Why You Might Need to Decline your Express Entry ITA

But, like most things in immigration, good news often comes with a catch. There’s an uncomfortable reality: some applicants should decline their ITA. 

In this article, we’ll break down common scenarios where declining an ITA may actually be the right move, what those situations mean, and our general recommendations on how to proceed. 

As always, this is not immigration advice. This is general guidance and does not take into account the many individual factors that apply in real-life cases. If you’re considering declining an ITA, we strongly recommend speaking with a licensed immigration practitioner before taking any action.

How Express Entry Eligibility Is Assessed 

When you apply through Express Entry, your eligibility is assessed at two distinct stages: 

1. When the ITA is issued 

1. When IRCC receives your eAPR (electronic Application for Permanent Residence) 

A lot of refusals come from misunderstanding this distinction. 

Eligibility at the Time of ITA 

At the time your ITA is issued, you must meet the Minimum Entry Criteria (MEC) for the immigration program you were invited under, for example: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). 

If you were invited through a category-based draw, you must also meet the category requirements at the time of invitation. 

Eligibility at the Time of eAPR 

At the eAPR stage, IRCC reassesses your eligibility. You must show that: 

• You still meet the MEC for the program you were invited under, and 

• Your CRS score meets or exceeds the cutoff for the round in which you received your ITA 

For category-based draws, the officer will also verify that you met the category criteria both on eAPR submission, as well as the ITA issue date. 

When To Do a Sanity Check 

Once you receive an ITA, pause and do a proper sanity check. 

Ask yourself, at the time of invitation: 

• Do I actually qualify for the program I was invited under? 

• If this was a category-based draw, do I have the required work experience within the required timeframe? 

• Is there anything that will happen between now and the time I submit my eAPR that will impact my CRS score? 

At the time of submission, once you have all your information and documentation gathered, you should do another check. Ask yourself: 

• Do I still qualify for the program? 

• Do I still meet the category requirements (if applicable)? 

• Has my CRS score dropped below the lowest-ranked candidate invited in that round? 

If any of these answers are unclear, declining the ITA may be the safer option. 

Common Reasons You Might Need to Decline an ITA 

CRS Points Lost Due to Age 

If you have a birthday between ITA and eAPR submission, your CRS score may drop. 

This is one of the few situations where IRCC generally does not penalize applicants for a CRS drop below the cutoff. 

Recommendation 

If age is the only reason your CRS score dropped, you can usually proceed with the application and clearly explain this in your submission. 

You Didn’t Have One Full Year of Work Experience at ITA 

This is far more common than people realize. 

Both FSWP and CEC require at least one year of skilled work experience, full-time or full-time equivalent. 

If you have limited work experience, because of how Express Entry profiles work, you can be invited slightly early, for example: 

• You took extended vacation time; 

• You started a job at the end of one month and were invited at the beginning of the next. 

In these cases, there’s a real risk that you did not meet the MEC at the time of invitation. 

Recommendations: 

• Vacation: Reasonable vacation is generally allowed. If reasonable vacation is your only, you’re likely fine. What counts as reasonable vacation? You can review our video covering this here. If you took extended vacation time during, then this could be enough to cause issues with your eligibility.  

• Start/end date issues: If you cannot clearly document at least one full year (or full time equivalent) of qualifying experience, supported by reference letters and possibly pay stubs, it’s usually not worth the risk. Decline the ITA and wait until you clearly meet the MEC. 

Category-Based Invitation Using Unauthorized Work Experience 

For CEC, work experience must be authorized, which means you must hold legal authorization to work. This requirement is clear in legislation. 

For FSWP, authorization isn’t strictly required, but unauthorized work can affect how an officer assesses the genuineness of the experience. 

Here is where it gets confusing. Even though qualifying work experience for FSWP eligibility does not require the work to be authorized, IRCC’s operating manuals state that unauthorized work cannot be counted when assessing work experience for category-based invitations.  

Recommendation: 

If the qualifying work for a category draw is unauthorized, this needs a deeper review. Speak with an immigration professional who can go through your work history in detail before you proceed. 

Changes to Information Between ITA and eAPR 

For both your Express Entry profile and eAPR, you are required to answer all questions truthfully and accurately. IRCC keeps records of both your Express Entry profile and your eAPR. Some information transfers automatically, some can be updated, but everything is compared. This means any changes you make between your Express Entry profile and your eAPR will be investigated. 

A change does not automatically mean refusal (unless it drops you below the CRS cutoff), but it will raise flags. 

Recommendation: 

Any change should be carefully reviewed for impact and possible misrepresentation findings. Speak with an immigration representative before submitting to understand the full consequences.  

Adding a Spouse After ITA 

Adding an accompanying spouse can reduce your CRS score. Because you must meet the CRS cutoff at the time of the eAPR, you should work out your updated CRS score if you intend to add an accompanying spouse. 

Recommendations: 

• If your CRS score remains at or above the cutoff, you can proceed, even if your profile was submitted after the tie-breaking date. 

• If your CRS score drops below the cutoff, you should seriously consider declining the ITA. 

Important Note: Although non-accompanying spouses do not affect CRS scores, IRCC will assess whether the non-accompanying declaration is genuine or made for the purpose of improving a CRS score. This is an important consideration. We go into more detail on the potential consequences in the video below.

You No Longer Qualify for the Program at eAPR 

You must qualify for the immigration program under which you are selected both at the time of ITA issuance and at eAPR submission. 

Because Express Entry programs rely on work experience within a moving eligibility window, experience that once counted can eventually fall outside the qualifying period. 

If this happens between ITA and eAPR, refusal is a real risk. 

Recommendation: 

Decline the ITA and focus on gaining additional qualifying experience. 

Canadian Education from a Non-PGWP-Eligible Program 

Graduating from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI) can earn CRS points under the core human capital and skill transferability factors. In some cases, it may also trigger additional CRS points for Canadian education. 

However, IRCC’s operating manuals indicate that the additional 15 CRS points for Canadian education cannot be claimed if the program of study is not PGWP-eligible, even if it was completed at a DLI. 

With the introduction of field of study–based requirements, we expect this to catch more and more international students off guard. 

Important note: The Express Entry operating manuals states that the Canadian institution added must have been a DLI at the time of program completion to be awarded CRS points under any factors.   

Recommendation: 

This guidance comes from IRCC policy manuals and program delivery instructions, not directly from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. As a result, refusals in this area may be challengeable, but this is a higher-risk issue and should be approached  with professional advice.

Language Test or ECA Has Expired

Some of the most important eligibility documents in Express Entry have strict validity periods. Language test results are valid for two years, and Educational Credential Assessments (ECAs) are valid for five years. 

What often catches applicants off guard is when that validity is calculated from: 

1. For language tests, validity is counted from the date you took the test, not the date the results were issued.  
2. For ECAs, validity is counted from the date the assessment was issued, as shown on the report. 

Both documents must be valid at the time of ITA and at the time IRCC receives the eAPR. Check that your results won’t expire in the window between invitation and submission. 

Recommendation: 

• If time allows, retake the language test or request a new ECA and submit your application with updated, valid results. 

• If time does not allow, the safer option is usually to decline the ITA, update your Express Entry profile once you have valid documents again, and wait for a new invitation. 

Insufficient Proof of Funds (FSWP) 

If you were invited under FSWP and no longer meet the settlement funds requirement at eAPR, you no longer meet the MEC for the program (unless you are exempt from demonstrating funds). 

That alone is enough for refusal. 

Recommendation:  

Proof of funds is heavily scrutinized. Even outdated or incomplete bank statements can trigger further review or refusal. Decline the ITA and rebuild your funds. 

What Happens If You Decline an ITA? 

If you decline an ITA and your Express Entry profile is still valid and you remain eligible, your profile will be placed back into the Express Entry pool. You are not penalized simply for declining an invitation. 

When your profile returns to the pool, you will only receive another ITA if you: 

• Continue to meet the eligibility requirements for at least one Express Entry immigration program, and 

• Have a CRS score high enough to receive an invitation in a future draw (subject to the draw type).  

If you do nothing, meaning you neither accept nor decline, within the 60-day acceptance period, your Express Entry profile will be deleted. If you want to enter the pool again, you will need to submit a new profile. 

Declining an ITA can feel like a step backwards. But in some situations, it’s the safer and more strategic choice, particularly where there’s a real risk of refusal. When in doubt, speaking with a reputable immigration professional is always the best next step.