Received an Express Entry ITA: What to Do Next

Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through Express Entry is an exciting milestone — but what comes next is critical. You have exactly 60 days to submit a complete, accurate permanent residence application.

What Is an ITA?

An Invitation to Apply is IRCC's formal invitation for you to submit a permanent residence application under one of the Express Entry programs. ITAs are issued following each draw from the Express Entry pool. When you receive an ITA, a 60-day countdown begins immediately. Missing this deadline means your ITA expires and you must re-enter the pool and wait for another draw.

What Happens in the First 48 Hours

When you receive an ITA, log into your IRCC account and carefully review the details — confirm which program it is under (FSWP, FSTP, or CEC) and verify the 60-day deadline date. Start organizing your documents immediately, because some items (like a medical exam or police certificates from certain countries) can take several weeks to obtain. Do not wait until day 50 to start gathering documents.

Document Checklist After an ITA

Identity documents: A valid passport (must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended entry date), two passport-sized photos meeting IRCC specifications, and any previous passports covering the last 10 years if you need to account for time spent in other countries.

Language tests: Your original language test results (IELTS, CELPIP, TEF Canada, or TCF Canada). These must still be valid (issued within two years of your application date).

Education: Your ECA report (if education was completed abroad), and copies of diplomas, degrees, or transcripts if requested.

Work experience: Employment reference letters on company letterhead, signed by an authorized representative, stating your job title, start and end dates, hours per week, salary, and main duties. Some applicants also include pay stubs, T4 slips (for Canadian employment), tax returns, or ROE forms to support their reference letters.

Police certificates: From every country where you have lived for six or more months since age 18. Canadian applicants need an RCMP certificate; others need their country's equivalent. Processing times vary dramatically by country — some take a few days, others take six to eight weeks. Start these immediately.

Medical exam: You must visit an IRCC-designated panel physician. Bring your passport and any medical records relevant to your health. Results are submitted directly to IRCC by the physician. Exams are valid for one year.

Proof of funds: Recent bank statements (typically last three to six months) showing you have the required settlement funds. Funds must be accessible and unencumbered.

Fees to Pay

The PR application fees are: $1,325 CAD for the principal applicant's processing fee, $550 CAD for the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF), $1,325 CAD for an accompanying spouse or common-law partner (processing fee), and $225 CAD per dependent child. The RPRF can be paid upfront or deferred until after approval. Fees must be paid online through the IRCC portal.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most serious mistake is misrepresentation — providing false information or omitting relevant facts. This can result in a five-year ban and rejection of future applications. Other common mistakes include: submitting reference letters that don't match the duties listed under your NOC code, providing police certificates that expire before IRCC processes your application, using photos that don't meet IRCC's exact specifications, and forgetting to declare all countries of residence for the police certificate requirement.

After Submission

Once you submit your application, you will receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) with your unique application number. Use this to track your application through the IRCC portal. IRCC may request additional documents (called an "additional document request") — respond promptly. After all checks are complete (biometrics, medical, criminality, security), you will receive a Passport Request (PPR), confirming approval. You then mail in your passport to have the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) stamped, and make your landing in Canada.

How to Turn This Guide Into an Action Plan

Use this Received an Express Entry ITA: What to Do Next guide as a decision framework rather than a shortcut. Start by writing down the exact outcome you want: eligibility, a stronger ranking profile, a safer application package, a better provincial option, or a clearer timeline. Then separate what is confirmed from what is assumed. Confirmed facts are supported by documents, official pages, valid test results, current fees, and dates. Assumptions should be resolved before submission because immigration files are assessed on evidence, not intent.

Express Entry planning should be handled as both an eligibility exercise and a ranking exercise. Eligibility gets the profile into the pool, but ranking determines whether an invitation is realistic. Candidates should calculate their score with current language results, education assessment, work history, spouse factors, proof of funds, and any category-based advantage. Then they should compare the profile against recent invitation patterns without assuming that one draw guarantees the next. The strongest strategy usually keeps more than one pathway open while improving the factors that can realistically move within months.

Evidence and Risk Checklist

Before acting, build a simple evidence folder for this topic. It should include identity documents, current status documents, official letters, education records, language results where relevant, employment letters, pay records, family documents, proof of funds where required, and screenshots or PDFs of the official instructions you relied on. This is especially useful when a program changes after you first researched it. A dated record helps you understand whether your plan is still current.

Review the file for contradictions. Names, dates, job titles, wages, hours, school names, program dates, family details, and passport numbers should match across forms and supporting documents. If something does not match, explain or correct it before submission. Small inconsistencies can create larger credibility questions, especially in applications involving work experience, funds, family relationships, or previous immigration history.

When to Recheck the Official Rules

Recheck the official sources immediately before submitting anything, after a major program announcement, when a fee changes, when a draw pattern shifts, when your passport or language test is close to expiry, and whenever your family, job, school, or province changes. Immigration planning is not a one-time read. For competitive programs, a strategy that looked strong three months ago may need adjustment after new invitation rounds or policy updates.

If your case includes a previous refusal, a status gap, inadmissibility concern, medical issue, criminal record, custody question, self-employment evidence, inconsistent work history, or urgent deadline, treat this guide as background only and get individualized advice. Those facts can change the risk level even when the general pathway appears available.