Express Entry

Apply for permanent residence

1. Fill out the application form

If we invite you to apply for permanent residence, you'll get a message in your account telling you:

1. which program you've been invited to apply for

2. what to do next

Your invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only. Start filling out the application form right away, so that you can get all the information and documents you need before your invitation expires.

To fill out the application form:

1. Sign in to your account.

2. Go to “Continue my profile / application, not yet submitted”.

3. On the right-hand side of the row with “application type” as “permanent residency,” choose the blue “Continue application” button.

Help filling out the application form

The form will ask if you’ve applied to IRCC before. This means a full application – for example, for a visa, a work permit, another immigration program. Filling out an Express Entry profile doesn’t count.

It will also ask if you’ve applied for Express Entry before. Similarly, you should only answer “yes” if you filled out a permanent residence application and submitted it electronically. A profile on its own, even if you got an invitation to apply, doesn’t count as applying.

If you're not invited to apply

If you’re not invited to apply within 12 months of submitting your Express Entry profile, it will automatically expire. You can see this date in your account.

When your profile expires, it will be removed from the system. You will get a message in your account.

You can still create a new profile. If your profile is about to expire, you can print out screen shots of your profile to make it easier to re-enter your data.

Don’t create a new profile until your existing profile expires. If you do, you’ll need to withdraw your existing profile first.

To withdraw your profile:

Sign in to your account.
Go to “View the applications you submitted” on the main page.
Click the “Withdraw profile” link.
Click the “Continue” button below the “Warning!” text.If you don’t submit a new profile, you can’t mention Express Entry in your profiles on any job boards.
If you submit a new profile, you’ll get a new:
- Express Entry profile number
- Job Seeker validation code for Job Bank
  Other ways to immigrate
  You may consider applying directly to a province or territory through the Provincial Nominee Program or find out about other options to immigrate to Canada.

If you decline your invitation to apply

If you decline an invitation, you'll be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You'll be considered in future rounds of invitations, if you’re still eligible.

The cut-off score varies from round to round. If your score isn’t high enough, you might not be invited to apply again. In some cases, you may have to take steps to be invited to apply again. For example, you may need to:

improve your score
update your Express Entry profile
There is no guarantee that you'll be invited to apply again. However, if you choose to re-enter the pool, declining an invitation won't affect whether or not you’re invited to apply later.
If you don't decline an invitation and you don't apply within 60 days, the invitation will expire and your profile will be removed from the pool. To be considered in future rounds of invitations you'll have to:
fill out and submit a new Express Entry profile
meet the eligibility
be accepted into the pool again

If your personal situation changes

If your situation (or that of your spouse or common-law partner) changes, you should re-calculate your score before applying online for permanent residence.

If your recalculated score is less than the lowest score in your round of invitations, you should decline the invitation. If you decide to apply anyway, we may:

refuse your application
not refund your application fee
Some examples of changes that could lower your score:
you no longer have a valid job offer
you no longer have a provincial nomination
your language test scores:
- have expired
- are lower after you were retested

If your work permit expires before you apply

If your work permit expires before you apply, your score may drop. For example, this could happen if you got points for a job offer based on the expired work permit.

If your score drops below the minimum cut-off:

You should decline the invitation.
If you submit your application anyway, we’ll refuse it.
After you decline:
You’ll be put back in the pool.
Update your Express Entry profile to show the change in your work status.

2. Upload your documents

Get the right documents

You’ll need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile. The system gives you a personalized document checklist once you’ve completed the online form.

Most applicants will also need to upload:

police certificates
proof of funds
birth certificate, if you’re declaring dependent children
Use of a Representative form [IMM 5476], if you’ve hired a representative
common-law union form [IMM 5409], if you’ve declared your marital status as “common-law”
marriage certificate, if you’ve declared your marital status as “married”
divorce certificate and legal separation agreement, if you’ve declared your marital status as “divorced”
death certificate, if you’ve declared your marital status as “widowed”
adoption certificate, when a dependent child is listed as “adopted”

Translation of documents

If one of your documents is in a language other than English or French, you must also upload:

an English or French translation that’s:
- stamped by a certified translator
- The translator should photocopy your original document and stamp it if that’s what they based the translation on.
- All stamps and seals that aren’t in English or French must also be translated.
- You can include a scanned copy of a letter explaining that you don’t need an affidavit because you used a certified translator.
  or
  2. accompanied by an affidavit from the person who completed the translation
- Use this option only if a translation cannot be completed by a certified translator.
- Both the translated document and the original document the translator worked from must be referred to in the affidavit.
  and
  3. a scan of the original document, or a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document that the translator worked from
- You only need to provide a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document if the translation was based on the certified photocopy.

How to sign PDF forms

Hand signature (also called a wet signature): Print and sign the form by hand.
Digital signature: Insert on PDF forms. You can type your name, use DocuSign or use secure signatures.

Scan and upload

Gather all the documents on your checklist and make electronic copies using a scanner or camera. Make sure you use one of the formats we accept.

Once you have your documents ready, upload them in your document checklist.

Get a medical exam, if you need one

An immigration medical exam (IME) from a panel physician is a requirement for permanent residence. Your family members must also have a medical exam, even if they aren’t coming with you.

If you've never had a medical exam

Upload a blank document in the upload field of the Express Entry Profile Builder when submitting your application.
Wait for us to send you further instructions on when to get your medical exam.
We won’t approve your permanent residence application if your health:
- is a danger to Canada’s public health or safety
- would cause too much demand on health or social services in Canada

If you've had a medical exam before

If you have already completed an IME as part of a previous application (for example, to work or study) and are currently living in Canada, you may not need to complete another one when you apply for permanent residence.

When the panel physician completed your exam, they would have given you:

an information printout sheet, and
an IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report form
Please provide a copy of these documents, or your IME number (or unique medical identifier number) from your previous medical exam when you apply online.
If we cannot use your old results, we’ll send you instructions on how to get your medical exam done after you submit your application.

3. Pay the fees

Our permanent residence fees increased on April, 2024

If you paid your fees before April 30, 2024, but have not yet submitted your complete application, you will need to pay the difference.

The system will show you a list of fees you need to pay, including:

processing fee for you and your family members
right of permanent residence fee
biometrics fee

Find out how much you can expect to pay

Pay your fees through your IRCC secure account. You’ll need a debit or credit card to do this.

At a minimum, you must pay your processing fees when you submit your application. Avoid delays by paying all of your fees now (including your right of permanent residence fee).

Refunds

If your application isn’t complete, we’ll tell you and refund your:

processing fee
right of permanent residence fee (if you’ve paid it)
We won’t refund the processing fee once we start processing your application.

Paying fees after you apply

You must pay your fees in your account when you submit your application.

You can pay these fees after you apply if you:

didn’t pay your Right of permanent residence fee when you applied, or
want to add a spouse or dependent child to your application (marriage or birth of a child)