When Declining an Express Entry ITA Is the Right Decision
Receiving an Invitation to Apply under Express Entry is a major milestone. For many candidates, it feels like the final step before permanent residence. Still, there are situations where accepting an ITA is not only risky, but can lead to refusal or far more serious consequences. Declining an ITA is not a failure. In some cases, it is the correct and responsible decision.
Below are common situations where declining an ITA may be necessary.
Your CRS score was higher than it should have been
Even minor errors in an Express Entry profile can inflate a CRS score. These mistakes are common and often unintentional, but they still matter. Typical examples include counting part time work as full time, overstating weekly hours, confusing foreign work with Canadian experience, entering language scores incorrectly, or claiming an academic credential at a higher level than supported by documents.
If your ITA was issued because of an inflated score, the first step is to recalculate your CRS accurately. If your corrected score does not meet the cut off for the draw under which you were invited, you must decline the ITA. Proceeding with an application in this situation exposes you to a finding of misrepresentation. That can result in refusal and a five year ban from Canadian immigration.
You were invited before completing the required work experience
In some cases, candidates receive an ITA before they fully meet the work experience requirement they claimed. This often happens because the IRCC system counts experience by month and year, not by exact dates. As a result, the portal may show twelve months of experience even when the actual number of days worked falls short.
For example, consider a candidate who started working in Canada on January 31 and receives an ITA on December 1 under the Canadian Experience Class. The system may interpret this as January to December, but in reality the candidate has not yet completed one full year of qualifying work. If the sixty day submission deadline passes before the work experience requirement is met, declining the ITA is the safer option. Remaining in the pool for a future draw avoids the risk of refusal.
Your language test results no longer meet the requirements
Language test results must be valid both when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. Results older than two years are not accepted. If your test results are close to expiry, you have limited options. You may submit your application before the results expire, retake the test, or decline the ITA and remain in the pool.
If you choose to retake the test, the new results must still meet the requirements set out in the ministerial instructions for that specific draw. If they do not, declining is the correct step.
Your family situation has changed
Changes in family composition can directly affect your CRS score. If a spouse or common law partner is no longer accompanying, or becomes accompanying after profile submission, your score may increase or decrease depending on how points were allocated.
The same applies to sibling points. The CRS awards points for having a sibling who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada. If that sibling moves out of Canada or you are unable to provide sufficient proof, those points no longer apply. If your ITA was issued based on points that are no longer valid, you must recalculate your score. If it falls below the cut off, declining the ITA is necessary.
Your provincial nomination is withdrawn
An Express Entry linked provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points. Losing that nomination dramatically changes eligibility. Provinces may withdraw nominations for several reasons, including loss of employment, failure to demonstrate intent to reside in the province, or failure to disclose changes in personal circumstances. In some provinces, even an undisclosed marriage or birth of a child during processing can trigger withdrawal.
If your ITA was issued through a general draw and the nomination is withdrawn afterward, you no longer meet the minimum CRS score and must decline. If your ITA was issued through a PNP specific draw, a valid nomination is a mandatory eligibility requirement. Without it, the ITA cannot be used.
A note on age and birthdays
Turning a year older after receiving an ITA does not automatically require you to decline. IRCC has a public policy that protects applicants who lose CRS points due to a birthday occurring after the ITA is issued but before the application is submitted. Age related point loss alone does not lead to refusal.
What happens after you decline an ITA
Declining an ITA simply returns you to the Express Entry pool. There is no penalty, and you remain eligible for future rounds as long as you continue to meet program requirements. If you neither decline nor submit an application within sixty days, the ITA expires and your profile is removed from the pool. In that case, you must create a new Express Entry profile to be considered again.
