So the latest CIC draw is out and you have received that very important ITA (Invitation to Apply)……. Woooooohoooooo!!! This is so exciting.

Now let’s get on with the real grind of the application submission process.

After you receive ITA, once you log in to your Express Entry profile, you will have two options/buttons:

– Continue Application

– Decline Invitation

Note: You will have 60 days to submit your PR application electronically with all supporting documents. 60 days start from the day you get ITA, if you feel that you will not be able to arrange all the documents in 60 days, you can decline the ITA any time before the expiry of 60 days and you will be back in the pool. In case you decline your ITA, then you will be eligible to be invited again provided you meet the CRS cut-off requirement.

ITAs received before 26th June will have 90days to complete their application

Once you click Continue Application, you will be taken to information forms similar to your Express Entry forms that you completed earlier. These forms may have information carried forward from your Express Entry profile and additionally, you will need to complete your Address History, Personal History and Travel History for each member listed in the application. Please check and ensure all details are correct.

DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

Post completion of each section/forms, the system would generate a personal document checklist based on the information submitted by you in the previous pages/forms. A sample document checklist for a family of two (FSW) without any Canadian relatives would look like something below.

Supporting Documents for Primary Applicant

Details Document Name Instructions Options

Not Provided Passports/Travel Documents (Multiple) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Marriage License/Certificate (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Proof of medical exam (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Education (diplomas/degrees) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Employment Records 1 (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Employment Records 2 (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Employment Records 3 (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Police Certificates (Multiple) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Proof of Means of Financial Support (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Digital photo (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Client Information (optional) instructions Upload file

Supporting Documents for Spouse

Details Document Name Instructions Options

Not Provided Passports/Travel Documents (Multiple) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Proof of medical exam (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Education (diplomas/degrees) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Police Certificates (Multiple) (required) instructions Upload file

Not Provided Digital photo (required) instructions Upload file

Details of documents required as per IRCC checklist post ITA.

These can be viewed online once you are uploading documents under the placeholders by clicking on the “?” link.

Document: Marriage License/Certificate

The marriage must be valid under the law of the country where it took place and under Canadian law. A marriage performed in an embassy or consulate must comply with the law of the host country where it took place, not the country of nationality of the embassy or consulate.

It is important to provide marriage certificate of registration of marriage document issued by a relevant government authority. Marriage documents issued by religious (like church, mosque, temple or similar) or social groups/society will NOT be accepted.

Telephone/skype/internet marriages are not accepted by CIC.

Document: Passports/Travel Documents (Multiple)

You must submit a legible copy of your valid travel document which you will use to travel. If you have a passport, you must provide a copy of the page that shows your birth date and country of origin, and any pages with stamps, visas or markings.

You are required to upload scanned pages of ONLY your current VALID passport.

Document: Proof of medical exam

You require a medical exam. To submit your online application, you will need to upload the information printout sheet Medical Report form. Your doctor will give you one of these forms when you complete your medical exam.

If you cannot get a medical exam before the deadline to submit your work permit application, you may submit proof that you have a scheduled an appointment.

It is possible to do an upfront medical even if you have not received your ITA.

The validity of medical is 12 months from the last date that you have appeared for tests at the panel medical center.

CIC has a list of empanelled clinics/hospitals where you need to get medical tests done. Check this link. The following basic tests and checks are carried out (If you have had any or have any existing medical conditions, you need to let the doctor know and carry any medical records that you may have)

Blood Urine Chest X-Ray EyeSight Blood Pressure Height/Weight Physical examination by a physician

You will not be given the results of the tests; the clinic will upload it directly to CIC. You will be given an Acknowledgement Form which you need to upload as proof of medical exam. Please ensure all the information on the Acknowledgment Form is correct as per passport and that the category on your medicals is mentioned as Non-EDE/Worker. If you find any discrepancy, get it corrected then and there itself and get an updated Acknowledgement Form.

Document: Education (diplomas/degrees)

You must provide proof that you completed your post-secondary education. Examples of proof of education include a diploma and/or degree. Examples of post-secondary education are:

Trade/apprenticeship

• Training in a specific trade, such as carpentry or auto mechanics;

• Training in a profession that requires formal education but not at the university level (for example, dental technician or engineering technician); or

• Training not at the university level for which a certificate/diploma is awarded.

Educational degree

• This is an academic degree awarded by a college or university to those who completed an undergraduate/postgraduate curriculum (also called a baccalaureate). Example: a Bachelor of Arts, Science or Education and or Master of Science, or Commerce etc.

In the placeholder for Education Documents – You must upload your Language Skills Test Report (IELTS or TEF), ECA (Educational Credential Assessments), Degrees/Transcripts (if available) /Marksheets for all credentials that have been mentioned in your EE profile under education history.

Document: Police Certificates (Multiple)

You must provide a police certificate for every country, region or territory, other than Canada, in which you have spent 6 months or more in a row, for the period of last 10years. A police certificate is a copy of your criminal record or a declaration of the absence of any criminal record. Example: If you visited, worked or lived in a country for six months or more at a stretch, In this case, you would need a certificate of clearance. This applies to all countries where you have spent 6 months in a row.

For the applicant’s current country of residence, the police certificate must have been issued no more than 6 months before the submission of the e-APR.

For countries in which the applicant no longer resides, the police certificate must have been issued after the last time the applicant stayed in that country for 6 months or more in a row .

. Police certificates meeting the above requirements can be accepted even if they have an expiry date that has passed.

This includes the requirement to provide a police certificate for countries in which the individual has travelled for 6 months or more in a row, whether or not the individual had an established residential address during this time.

Police certificates are required upfront and are mandatory for each country (except Canada) where an individual has spent 6 months or more in a row within the last 10 years. The individual does not need to provide one for any period of time before the age of 18.

and are mandatory for each country (except Canada) where an individual has spent within the last 10 years. The individual does not need to provide one for any period of time before the age of 18. Police certificates need to be a scan of the original police certificate(s) in colour. Certified true copies and unauthorized copies are unacceptable and will result in the application being rejected as incomplete

In case you do not receive the PCC in time to submit your application before the deadline, it is beneficial to upload evidence that you have applied for PCC to ensure that your application is not rejected as incomplete (examples of proof might include payment receipts, tracking numbers, etc.)

For some countries, like Pakistan, the requirement of PCC is specific to your domestic stay. This means that you need to obtain PCC from each province/City in Pakistan where you have resided for 6months in a row, since the age of 18years .

Document: Proof of Means of Financial Support (also referred to as Settlement Funds)

If you are applying for permanent residence in Canada as FSW or FSTW, you must provide an official letter issued by your financial institution indicating your financial profile. This must:

• list of all your bank (chequing and savings) and investment accounts, the account numbers, dates each account was opened and the balance of each account over the past six months,

• list all outstanding debts, such as credit cards and loans,

• be printed on the letterhead of the financial institution, and include your name and the contact information of the financial institution (address, telephone number, and e-mail address).

In an event that you are unable to obtain the letter which mentions all the details as required by CIC, you can enclose:

6months recent official bank statements

A letter from the bank mentioning your account details

A liability letter

If there has been a recent large deposit in your account that contributes to your #POF, then you need to offer a valid source of these funds. It is imperative that you DO NOT borrow money to show as your settlement funds and your funds are free of any liens.

A monetary gift which contributes to your settlement funds is acceptable and must be accompanied by a notarized gift deed. Since the requirement of gift deed is not mentioned on IRCC website, it is at the discretion of the visa officer to accept this as a reasonable proof of funds.

Please see my detailed post on what can be used and what is not acceptable as #POF – Proof of Funds here.

You don’t need to show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family to meet the program requirements of the Canadian Experience Class (this includes provincial nominees who are part of the CEC stream). So applicants who are being processed under CEC can just upload a plain paper stating that they are applying under CEC and hence do not need to show any proof of funds. Do mention this in LOE as well.

Note that you do not need proof of funds if you are currently:

authorized to work in Canada and

have a valid job offer

Keep your funds up-to-date in your profile as per the prevailing LICO figures updated by IRCC from time to time. You can find these applicable figures here

Document: Digital photo

Frame size

• The final frame size of the photo must be at least 35mm x 45mm.

• The photographs must show a full front view of the head and tops of shoulders, with the face in the middle of the photograph.

• The size of the head, from chin to crown, must be between 31mm and 36mm.

• Digital dimensions are often expressed in pixels or DPI (dots per inch). The physical dimensions in pixels must be at least 420 x 540.

Quality/resolution

If an existing photo is being scanned, the minimum resolution must be 600 pixels per inch.

File format

• The file may be submitted in JPEG or JPEG2000 format.

• The final size of the image should ideally be 240 kB (kilobytes), but not less than 60 kB.

• The image must be in colour (24 bits per pixel) in RGB colour space, which is the common output for most digital cameras.

Document: Employment Records

You must provide proof of work experience for your current job and for each past position you listed. Proof must include a reference letter from your employer and pay stubs, if you have them.

The reference letter must:

• be an official document printed on company letterhead

• include your name, the company’s contact information (address, telephone number, and e-mail address), the signature of your immediate

• show all positions held while employed at the company

• include these details: job title, duties/responsibilities, job status (if current job), the dates you worked for the company, the number of work hours per week and your annual salary plus benefits.

You must scan all documents for this period of employment and save them as one file. (You must create a separate file for each period of employment.)

For previous employers, the letter obtained after you have left the employment is good enough, unless and until you want to get a fresh letter or want to get the letter updated. For the current employer, it is better to get a fresh letter if the previous one which you got is older than 6 months. There is no specific for dates of these letters mentioned on CIC website and hence it is better to keep your documents as current as possible.

Please see my related post, in case you are unable to obtain a reference letter from your employer here.

Document: Client Information (earlier Letter of Explanation – LOE)

If you would like to provide more information about your application that you have not already provided, you can attach a letter of explanation to your application.

There is no specific format for this letter. This is a free format document which is used to explain all parts of your application which may otherwise not be obvious or apparent. This is also used to explain any gaps or areas of application which need a detailed explanation. It best to use to format this document under different heading addressing different parts of the application and using a chronological sequence of events.

Document: Legal Name Change Doc

You indicated you have another name. You must provide information on the use of this other name (such as a letter of explanation, legal documents of a name change, etc.).

You may obtain a “One and Same Person” affidavit from any public notary to address this issue. If at all you have ever changed your name, then you can also attach any other evidence for having registered the change of name.

For women who have changed names post marriage, a marriage certificate/document which shows the pre-post marriage name will suffice.

Minor name changes/name differences/spelling errors may NOT need an affidavit and can be explained in LOE.

PROOF OF RELATIVE

You do not need to have a relative in Canada to be eligible for permanent residence. Although, if you claimed CRS/MEC points for a relative/sibling in Canada in your profile, you will need to back it up with proof.

First, you need to prove that your relative has Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status. If they are in Canada on a temporary visa, like a work permit or study permit, you can’t claim points for them. Second, you need to prove that they live in Canada. Things like rental agreements, utility bills, or bank statements can help with that. Finally, you need to prove you’re actually related to them. You can be related through blood, marriage, or adoption – but only certain kinds of relatives earn points. You need to prove that you share the relationship you claimed in your profile.

Document: Birth Registration/Certificate

Provide a birth certificate or birth registration. This is the official document that includes a person’s name, and place and date of birth.

Under Express Entry, birth certificates are required only for dependent children. However, if you are a PNP applicant which required you to submit your birth certificate as part of the nomination process, then it is recommended that you add your birth certificate to the documents post ITA. If there is no placeholder for your birth certificate, then you may add it with the passport or with LOE.

Provincial Nominees(PNP)

If you are a provincial nominee would suggest you submit a copy of nomination certificate and Schedule 4 (IMM0008_4E) upfront along with LOE. Though these are not asked for when submitting eAPR, later you will be requested to submit Schedule 4.

Statutory Questions

In case you answer ‘Yes’ to any Statutory Questions, then offer a detailed reason for the same in LOE and submit Schedule A (IMM5669E) along with LOE. Though Schedule A is not asked for when submitting eAPR, it will be requested as an ADR.

Document Size & File Format

The file formats you can upload are .tiff, .jpg, .png, .doc, .docx and .pdf. You can’t upload any other file format. The file size should not exceed 4MB. The digital photo which should be in JPEG format and not less than 60KB.

For each placeholder, it should be one PDF. If you have multiple pages, merge them into one PDF for each placeholder. If the file size exceeds 4MB, scan the documents with scanner settings at 100 dpi or less but ensure that the files are legible. You can also use online tools like Small PDF to compress, merge and split PDFs etc (https://smallpdf.com/).

You may also use other online tools or download Adobe, Nitro PDF, PDFSam to merge and compress your PDF files.

In case you feel you need a 2nd person perspective or a 2nd pair of eyes to review your documents to check if everything is in order, then you can always count on us to be those eyes. Feel free to contact us, to see how we can help and assess your documents.

You can use our paid services to review your documents before your final submission, here.

Help/Instructions

If you have any doubt about the documents that needs to be uploaded, check the help, blue button (Instructions) next to the Upload File button

Link to IRCC Generic Document Checklist is here

FEE PAYMENT

Once you have uploaded the documents, you will now have the option to make payment and submit your eAPR.

Post ITA after clicking Continue, you will be asked whether you want to pay RPRF upfront, in case you have mentioned Yes and later want to modify it, you can do so by going to Modify Family Information which you can find in the menu bar.

Permanent Resident Application Fee: CAD$550 per adult applicant. It is CAD$150 for dependent children

Right of Permanent Resident Fee (RPRF): CAD 490 only for each adult applicant. RPRF fee is not applicable for dependent children.

You can make payment using a credit card and debit cards provided international transactions are allowed on your card. Contact your bank to check the same. MasterCard, Visa, and Amex cards are accepted. Ensure that your bank has not put any transaction limit, contact your bank before using your card for payment. In case you do not have sufficient balance or credit limit, you can use your family member’s or friend’s card as CIC has no restriction on the same.

You will get Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR) after you make the payment. This can sometimes take 24hours to appear in your CIC account.

Congratulation, you have done all that you could to submit a successful application. Now the waiting game for the golden mail starts.

Wish you all the best and “May the odds be ever in your favour”

#foreverhopeful