Express Entry profile mistakes that cause refusals

How a profile error turns into a refusal

IRCC's instructions to officers are direct. You must hold the qualifications behind your CRS score when the invitation is issued and when your application is received, and keep them in between. If a claim is not supported by documents, the officer removes the points for it. If the new score is below the lowest score in your round, the application should be refused under section 11.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Not every discrepancy leads to refusal; the officer looks at each case.

Most of the problems below can be avoided before the profile is submitted.

The occupation code does not match the duties

For each job, you choose the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code that most closely matches what you did. IRCC switched to NOC 2021 on November 16, 2022, and if IRCC's own table and the NOC website disagree, the website is correct.

The job title does not decide the code. Your experience counts only if you performed the actions in the lead statement of the NOC description and most of the main duties listed. Officer instructions put it as a substantial number of the main duties, including all the essential ones. A "manager" title with duties that match a technician's description is the technician's code.

The work must also be in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, and for the Federal Skilled Worker Program it must be in the same NOC as your primary occupation. Our NOC finder helps you narrow down the code; confirm it against the duties on the official NOC site.

Hours counted the wrong way

One year of full-time work means 30 hours a week for 12 months, or 1,560 hours. IRCC does not count hours above 30 a week, so overtime or a second job cannot shorten the year. Part-time work counts if the total reaches the same number of hours, for example 15 hours a week for 24 months. Several part-time jobs can be combined.

Federal Skilled Worker Program: 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours in one occupation, within the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad.
Canadian Experience Class: 1,560 hours of Canadian work in the 3 years before you apply, done while you were authorized to work under temporary resident status. Work while you were a full-time student and co-op work terms do not count. Self-employment generally does not count either.
Federal Skilled Trades Program: 2 years of full-time work (3,120 hours) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply.

In all three programs the work must be paid. Volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count, and work done in Canada without authorization is not counted.

Language results that expire

Only approved tests are accepted: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted for Express Entry.

Results must be less than 2 years old when you complete the profile and again when you submit the permanent residence application. If you apply with expired results, the application is refused. An invitation is valid for 60 days, so check the expiry date before an invitation arrives, not after.

The educational credential assessment

If your education is from outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) to qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and to receive points for that education. It must be an ECA for immigration purposes from an organization IRCC has designated. The ECA must be less than 5 years old when you complete the profile and when you submit the application. An expired ECA leads to refusal.

Family members left out

Declare every family member, including a spouse or child who will not come with you. The profile itself does not ask about dependent children; IRCC asks for them if you are invited, and they must all be listed in the application. They count toward the proof of funds amount, and they must have a medical exam even if they are not coming.

Leaving someone out has a long-term cost. Under paragraph 117(9)(d) of the regulations, a family member who was not accompanying you and was not examined when you immigrated cannot later be sponsored by you as a member of the family class.

If your family changes after you apply, through marriage or a birth for example, tell IRCC right away. Adding a spouse can raise or lower your score.

Work evidence that does not support the claim

IRCC asks for proof of work experience, such as a reference or experience letter from each employer. The letter is what the officer compares with your profile, so the duties, dates and hours in it should match what you declared. A letter that lists duties from a different NOC code, or shows fewer hours than you claimed, weakens the claim it is meant to prove.

Self-employment needs more than your own statement. Officer instructions list incorporation documents, records of self-employment income, and third-party documents showing the services provided and the payments received. Self-declared duties and affidavits are not accepted as proof of self-employed work.

Not updating the profile

You must update your profile if your situation changes: a new job or career, a job offer gained or lost, a new language test, marriage, divorce, or a new child. Updating does not change the date and time IRCC received your profile.

Once you are invited, the profile is locked. If something has changed, recalculate your score. If it has fallen below the lowest score in your round, or you no longer meet the minimum requirements, IRCC encourages you to decline the invitation rather than apply.

Misrepresentation and the five-year bar

Under paragraph 40(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a person is inadmissible for misrepresenting or withholding material facts relating to a relevant matter that induces or could induce an error in the administration of the Act. The error does not have to have happened; it is enough that it could have.

Under paragraph 40(2)(a), the inadmissibility lasts five years. For a decision made outside Canada, the five years run from the final determination of inadmissibility. For a decision made in Canada, they run from the date the removal order is enforced. IRCC's officer instructions say a discrepancy that is not explained by a real change in circumstances may be assessed as misrepresentation, and an application can be refused on both grounds.

General information only. This article summarizes IRCC's published rules and the law as of October 20, 2026. It is not legal advice for your case. Every file turns on its own documents, so check the official pages below before you create or update a profile.

Express Entry profile mistakes that cause refusals.