An invitation to apply is a document given by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to candidates within the Express Entry pool. With an invitation to apply, also referred to as an ITA, or sometimes known as the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR), a candidate may apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The eAPR application which is tagged as the final step of the Express Entry program provides the documents that support all the details listed in your initial Express Entry profile. 80 percent of applications submitted through Express Entry are processed in six months or less.
Invited candidates may immigrate to Canada with their accompanying relations, if applicable. This might include a spouse or common-law partner, as well as any dependent children. All accompanying relations are to be included on the candidate’s initial Express Entry profile.
There are, however, a variety of preliminary steps that have got to be completed before a candidate may receive an Invitation to apply. Moreover, being invited to apply is by no means a guarantee that your application will be accepted — it’s therefore crucial to understand what to do to ensure that you can make your Canadian immigration goals a reality.
How to Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) Through Express Entry
In order to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) through Express Entry, a candidate must meet two criteria.
First, the candidate must demonstrate eligibility for one among the Skill worker immigration programs that are aligned with Express Entry:
- Federal Skilled worker Class
- Federal Skilled Trades Class
- Canadian Experience Class
If you’re eligible for a minimum of one of these programs aforementioned, you’ll create an Express Entry profile and enter the pool of candidates. Once your profile is submitted and deemed eligible, you’ll be automatically given a score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on the information you provided when you created your Express Entry profile.
The second criteria applied to issue ITAs is that of the Comprehensive Ranking System Score. Express Entry may be a competitive immigrant selection system and the CRS score is a points system utilized to rank candidates against each other. Only the top-tier candidates will receive ITAs.
What Happens After I Obtain my Invitation to Apply (ITA)?
After obtaining an ITA, you’ll be given 90 days to organize and submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR) in Canada. This application is submitted through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) online web portal. Applicants are going to be asked to scan and submit copies of all required documents.
IRCC states that 80% of eAPRs are processed within six months or earlier from the date of submission. If an application is approved, then the applicant and every one of their accompanying relation is going to be issued visas allowing them to visit a Canadian Port of Entry (POE) to get their official permanent resident documents!
After becoming a Canadian permanent resident, individuals should make it certain to teach themselves the PR requirements to make sure they remain eligible to renew their permanent residence card or apply for Canadian citizenship.
What Document is Required for an eAPR?
The requirements you would like to supply for your eAPR are those which support the qualifications claimed in your Express Entry profile including evidence that you’re not inadmissible to Canada. If you can’t provide a document that’s requested, always provide a letter of explanation outlining why it can’t be obtained.
It’s advisable to say the attempts you’ve made to get the missing documents and supply possible alternatives.
Documents submitted must be in English or French. If they’re not, it will be necessary to have the documents translated by a licensed translator.
Using the services of a Canadian immigration attorney can help inform the visa office in a clear and concise manner why your documents aren’t exactly provided as requested.
Here’s the list of documents you need to gather:
- Identical and Civil Status Documents
- Passports
A copy of the biographical data page of the passport or travel document for the principal applicant and every one of their accompanying relations.
- Birth certificates
For everyone included in your application, you will be required to provide a certificate of birth. There are some countries that don’t issue birth certificates, in cases such as this, you’ll provide a document that confirms the entire detail of your date of birth and a minimum of one of your parent’s names.
Including a letter of explanation together with your application is advisable if you’re not providing an official certificate.
Adoption certificates are also required within the event you’ve got adopted children.
- Marital status
Single (never married): in most cases, no documents are required to prove you’re single
Married: marriage certificate
Common-law/conjugal: evidence of a real relationship
Divorced: divorce certificate for every divorce you had
Widowed: marriage and death certificate
You may be asked to provide a mixture of those documents in some cases. For instance, if you’re divorced then remarried, you’ll be required to provide both your divorce certificate and your new marriage certificate.
- Language Test Results
Depending on which language test you took, IRCC may have already got access to your test results. However, IRCC does sometimes request a replica of your language test results.
It’s going to be better to incorporate your results together with your application, otherwise, your application might be delayed if IRCC ends up requesting a replica of your results. If your spouse took an approved language test, this too has to be included.
- Work Experience Documents
You need to provide evidence of the work experience mentioned on your Express Entry profile. In order to get this done, you’ll have to provide the following:
- Reference letters
- Electronic copies of your employment contracts and a sample of payslips (if possible)
If you’ve claimed Canadian work experience, you may want to also provide:
- T4 tax information slips
- Notice of Assessment and Option C printouts from CRA
- a replica of your work permit/employment authorization
Your letters should include the following:
- Your job title
- Your salary
- the typical hours/week you worked
- an in-depth list of your employment duties
- The dates of your employment
You’ll need one from each of your employers within the last 10 years. This is often primarily how IRCC will decide if the National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes you’ve claimed accurately represent your experience.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issues documents for tax purposes to everyone who works in Canada. If you claimed Canadian work experience, you would like to point out proof that you simply did so legally, which you paid your taxes.
- Educational Documents
- Copies of certificates, diplomas, or degrees for every completed program of post-secondary study you’ve claimed points for
- Copies of transcripts for every completed secondary and post-secondary program
- an original Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report
If you’ve got claimed Canadian educational credentials, you may want to provide proof of successful completion of the program
- Proof of Funds
You will be asked to provide proof that you simply have sufficient funds to support your relocation to Canada. These are mentioned as settlement fees and vary counting on your family size. If you’ve got an arranged employment offer that was mentioned in your application, this requirement will be waived.
| Number of Family Members | Funds Required |
| 1 | $12,960 |
| 2 | $16,135 |
| 3 | $19,836 |
| 4 | $24,083 |
| 5 | $27,315 |
| 6 | $30,806 |
| 7 | $34,299 |
| For each additional family member | $3,492 |
| Updated | 2020 |
- Confirmation Letter For Medical Examination
Electronic copies of checkup confirmation.
- Police Clearance Certificates
You and every one of your relations will need to provide police clearance certificates from every country you or they resided in for a minimum period of six months or more since the age of 18.
Police clearance certificates are only valid for 12 months. It is therefore important that you simply wait until you receive an ITA before you apply for one, otherwise, it could expire by the time your application is processed.
However, they are likely to also take an extended time to receive. Since you only have 90 days from receiving your ITA to submitting an application, this will be tricky to manage. If you’ve applied for police clearance certificates but did not receive them on time, you will be asked to supply proof that you simply applied for them in your application. This may buy you some time for the police clearance certificates to be processed and received by you.
- Photos
Two (2) digital photos of you, your spouse or partner, and every dependent child.
- Government Processing Fees
- Principal Applicant: $1325
- Spouse: $1325
- Dependent children: $225/child
- Provincial Nomination
If you’ve claimed points for a provincial nomination you’ll be asked to provide a photocopy of the nomination.
- Proof of Relatives
If you’ve claimed that you have a relative in Canada, it is required of you to provide the following:
- Proof of Canadian citizenship/permanent resident status for your relative
- Proof your relative is residing in Canada like utility bills, Canadian tax documents, or banking records
- Proof of familial relationship between you and your relative in Canada
- Offer of Employment
You do not need an employment offer. However, if you claimed a legitimate job offer from a Canadian employer in your profile, you’ll need proof that the offer is legitimate by providing:
- A letter from the employer offering the work in Canada
- The associated LMIA number, if applicable
The letter from your Canadian employer offering you the work should be printed on the corporate letterhead and should include your name, the company’s contact information, and the name, title, and signature of the applicant’s immediate supervisor.
The letter must also contain the expected start date, job title, duties and responsibilities, number of labor hours per week, and annual salary plus benefits. Finally, the letter should contain a commitment that the applicant is going to be employed on an endless, paid, full-time basis for a minimum of one year after the issuance of permanent residence.
How Long Will it Take Before I Receive an ITA?
IRCC regularly issue draws for Express Entry applicants. If you’re highly ranked, you’ll expect to receive an ITA within a matter of days to a couple of weeks. If you’re not selected immediately, your profile will remain active within the Express Entry pool for 12 months.
If several months have passed and you still have not received an ITA, it might be time to look into other ways you can legitimately boost your CRS score. You may want to consider retaking language tests or looking into provincial nomination programs.
How Much Does It Cost to Submit an eAPR?
The costs of the application depend solely upon the applicant’s family size, the number of countries they have lived in time past, and if documents to be provided need to be translated.
- Principal Applicant: $1325
- Spouse: $1325
- Dependent children: $225/child
- Biometrics: $85/person
- Medical Checkup: Average cost of $450/adult & $250/child
- Police clearance certificates: Average cost of $100/country
