Why Some Express Entry Candidates Should Decline ITAs

When You Should Decline an ITA: What Express Entry Candidates Need to Know

• Some candidates may need to decline their Invitation to Apply (ITA) due to changes in eligibility or incomplete documentation.
• There’s no penalty for declining an ITA—you’ll stay in the Express Entry pool for future draws.
• Common reasons to decline include mistakes in your profile, expired documents, or changes in family or job status.
• If your Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination is withdrawn, you’ll likely need to decline the ITA.
• Failing to decline when your information is no longer accurate could result in refusal or even a five-year immigration ban.
• It’s crucial to reassess your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score if anything changes after receiving your ITA.

Understanding Your ITA and What Comes Next

Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system is an exciting milestone on the path to becoming a permanent resident of Canada. But what happens if your circumstances change—or you realize your profile wasn’t quite accurate after all? Believe it or not, there are situations where choosing to decline your ITA might actually be the smartest move.

Let’s walk through when and why it might be necessary to say “no thanks” to an ITA—temporarily, of course—and what happens after you do.

When Is It Best to Decline an ITA?

Once you receive an ITA, you have 60 days to submit your complete application for permanent residence (PR). During that window, if you realize you can’t gather the necessary documents, your eligibility has changed, or your CRS score has dropped below the cut-off, it’s usually best to decline the invitation.

Some common reasons people choose to decline include:

• Missing or incomplete documentation
• Family emergencies that prevent timely submission
• Insufficient proof of funds to meet program requirements
• Changes in personal circumstances that affect your CRS score

The good news? Declining doesn’t hurt your future chances. Your profile will simply go back into the Express Entry pool, where you can continue to be considered for future rounds—as long as you remain eligible.

Real-Life Scenarios: When Declining Is the Right Move

1. Your CRS Score Was Inflated Due to an Error

It happens more often than you’d think—candidates unintentionally inflate their CRS scores by misreporting work experience, education levels, or language test results. For instance:

• Counting part-time hours as full-time work
• Incorrectly listing a bachelor’s degree as a master’s
• Mixing up foreign work experience with Canadian experience
• Typos in language scores

If these errors pushed your CRS score above the cut-off for your ITA, you may not actually qualify. Submitting an application based on incorrect information could result in refusal—or worse, a five-year ban from applying due to misrepresentation. In this case, declining your ITA and correcting your profile is the right move.

2. You Haven’t Met Your Work Experience Threshold Yet

To qualify under programs like the Canadian Experience Class, you need at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada. But sometimes, due to how IRCC calculates dates, you may receive an ITA slightly before hitting the 12-month mark.

Let’s say you started your job on January 31, but received an ITA on December 1. While the system may consider you to have worked from January to December, in reality, you’ve only worked 10 months. If your one-year mark lands after your submission deadline, it’s best to wait for the next draw rather than risk submitting an ineligible application.

3. Your Language Test Results Are Expiring

IRCC requires that your language test results be valid at both the time you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your PR application. If your results are about to expire during your 60-day submission window, you have three options:

• Submit your application before the expiry date
• Retake the test and ensure your new scores still qualify
• Decline the ITA and wait for a future draw

Submitting an application with expired language results is a common reason for refusal, so make sure your documents are valid throughout the process.

4. Changes in Family Composition

Family changes—such as getting married, separating, having a child, or even discovering that your sibling no longer lives in Canada—can all impact your CRS score.

For example, if your profile included points for having a sibling who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and that sibling moves abroad or you can’t provide the necessary documents, you may lose those 15 points. If that drop puts you below the cut-off score, it’s best to decline and update your profile accordingly.

5. Your Provincial Nomination Was Withdrawn

If you’re applying through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and your province withdraws the nomination—perhaps due to a job change, missing documentation, or questions about your intent to live in the province—you’ll lose the 600 bonus CRS points it gave you. That’s a huge hit to your score and likely puts you below the draw’s cut-off.

In this situation, declining your ITA is not just advisable—it’s necessary. Be sure to check your eligibility for specific provincial programs like the Manitoba PNP to avoid surprises.

Bonus Tip: Don’t Worry About Age-Based Point Drops

Age can affect your CRS score, especially once you pass 30. But if you happen to celebrate a birthday after receiving your ITA, don’t worry—IRCC has a public policy in place to protect applicants from losing eligibility solely due to aging during the 60-day application window.

What Happens After You Decline an ITA?

If you choose to decline, your profile remains active in the Express Entry pool, and you’ll be eligible for future draws as long as your information stays up to date. There’s no penalty for declining—it’s a proactive step to ensure your application is accurate and complete.

However, if you neither submit your application nor explicitly decline your ITA within 60 days, the invitation will expire—and your profile will be removed from the pool entirely. You would then need to submit a new profile to be considered again.

If your circumstances have changed and you still want to apply, be sure to include a Letter of Explanation with any updated documents. Transparency is key here; failing to disclose changes can lead to misrepresentation issues, which can seriously derail your immigration plans.

Final Thoughts: Take Time to Get It Right

Declining an Invitation to Apply might feel counterintuitive—after all, it’s a big step in your immigration journey. But sometimes, it’s the smartest and safest choice to protect your future in Canada.

Before making any big decisions, consider speaking with a professional. An experienced immigration consultant can help evaluate your situation and guide you on the best path forward.

Want to boost your chances of getting invited again? Check your CRS score, explore PNP options like the Manitoba PNP, or improve your language test results. A few tweaks can go a long way!

Contact us today for a personalized assessment—or explore our blog for more Express Entry tips.