Common mistakes during express entry application

Express entry is one of the easiest ways for skilled immigrants to attain permanent residency in Canada. In 2017, around 109K applications were received and ultimately 93K applications were approved for permanent residency. Think of the express entry application like your history subject examination in high school. You cannot change history and it is what it is. That is what you gotta remember for each aspect of your application. You can avoid a lot of heartache if you avoid few of the common mistakes.

Not attempting the correct version of the language test 

IELTS is one of the popular tests for permanent residency.  IELTS has two versions of the test - General and Academic.  For Express entry, the general version should be attempted and NOT academic. Academic version is acceptable only for higher studies and not acceptable for immigration.

Dates are everything!

Your application requires you to put dates around education, language tests, work experience, proof of funds, medical tests, address history, travel history etc. Your application is looked at holistically and making a mistake with dates changes your story.  Pay close attention to dates.

Name on documents and affidavits

You are uploading documents for everything. Name on the document is important because IRCC wants to ensure that those documents belong to you. If the name is not the same as that on your passport then work on an affidavit that states the different names and says that it is the same person.

Not getting someone to proofread 

This is very important because if you think of it, ultimately you are telling IRCC your story. You know it very well but it should make sense to the officer reviewing your application. Proofreading can be done by anyone who has an attention to detail and someone who you trust. This is because it would contain all your personal and confidential information. So, you don't want them misusing your information. Have them verify dates on everything (education,  work, personal information,  address history,  personal & travel history etc.). Let them review your letter of explanation, if you are explaining anything. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes in your application.

Not adding supporting documents 

The guidelines for express entry are very clear. However, you might not be able to get the ideal letter eg - from your employer or financial institution. That is something IRCC is aware of but expects you to substantiate the gaps with supporting documents. For example, if your employer doesn't specify your salary in the proof of work letter then you can attach your tax form to prove that you were paid.

Security is very important!

Your address history and country of residence determine the countries from which you need police clearance certificates. Similarly, your travel history (trips not between country of residence & birth should be reported) is important. The IRCC runs security checks for those durations and that's why skipping those trips is a mistake. For every country the processes are clearly mentioned. Reach out to the embassies of the countries if anything is not clear. As an permanent resident, you need to have a clean record. That's why this is the 2nd thing IRCC verifies after medical.

Medical exam is very important 

Canada's health care system is free and in order to prevent misuse of their resources, they want you to have a medical test from a certified physician. So, unless there is a very good reason,  please undergo the medical exam.  It is the very 1st thing that is checked.  If you can't get the exam due to any reason, please consult an attorney.

Not checking your passport expiry dates

Now, in our case, our passports had validity for multiple years. So, it was a non-issue. But after many people contacted us with their problemsvia this blog, we realized that not checking your family's passport(s) validity can cause hassle. We highly recommend that you have a year's validity when you apply for Express entry. If it is about to expire, please consider renewing it before applying for express entry.  More details in another post!

Photographs requested during the process

When you submit your post ITA express entry application, one of the requirements is to submit a digital photo for each of the applicants. Follow the dimension requirements that are mentioned else they may contact you. Similarly after you get the golden email, you have to send photographs for getting your CoPR. Again check the dimensions and specifications for photograph. We went to a photographer who does Canadian passport photos and had got it. Note that specifications of American passport photos is not the same as that of Canada. CIC will revert back to you and ask you to resend photos if you don't send the correct photos. Now if you are a citizen of one of the countries that need a visa to enter Canada then your passport would be held longer. It might cause you anxiety. It might be better especially post PR to work with a professional photographer who does Canadian passport photos for CoPR.


Hope that helps you with your application!!

Next steps -
1. Submit your final application for permanent residency. 
2. Plan your move to Canada

3. Want further details on passport?