Occasionally the candidate Express Entry profile, and therefore your Comprehensive rating system (CRS), changes after receiving a Invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian Permanent Residency (PR).
If this happens, they need to make sure they remain eligible for PR until their Electronic Application for Permanent Residency (eAPR) has been filed.
Express Entry is the name of the system used by the federal government of Canada to cumulatively manage immigration applications from three programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skills Trade Program (FSTP). According to Canada Immigration levels plan for 2023-2025Canada aims to welcome at least 82,000 new immigrants through the Express Entry system in each of the next three years.
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To successfully immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, candidates must enter the pool and upload their profile to the Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) website. At this point, they must wait until they receive an ITA. It is not possible to apply for PR without an ITA. All ITA recipients will have 60 days to submit their eAPR.
Still, a common question among Express Entry candidates is: “what happens if my Express Entry profile changes after I receive my ITA?”
What follows will answer the question above and provide further guidance to ensure a smooth immigration application process through Express Entry.
Types of profile changes and consequences of an inaccurate profile
After an Express Entry draw, during which ITAs are issued to various candidates for Canadian PR, it is still possible for an ITA recipient’s profile to change.
Note: Such changes could have noticeable impacts on one’s CRS score because CRS scores are only “locked” once the candidate submits their eAPR (more on that later).
For example, a candidate may receive an ITA and then go through a career/education change, get married, have a birthday, or have their language test results expired, all before submitting their eAPR.
If your profile changes, for whatever reason, it’s important to maintain an accurate profile with up-to-date information. This is because “false information [or the omission of] important details” is grounds for IRCC to reject immigration applications, determine applicants inadmissible to Canada, and/or completely bar applicants from applying to come to Canada for up to five years.
Update an Express Entry profile after receiving an ITA
To avoid the consequences of inaccurate/false profile information, candidates applying to any of the three programs administered by Express Entry can use the following guide to update their Express Entry profile after receiving an ITA.
Essentially, before receiving an ITA, candidates can make changes to their Express Entry profile without explanation. However, this is no longer possible once an ITA is issued because this is the time when candidate profiles are officially registered with the ITA. Global Case Management System (GCMS).
Therefore, at this time, applicants must:
- Upload additional supporting documents to verify the change in circumstances (marriage, career change, etc.) and ensure the continued accuracy of the profile or
- Send a letter of explanation (LOE) to the government when it is not possible to gather the required supporting documents
An LOE allows applicants to explain that even though they tried to gather all the required documents within the 60-day time frame (before their ITA expired), they were unable to do so.
Note: LOEs are evaluated individually on a case-by-case basis and are approved or denied at the individual discretion of the reviewing immigration officer
The impact of profile changes on a candidate’s CRS score
Another impact of post-ITA profile changes is that they can alter a candidate’s CRS score, which can affect an individual’s chances of receiving an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
A candidate’s CRS score can go up or down in a number of ways based on different elements of their profile. For example, those who get a valid job offer or increase their language/education/work experience test scores relevant to their profile will earn more points and subsequently improve their chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Profile changes and eligibility for Canadian permanent residence
Certain profile changes, even those that occur after receiving an ITA, may make previously eligible candidates now ineligible for permanent residence. Again, this is important because a candidate’s Express Entry profile is not locked until they submit an eAPR to IRCC.
As an example, language test results are valid for two years. If that two-year period ends before filing an eAPR, the applicant will not be eligible for permanent residence in this country. The same would be true if a candidate no longer meets the income requirements outlined by IRCC regarding their funds test, which “are modified each year based on the 50% low-income cutoff totals.”
Management of profile changes and potential delays in processing time
Naturally, profile changes at any stage will require IRCC to take the time to reassess a candidate’s eligibility and suitability for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry. Therefore, post-ITA profile changes may increase the overall processing time of a candidate’s PR request.
Consequently, it is crucial that Express Entry candidates make every effort to submit required documents and profile updates in a timely manner, as this will help minimize any application processing delays that may occur.
Mitigate the negative impact of profile changes
The key to handling profile changes after receiving an ITA is to ensure that information is updated promptly and that any communication with immigration authorities is done proactively where possible. In other words, if there is ever a situation where an immigration candidate may foresee a change in their profile that requires communication with Canadian immigration officials, they should make every effort to inform the appropriate authorities of the impending change as soon as possible. soon as possible.
The particular steps that an Express Entry candidate can take to update their profile of any changes that occur after receiving an ITA are detailed above.
Beyond this, it may be worth seeking the professional advice or assistance of a certified Canadian immigration attorney.
An experienced immigration attorney can:
- Assist immigration candidates in completely and accurately completing required forms and applications
- Communicate with the Canadian government on behalf of the applicant.
- Use your experience to ensure crucial mistakes are avoided during the immigration process.
reference: www.cicnews.com