How do you apply through Express Entry?
IRCC describes it as four stages: create a profile and enter the pool, get invited in a round, fill out the application, and wait for a decision. Its own pages then set out 6 timing rules that constrain when each part can happen.
The rules are the part that catches people, because IRCC states them on the page for each document rather than in the process summary. The sharpest one is the invitation window: 60 days, and it starts the moment the invitation is issued.
“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.”
Source: IRCC — Immigrate through Express Entry · last checked 2026-08-31
When this answer doesn’t apply
- · It covers the federal Express Entry route. Provincial Nominee Programs run their own process alongside it.
- · It does not cover what happens after a decision, including appeals.
These are limits of the answer, not a judgment about any reader’s situation. Working out which apply is yours to do.
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