Express Entry candidates in these situations may need to decline their invitations to apply
Whether you’re entering the Express Entry pool in 2026, or you already have a profile submitted, it’s worth knowing that there are some situations wherein a candidate might have to decline an Invitation to Apply (ITA), if they do receive one.
Understanding why – and what to do – if this happens, can help you avoid any surprises in your immigration journey.
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This article covers
- When it’s best to decline an ITA;
- Scenarios where declining may be the right move;
- What happens after you decline; and
- How to proceed with an application, even with a change in situation.
When should you decline your ITA?
After you receive an ITA, you need to submit your application for permanent residence (PR) within the validity period of your invitation, which is 60 days.
During those 60 days, if certain circumstances prevent you from submitting your complete application, you can decline your invitation.
For example, if you have insufficient documentation, have a family obligation or emergency that bars you from meeting the deadline, or you have insufficient proof of funds.
Moreover, if there has been a change in your personal circumstances, you should recalculate your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on your current situation. If your recalculated score is below the cut-off score for your round of invitations, declining is generally the best choice.
There is no negative consequence or repercussion for declining an ITA – this will put your profile back in the Express Entry pool.
Examples of situations where it’s best to decline an ITA
1) You CRS score was inflated by a mistake in your profile
Mistakes happen—and even small errors can affect whether you are eligible for that invitation.
Examples:
- Counting part-time work as full-time work (or overstating hours).
- Claiming foreign work experience as Canadian work experience (or vice versa).
- Entering language scores incorrectly.
- Incorrectly claiming a bachelor's degree as a master’s degree.
If you received an ITA based on an inflated score, you need to re-calculate your score and ensure the accurate score meets the cut-off of the draw you qualified under.
If it does not, you must decline your ITA.
Failing to decline an ITA in this case puts you at risk of misrepresentation, which can lead to refusal and being barred from Canadian immigration for five years.
2) You received an ITA before you met your work-experience threshold
Sometimes candidates receive an ITA before they actually meet the work experience needed to support the score they claimed.
In some situations, it’s not a problem: Due to the 60-day application submission window, you may be able to meet the requirement before submitting an application.
That said, if you won’t meet the deadline in time, declining and staying in the pool for a future draw is the better option.
For example: Katy started her first job in Canada on January 31.
On December 1, she receives an ITA under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). That is because the IRCC portal does not count days but looks at months and years. According to the portal, Katy has worked from January to December (i.e., 12 months).
In reality, Katy has worked for 10 months and two days – meaning she does not have one year of Canadian work experience – a requirement for a CEC draw.
Katy’s deadline to submit her application is January 30 (60 days from December 1). However, she only completes a year of Canadian work experience on January 31. In this case, it’s best if she declines her ITA.
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3) Your language test results don't meet the requirements of the draw
IRCC requires that language test results be less than two years old both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application.
If your results are expiring soon, your options are to:
- Submit your application for PR before the results expire,
- Retake the test, or
- Decline the ITA and remain in the pool.
Note that if you retake the test, your new language test results must still meet the requirements in the ministerial instructions for that round.
4) Changes in family composition
If your spouse or common-law partner was listed as accompanying and that changes, your CRS score may change (up or down depending on their factors and how your profile is structured).
Another example of how a change in family composition could affect your CRS score is if you gain points for having a sibling living in Canada. The CRS awards 15 points for candidates who have a sibling who is a Canadian citizen or PR.
However, if that sibling were to move out of Canada before the candidate submits their application, they stand to lose points. The same applies if a candidate is unable to gather sufficient documents from their sibling for the “proof of sibling” documentation requirements, even if they remain within the country.
If you were invited based on points that no longer apply, recalculate your score and be prepared to decline if you fall below the cut-off.
5) Your provincial nomination is withdrawn
A provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream adds 600 CRS points to your Express Entry profile, so losing it can drop your score dramatically.
Provinces can cancel or withdraw an applicant’s nomination for a variety of reasons.
A common reason for a province to cancel or withdraw a nomination is if a candidate fails to prove genuine intent to reside in that province.
Some other causes for a province to withdraw a nomination are due to loss/change of employment or due to misrepresentation (i.e., if a candidate directly or indirectly withholds information that is relevant to the decision-making process behind their nomination).
Provinces and territories have their own reasons for withdrawing a nomination. For example, Newfoundland and Labrador may withdraw a PNP nomination if a candidate does not disclose a change in situation that occurs during the application stage – like birth of a child or change in marital status.
If your ITA was issued through a general draw, and the nomination is withdrawn after you receive an ITA, you will need to decline as you no longer still meet the minimum eligibility requirements and your CRS score (without the 600 points).
If your ITA was issued in a PNP-specific draw, you’ll need to decline the ITA, because a valid provincial nomination is required to meet the eligibility criteria for that round.
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Age exception: You don’t need to decline due to a birthday
Age is a major factor under Core/Human Capital points, with the highest points typically awarded between ages 20–29, and declining gradually age 30 onward.
However, IRCC has a public policy that can exempt applicants who lose points due to a birthday occurring after the ITA has been issued but before the application has been submitted, so applicants don’t have to worry about refusals solely because of their age changing.
What happens after you decline an ITA?
If you decline, you forgo your chance to apply for PR under that specific invitation.
IRCC puts you back in the Express Entry pool, and you can be considered for future rounds (as long as you remain eligible). Declining itself does not penalize you.
However, if you don’t decline and you also don’t submit your application within 60 days, your ITA expires and your profile is removed from the pool—you’ll need to create and submit a new profile to be considered again.
If your situation has changed and you still want to proceed with submitting an application, it's important to keep in mind that your application must be accurate and complete.
If your circumstances have changed after profile submission, you must disclose any changes clearly and include a Letter of Explanation, along with supporting documents if appropriate.
Leaving out relevant details—even unintentionally—can trigger a misrepresentation finding, which can lead to refusal of application and other serious consequences like a five-year ban from Canadian immigration.
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