Express Entry Document Checklist: Everything You Need for Your PR Application

After an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have exactly 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application. IRCC rarely grants extensions for documents you forgot to order, and missing documents can mean your application is returned — wasting your ITA and requiring a new profile if you want to re-enter the pool.

This checklist covers every document category. Use it to assess what you have, what you need to order immediately, and what typically takes the longest to obtain.

Start Ordering These Before Your ITA

Certain documents are issued by foreign governments and take weeks to arrive. Do not wait for your ITA to start them.

Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs) You need a PCC for every country where you lived for six consecutive months or longer since age 18. Processing requirements and timing vary significantly by country:

• India (Passport Seva Kendra): start early and follow the current PSK process
• Nigeria: requires authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after POSSAP issuance
• Philippines (NBI Clearance): the certificate must include a clear thumbprint and dry seal; remarks may require additional explanation and supporting documents
• China: varies by region
• Other countries: check IRCC's country-specific police certificate guide

Start PCCs early, but check IRCC's country-specific instructions and the issuing authority's rules for when each certificate must be issued.

Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) WES takes 20-35 business days to process an assessment after they receive your documents. Other designated bodies (IQAS, CES, ICAS) can take 12-20 weeks. If your degree is not yet assessed, begin immediately. Your ECA report number is valid for five years.

Language Test Results

You need official results from a designated testing body. Accepted tests for Express Entry:

• IELTS General Training
• CELPIP General
• PTE Core
• TEF Canada (for French)
• TCF Canada (for French)

Results are valid for exactly two years from the test date. If your test expires before your PR application is processed, you may need to retest. Check IRCC's current instructions for how language-result validity is assessed in your application.

Identity and Civil Status Documents

• Passport: All valid passports plus any expired passports you held in the last 10 years. Your IRCC portal will ask for travel history — expired passports verify this.
• Birth certificate: Official version with certified translation if not in English or French.
• Marriage certificate or proof of common-law partnership: If applicable. Common-law must be documented (joint bank accounts, lease agreements, statutory declarations, utility bills, correspondence addressed to both at the same address).
• Divorce decrees or death certificates: If applicable for previous marriages.
• Dependent children's documents: Birth certificates, custody agreements if applicable, adoption papers if applicable.

Work Experience Documentation

This is a high-risk category and a major source of refusal.

Employer reference letters (for every claimed position) Each letter must be on official company letterhead and include:

• Company name, address, and contact information
• Your exact job title
• Precise start and end dates (day, month, year)
• Average hours worked per week (state the actual number, not "full time")
• Annual salary and benefits, with currency
• A description of your main duties (written to reflect your actual work, not copied from the NOC description)
• Signature, name, and title of a supervisor or HR official, plus a direct phone number and email address

If an employer refuses to provide a letter on letterhead, alternative documentation includes T4 slips, pay stubs, employment contracts, or letters from the employer's accountant — but these are secondary evidence and a reference letter is strongly preferred.

NOC code documentation Know your NOC 2021 TEER code before you write the description. Your duties must substantially match the "lead statement" and a significant proportion (operationally assessed at 70-80%) of the "main duties" listed in the NOC profile on the ESDC Job Bank. The code is based on duties, not job title.

Payroll records and pay stubs: Optional but useful supporting evidence, especially for remote work or smaller employers.

Education Documents

• Diplomas and degrees: Official or notarized copies
• Academic transcripts: Official sealed transcripts for each institution
• ECA report: Upload a copy of the report from WES or your designated body and enter its report number in your IRCC portal profile, as requested by your personalized checklist

If your institution sends transcripts electronically (common for Chinese universities via CSSD/CHSI, and many Indian universities), verify the digital pathway to WES before initiating.

Proof of Settlement Funds

2026 requirements:

Count everyone in your family unit — spouse, all dependent children, including Canadian-citizen children — even those not accompanying you to Canada.

Acceptable documentation:

• Current official letters from each financial institution listing all accounts, outstanding debts, account opening dates, current balances, and average balance over the past six months
• Investment account statements if applicable

Not accepted: Property deeds, real estate equity, jewelry, or other illiquid assets.

Nigerian applicants: Unexplained large deposits shortly before application submission are heavily scrutinized. Document the source of any significant deposits with written explanations, affidavits, or gift deeds.

Medical Examination

An Immigration Medical Examination (IME) must be conducted by an IRCC-designated panel physician — you cannot use your family doctor. Find the nearest panel physician on the IRCC website.

Upfront medical exam: You can complete the medical exam before receiving your ITA. Use the expiry date shown by IRCC or the panel physician when planning; do not assume a universal validity period. This avoids scheduling pressure during the 60-day post-ITA window — particularly useful in cities where panel physician appointments are booked weeks out.

Bring to your appointment:

• Valid identity document (passport)
• Any existing medical records or vaccination history
• Glasses or contact lenses prescription if applicable

The panel physician transmits the results electronically. Upload any information sheet or proof of medical examination that your personalized checklist requests.

Application Fee Payment

Federal fees effective April 30, 2026:

• Principal applicant: $990 CAD processing fee + $600 CAD Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) = $1,590 CAD total
• Accompanying spouse: $1,590 CAD
• Each dependent child: $270 CAD
• Biometrics: $85 CAD per adult, capped at $170 per family

Pay through your IRCC secure account. Keep payment confirmation receipts.

Biometrics

Most applicants outside of Canada need to provide biometrics (fingerprints and photo) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Biometrics collected for a previous Canadian visa application may still be valid — check your IRCC account.

Documents Requiring Translation

All documents not in English or French must be translated under IRCC's translation standards. The translation package must include:

• The translator's certification, name, and contact information, or the required affidavit if the translator is not certified
• A copy of the original document alongside the translation

Do not use machine translation or translate the documents yourself. If a certified translator is unavailable, follow IRCC's affidavit requirements.

Timing Strategy for the 60-Day Sprint

Days 1-5 after ITA: Trigger PCCs and any outstanding foreign government documents immediately. Days 6-15: Book panel physician appointment. Send documents for translation under IRCC's standards. Days 16-40: Negotiate and finalize all employer reference letters (the process takes time with uncooperative HR departments). Days 41-50: Secure official bank letters for proof of funds. Days 51-60: Final review, digital formatting of all documents to IRCC specifications, and submission.

The Canada Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker) Guide includes a day-by-day 60-day sprint plan with specific checklists for each phase, plus annotated reference letter templates that show exactly what IRCC officers expect to see.

Missing one document in this list can put a $1,675+ government-fee investment at risk and add six to twelve months to your timeline. Prepare thoroughly before submitting.

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