Mistakes in your Express Entry profile Submission give you more points than you deserved.

2.       claiming foreign work experience as Canadian,

3.       entering language test scores incorrectly, or

4.       claiming a higher education level than you actually have, plus supported by ECA.

NOTE: These errors artificially boosted your CRS score. After correcting the mistake, your true CRS might fall below the cut-off for the draw.

·     If the corrected score is now below the draw’s cut-off, you must decline the ITA.

·     Proceeding with an inflated score could be seen as MISREPRESENTATION, risking a refusal and a 5-YEAR BAN from Canada.

You got an ITA but haven’t actually met the work experience threshold.

Ravi started working in Canada on March 15. He received an ITA on February 1 of the following year under the CEC, which requires at least one year of Canadian work experience.

The system counted “March to February” as 12 months.

Although the system issued an ITA, Ravi is legally ineligible at the moment of invitation because he has not yet met the CEC requirement of one full year (1,560 hours) of work.

In reality, Ravi only had about 10.5 months of experience. His 60-day deadline to apply is April 1, but he wouldn’t complete a full year of Canadian work until March 15.

Strategy: Ravi can wait until March 16 (once he has officially completed the full year) to submit his application. This ensures he is eligible when the officer reviews the file.

Your language exam results will no longer be valid by the time you submit.

If your language scores will expire before you can submit, you risk not meeting the requirements of the ITA’s round.

1)       Submit your PR application before the results expire (if possible),

2)       Retake the language test and get new results (note: the new scores must still meet the minimum requirements of the draw), or

3)       Decline the ITA and remain in the pool for another draw.

If you cannot submit in time or retake successfully, it’s safer to decline the invitation.

Your family situation changed, affecting your points.

Another common factor: if you claimed 15 points for a sibling in Canada, but now that sibling has moved away or you find you can’t prove the relationship, those points are lost.

Such changes after receiving an ITA mean your score might drop.

If you lose points (e.g. spouse factors change, or sibling points gone) and your new score falls below the draw’s cut-off, you should decline the ITA.

It’s better to wait for another draw than apply with a score that no longer qualifies.

Be prepared to provide documentation for any family points you claim in the future.

You lost a PNP nomination worth 600 points.

If that nomination is withdrawn or canceled by the province, those points vanish and your CRS score drops dramatically.

Why would this happen? 

–      Perhaps you failed to show intent to live in that province,

–      your supporting job offer changed or was lost, or

–      there was a misrepresentation or omission in your PNP application.

–      Even changes like not informing the province about a new baby or a marriage could cause a withdrawal in some cases.

In fact, if the ITA came from a PNP-specific draw, you absolutely must decline because a valid nomination is required for that invite.

After declining, you can fix the issues or obtain a new nomination and re-enter the pool.

Age is a key factor in CRS (with maximum points in your 20s and fewer points as you get older

Note: IRCC has a policy to exempt applicants from being penalized if a birthday occurs between the ITA and the application submission.