What documents do you need for Express Entry?
IRCC names 16 documents publicly — but the list that actually governs your application is not one of them. IRCC generates a personalised checklist inside your own account after you complete the online form, and it differs from applicant to applicant.
That means no public list, including ours, is the checklist. What the public pages do give you is every document IRCC names, each with IRCC's own wording for when it applies — enough to start gathering before you have an invitation.
“The system gives you a personalized document checklist once you've completed the online form.”
Source: IRCC — Express Entry: apply for permanent residence · last checked 2026-08-31
When this answer doesn’t apply
- · It does not cover Provincial Nominee Program applications, which add their own document requirements.
- · It is not the personalised checklist. Only the one inside an IRCC account is.
- · Documents required for family members can differ from the principal applicant's.
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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