What is an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?
An Invitation to Apply (ITA) is a letter issued to the lucky candidates in the Express Entry pool who have a CRS score above the cut-off threshold score as determined in each draw. The letter is sent by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and received in the correspondance section of the Express Entry profile. Only after receiving the ITA that a candidate is allowed to apply for permanent residence.
When IRCC conducts a draw from the pool, candidates who meet the cut-off threshold are invited to apply for permanent residence. The receipt of an invitation to apply means the candidate is now in a position to settle in Canada with permanent resident status within a matter of months.
However, receiving an ITA does not mean receiving permanent residence automatically, there are crucial steps to ensure you submit the perfect application.
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What are the Types of Express Entry Draws?
There are three types of invitations to apply that are issued by IRCC to Express Entry candidates in the pool :
1. General rounds of invitations
In this type of draw, IRCC will invite top-ranking candidates in the pool who are eligible for any of the three Express Entry programs :
2. Program-specific rounds of invitations
In this type of draw, IRCC will invite top-ranking candidates in the pool who are eligible for a specific Express Entry program.
An example would be a draw that only invites candidates eligible to one of the three Express Entry programs (FSW, FST or CEC) or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
3. Category-based rounds of invitations
In this type of draw, introduced in 2023, IRCC will invite top-ranking candidates in the pool who are eligible for a specific category.
The categories are based on yearly specific economic goals. Each year, IRCC will announce the selected categories that category-based draws can be based on.
The current categories and their eligibility criteria are the following:
1. French-language proficiency
To be eligible, you must have results from an approved French language test that show a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of minimum CLB7 in all 4 language abilities. More information on language tests here.
2. Healthcare occupations
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
| 31101 | Specialists in surgery |
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians |
| 31103 | Veterinarians |
| 31110 | Dentists |
| 31111 | Optometrists |
| 31112 | Audiologists and speech language pathologists |
| 31120 | Pharmacists |
| 31121 | Dieticians and nutritionists |
| 31200 | Psychologists |
| 31201 | Chiropractors |
| 31202 | Physiotherapists |
| 31203 | Occupational therapists |
| 31209 | Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
| 31300 | Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
| 31301 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
| 31302 | Nurse practitioners |
| 31303 | Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals |
| 32101 | Licensed practical nurses |
| 32102 | Paramedical occupations |
| 32103 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
| 32104 | Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians |
| 32109 | Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
| 32111 | Dental hygienists and dental therapists |
| 32120 | Medical laboratory technologists |
| 32121 | Medical radiation technologists |
| 32122 | Medical sonographers |
| 32123 | Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists |
| 32124 | Pharmacy technicians |
| 32129 | Other medical technologists and technicians |
| 32201 | Massage therapists |
| 33101 | Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations |
| 33102 | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
| 33103 | Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants |
| 41300 | Social workers |
| 41301 | Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies |
| 42201 | Social and community service workers |
3. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 20011 | Architecture and science managers |
| 21220 | Cybersecurity specialists |
| 21300 | Civil Engineers |
| 21301 | Mechanical Engineers |
| 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers |
| 21321 | Industrial and manufacturing engineers |
| 21331 | Geological Engineers |
| 22300 | Civil engineering technologists and technicians |
| 22301 | Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians |
| 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians |
| 63100 | Insurance agents and brokers |
4. Trade occupations
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 22303 | Construction estimators |
| 63200 | Cooks |
| 70010 | Construction managers |
| 70011 | Home building and renovation managers |
| 72100 | Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors |
| 72102 | Sheet metal workers |
| 72106 | Welders and related machine operators |
| 72200 | Electricians (except industrial and power system) |
| 72201 | Industrial electricians |
| 72300 | Plumbers |
| 72302 | Gas fitters |
| 72310 | Carpenters |
| 72311 | Cabinetmakers |
| 72320 | Bricklayers |
| 72400 | Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics |
| 72401 | Heavy-duty equipment mechanics |
| 72402 | Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics |
| 72422 | Electrical mechanics |
| 72501 | Water well drillers |
| 72999 | Other technical trades and related occupations |
| 73100 | Concrete finishers |
| 73110 | Roofers and shinglers |
| 73112 | Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) |
| 73113 | Floor covering installers |
| 82021 | Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services |
5. Agriculture and agri-food occupations
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 63201 | Butchers- retail and wholesale |
6. Education occupations
To be eligible, you must have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below.
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 41220 | Secondary school teachers |
| 41221 | Elementary school and kindergarten teachers |
| 42202 | Early childhood educators and assistants |
| 42203 | Instructors of persons with disabilities |
| 43100 | Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants |
7. Physicians with Canadian work experience
To be eligible, you must have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of work experience in Canada in a single occupation listed in the table below.
| NOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 31100 | Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
| 31101 | Specialists in surgery |
| 31102 | General practitioners and family physicians |
Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
IRCC issues Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates who are ranked highest in the pool by a process commonly called a “Draw” or “Round of Invitations”. So it is important to score high in your CRS to be issued an ITA. You can find here what are the latest cut-off threshold CRS score.
If your Express Entry profile is active and your CRS score is equal or more than the cut-off score for a particular draw then you will be issued an ITA (for some draws, not all candidates at the cut-off score received an ITA, only those who have been the longest on the pool with that score receive an ITA, depending on the total number of ITA issued).
You will receive a letter through your account. Your ITA will specify the program that you should be submitting your application for, your CRS score with a breakdown and the date by which you should submit the electronic application for permanent residence. It also provides guidance on the next steps that you can take post receiving the ITA.
An ITA is only valid for 60 days and extending the deadline is not possible. It is therefore in the best interest of candidates to prepare the supporting documents beforehand, including gathering, and reviewing and scanning them. For example, some documents, such as police certificates, may need more than 60 days to be delivered by the proper authorities.
Example of ITA letter
What happens if I decline the ITA or let the ITA expire?
There are three scenarios that every Express Entry applicant must note of :
- If you accept the ITA: you should submit your complete Application for Permanent Residence within 60 calendar days of ITA issue date. It is always advisable to not wait till the last day as you may get negatively impacted due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g technical issues).
- If you decline the ITA: If you decline the ITA, your profile will be moved back to the Express Entry pool and will remain Active to receive future invites.
- If you do not respond: If you do not respond by “Accepting” or “Declining” the ITA then your ITA will expire and your Express Entry profile will no longer be active. You will need to create a new profile if you wish to be included in future draws.
Post Invitation to Apply
When accepting your ITA, you will be invited to fill other forms. Most of them are quite similar to the ones you already submitted for your Express Entry profile, however you will be asked to provide more details.
You will be asked, for example, to provide your address history AND your travel history for the past 10 years (or from your 18th birthday). This could be quite difficult for those travelling a lot. There is a maximum of 30 entries for your address or you travel history, and if you think you’ve travelled or changed addresses more than 30 times in the last 10 years (or from your 18th birthday), you should write Letter of Explanation (LoE) with a table retracing all that information, that you can upload with your supporting documents.
After completing your forms, a personalized document checklist page will be created and will let you upload all the necessary documents IRCC is asking for.
Express Entry Step-by-Step Guide
1. Finding your NOC (National Occupational Classification)
To be eligible, you need to first check that you work experience, as defined by the NOC system, is eligible for Express Entry.
2. Getting your Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) if you credential is not Canadian
You need to get your foreign educational credential assessed by one of IRCC’s approved third parties.
3. Taking your English and/or French language tests
For all the three Express Entry programs, you need to take English and/or French test(s) and score a number of points to be eligible.
4. Checking your eligibility to Express Entry
Check if you eligible to Express Entry under one of the three economic immigration programs.
Go to Step 4.
5. Calculate your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score
You need next to understand how to calculate your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This score is the one you will be ranked with in the Express Entry pool.
6. Getting into the Express Entry Pool
After taking your language exam(s), and getting your ECA (if your credential is not Canadian), you need to verify your eligibility through the Come to Canada Tool and then create your Express Entry profile to get into the pool of applicants.
7. Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) - YOU ARE HERE
If you have enough CRS points, you will get an Invitation to Apply. You will have 60 days to fill additional forms and submit your supporting documents.
8. Your document checklist: Tips and Advice
After receiving you Invitation to Apply (ITA), you will need to upload the requested supporting documents. Get ahead and make sure you will not have a problem gathering them.
9. From Acknowledgement of Receipt (AoR) to Passeport Request (PPR)
After submitting your documents, learn about the process of approval of your application and the different updates that will let you have an idea on where you application is at.
10. Preparing your landing in Canada
Check out our resources regarding Life in Canada, to learn all about the country, its biggest cities, its healthcare and education systems, what things to do first when arriving in Canada, etc.
