funds.

A week-by-week plan for the 60 days

Police certificates often take the longest. You need one for each country where you spent 6 months or more in a row since age 18. In India you apply through the passport office (Passport Seva), or an embassy, consulate or BLS centre if you live abroad. See the Canada PR documents checklist.

Documents IRCC usually asks for

IRCC builds a personal checklist in your account from your answers, and that list is the final word. Most applicants from India need: passport pages, language test results and ECA, a reference letter for every job you claim, proof of funds if your program needs it, police certificates, the medical exam confirmation, a digital photo, and documents for your spouse and children.

Reference letters are where many problems start. Each one should be on company letterhead and show your job title, duties, dates, hours per week and salary, and the duties should match the occupation code (NOC) in your profile.

Mistakes to avoid

• Submitting with a language test result that has expired, even by a day.
• Reference letters that do not show hours, salary or duties, or duties that do not match your NOC.
• Missing a police certificate for a country where you lived for 6 months or more.
• Proof of funds below IRCC's amount for your family size, or money borrowed for the purpose.
• Leaving out a family member. Your spouse and dependent children must be declared even if they are not moving with you.
• Any detail that is wrong or missing. IRCC can treat false or misleading information as misrepresentation, which can mean a refusal and a ban of at least 5 years.

What happens after you submit

1. Acknowledgement of receipt (AOR). IRCC confirms your application is complete. An incomplete application is rejected and the processing fee is refunded.
2. Biometrics. If you are 14 to 79, IRCC sends a letter and you have 30 days to give your fingerprints and photo.
3. Background and medical checks, and any requests for more documents. Answer these by the date IRCC gives.
4. Decision. If you are approved, you receive your confirmation of permanent residence and instructions for landing.

You pay the processing fees and the biometrics fee when you submit. The right of permanent residence fee can be paid with the application or later, when IRCC asks for it. See Canada PR fees.

What we can and cannot promise

We can make sure your profile and application are complete, accurate and filed on time. We cannot promise an invitation or an approval: IRCC makes every decision, and cut-off scores change from round to round. Be wary of anyone who guarantees PR.

Official sources

• Express Entry: submit your application (IRCC)
• Express Entry: after you apply (IRCC)
• Medical exams for permanent residence applicants (IRCC)
• Check processing times (IRCC)

Immigration rules change. Check the official pages above before you apply.

Google review from an immigration client (tap to enlarge)

Frequently asked questions