Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has cut the permanent resident application window to 60 days after receiving an Express Entry Invitation to Apply. Candidates previously had 90 days to submit their application. The window was increased from 60 to 90 days as part of changes to the Express Entry system in November 2016. However, a June 26, 2018, announcement on the federal government’s website has reverted the window to 60 days.
If you were invited to apply before June 26, 2018, you still have 90 days to submit your application. If you were invited to apply after June 26, you will have only 60 days to submit your application. Now as the federal government receives a large number of applicants, the time to submit an application is being set at 60 days again in order to expedite processing.
On one hand, there is no doubt this puts pressure on invitees, as the time to prepare documents is reduced by one month. However, according to IRCC 60 days are enough for most people. Most applicants are able to submit their applications in 60 days, and that the wait time for invitees to get permanent residence is shortened. Candidates may face problems if they don’t get a police clearance report or any other documents to submit with the application.
Express Entry is an online selection system for Canadian immigration, designed to select skilled workers for immigration to Canada. Foreign nationals can immigrate through one of the Federal programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class, or through the Provincial Nominee Programs.
The Express Entry system selects candidates based on Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for their age, education, work experience, and knowledge of the Canadain official languages.
