Express Entry Guide · Updated October 2026
How to Withdraw Express Entry Application or Profile: Refunds, Web Form and What Happens Next (Real Cases)
A profile, an invitation and a submitted application are three different things to walk away from. Each has its own button, its own refund rule and its own way back.
“Withdraw Express Entry application” is the kind of thing people type late at night, usually a day or two after they notice something wrong. A date that does not add up. A job they forgot to list on an old study permit form. A provincial nomination that will arrive next month and make the current file look like a waste.
The first problem is that the word covers three different actions. You can withdraw a profile that is sitting in the pool. You can walk away from an invitation. Or you can withdraw a permanent residence application that IRCC already has. The steps, the money and the consequences are different each time.
We read five IRCC pages on withdrawing and refunds, and six public forum threads from 2015 to 2022 where applicants described why they wanted out and what happened. One of them changed their mind halfway through, and that case is worth reading before you send anything.
Quick answer: how do you withdraw Express Entry application or profile?
A profile is withdrawn with the “Withdraw profile” button in your account. It is free, so nothing is refunded. A submitted application is withdrawn by written request through the IRCC web form, and IRCC decides whether to accept it. Withdraw before processing starts and IRCC says you get a full refund. After that, only some fees come back, mainly the right of permanent residence fee. If your real problem is an error in the file, withdrawing is not the only fix.
Key takeaways
Withdraw Express Entry application: which stage are you at?
Before anything else, work out what you actually have in front of you. People on forums use “my application” for all three stages, and the advice they get back is often for the wrong one.
Stage | How you leave | Money | Way back |
|---|---|---|---|
Profile in the pool | “Withdraw profile” button in your account | Nothing paid, nothing refunded | Create a new profile |
Invitation received, not submitted | Decline it, or let the 60 days run out | Nothing paid to IRCC yet | Declining returns you to the pool |
Application submitted | Written request through the web form | Depends on whether processing has started | New profile, new invitation |
Our summary of the IRCC pages listed under Sources, read on October 5, 2026. The “way back” column for a submitted application reflects what applicants reported, since the withdrawal page does not cover it.
Withdrawing a profile from the pool
This is the simple one. IRCC’s Help Centre answer “How do I withdraw my Express Entry profile?” gives three steps: on the main page of your account, go to “View the applications you submitted”, click the orange “Withdraw profile” button, then, below the warning text, click “Continue”.
A profile costs nothing to create, so there is nothing to refund. That came up in a September 2019 thread where someone asked what refund they would get after withdrawing or after the profile expired. The reply was short: the profile is free, so there is no refund. Money paid to a language test centre, a credential assessment body or a consultant is a separate matter and does not come back from IRCC. Our breakdown of Express Entry fees shows which costs belong to IRCC at all.
Real case: withdrew the profile just to fix a typo (January 2015)
Two weeks after entering the pool, an applicant spotted errors in their data. Believing a withdrawal was needed before editing, they pressed “Withdraw profile”, got a message that they were removed from the pool, and found no way to resubmit. Replies explained that the profile could have been edited through the update option without withdrawing. One member who had withdrawn because of a technical problem said they built a new profile from scratch in about two hours and re-entered the pool.
The lesson has not changed. IRCC’s profile page says you must keep your profile up to date while you are in the pool, and an eligible profile can be edited without leaving. Withdraw only if you really want out.
Real case: withdraw now or let the profile expire? (July 2022)
An applicant in Canada had a profile about to expire during a trip home with poor internet. They asked whether withdrawing early and creating a new one would cause problems. Members said a profile can be withdrawn and recreated at any time before an invitation, and that everything has to be entered again either way. One point annoyed the poster: according to the replies, the new profile’s date is the one used for tie-breaking, not the old one. No further update was posted.
That last point matters when cut-offs are tight. When several candidates have the same score, the time a profile was submitted can decide who is invited. IRCC does not explain on the pages we read how a withdrawn and recreated profile is treated, so take the forum answer as experience, not a rule. You can see how close recent rounds have been on our latest draw cut-offs page.
Walking away from an invitation
If you have an invitation but have not submitted, you have not paid IRCC anything and there is nothing to withdraw in the formal sense. IRCC’s Express Entry application page gives you 60 days, and you can decline. We cover what declining does to your place in the pool, and when it beats a rushed application, in declining an ITA. If the issue is that a document will not arrive in time, a missing police certificate can sometimes be covered with proof that you requested it.
How to withdraw a submitted permanent residence application
Once you have pressed submit and paid, there is no button. IRCC’s page “Withdraw (cancel) your application” (modified April 2, 2026) says you need to send a written request. Some application types have their own instructions on that page, such as family sponsorship, citizenship and permanent resident cards. Express Entry is not among them, so the general process applies: use the web form.
What IRCC asks you to put in the request
After that, the page says IRCC will review the request and decide whether you can withdraw, and will contact you if it needs more information or refuses the request. It adds that if you ask after IRCC has finished processing, meaning after a final decision, the request may be refused.
Real case: the withdrawal took a signed form and about two weeks (June to August 2020)
An applicant who had withdrawn a permanent residence application partway through tried to create a new profile and was blocked by a message that an application was already in process. A senior member described the route at the time: send a web form, receive a form from IRCC to sign, then wait while IRCC decides. In August 2020 another applicant reported that approval came about two weeks after they returned the signed form, as a notice in their account, and that they then created a new Express Entry profile. They added that timing may vary.
Two things in that case are easy to miss. The withdrawal was not instant, and a new profile was not possible until IRCC had confirmed it. If your plan is “withdraw today, re-enter the pool tomorrow”, build in time.
Refunds: what comes back at each point
The refund rules are written in three places that agree with each other: the withdrawal page, the “Ask for a refund” page (modified November 15, 2024) and the Help Centre answer “If I withdraw my application, will I get a refund?” (modified September 1, 2026).
When you withdraw | What IRCC says |
|---|---|
Before processing starts | You get a full refund |
After processing begins | Only some fees are refunded, such as the right of permanent residence fee |
After the application is approved | Fees are not refunded |
How long a refund takes | Eligible refunds can take between 2 and 8 weeks to appear in your account |
Our summary of IRCC’s withdrawal page (modified April 2, 2026) and refund page (modified November 15, 2024).
Neither page defines the moment processing starts, and neither mentions the biometrics fee, so we cannot tell you which side of the line a week-old application falls on. What we can say is that the processing fee is the part at risk, and the right of permanent residence fee is the part IRCC lists as refundable even late in the process.
One more official line closes a door people hope is open. The Help Centre answer about changing programs says you cannot apply fees you already paid to a new application. You submit a new application and pay again, and you get a refund on the first one only if you withdraw it before processing starts.
Why applicants withdraw, and whether they needed to
In the threads we read, there were five recurring reasons: an error discovered after submitting, a fear of being accused of misrepresentation, a better score or a provincial nomination on the way, a change in the family, and a realization that the eligibility claim was shaky. Only some of them needed a withdrawal.
Real case: asked to withdraw, then asked to cancel the withdrawal (November to December 2020)
An applicant had claimed three years of work experience and realized they were about two weeks short on the day the application was received. Worried about losing points and being refused, they sent a web form asking to withdraw and, three days later, received IRCC’s instructions for doing so. A forum reply argued the withdrawal was unnecessary. After speaking to legal representatives, the applicant sent a second web form about three weeks later asking IRCC to disregard the withdrawal request. IRCC answered that a note had been added to the file, and the applicant then received medical and biometrics requests, a sign that processing was continuing.
This is the most useful case of the six. A withdrawal request is not final the moment you send it, at least it was not here. But nobody should plan on undoing one. IRCC’s page is silent on cancelling a withdrawal request, and this applicant only got there because they had not yet completed the steps IRCC sent.
Real case: withdrew two days after submitting because of old omissions (May 2020)
A Canadian Experience Class applicant submitted on May 13 and asked to withdraw on May 15. They had listed foreign work experience that was never mentioned in earlier immigration applications and had used the wrong occupation code. Members questioned whether withdrawing was necessary and suggested writing to IRCC with a correction before processing began. Others pointed out that leaving experience off an earlier application was the real issue, and that the answer was to be forthright about it. The applicant planned to reapply a few months later. No final outcome was reported in the thread.
Withdrawing does not erase what was in an earlier form. Every application you have ever sent stays on record, and a new one will be read against it. If the mistake is an occupation code, our guide to a wrong NOC code explains what can be corrected and how. If it is a gap or an unlisted job, start with your personal history.
A correction is often cheaper than a withdrawal
If the application is otherwise sound and the problem is one wrong entry, telling IRCC through the web form with a clear explanation keeps your invitation, your fees and your place in line. Withdrawing gives all three up. If you are unsure which situation you are in, that is the question to take to a licensed consultant or lawyer.
Withdraw or wait for a decision?
Some applicants think about simply leaving a weak application alone and seeing what happens. The official pages give you three facts to weigh. First, the money: withdrawing before processing starts returns everything, while a refusal after processing returns only the fees IRCC lists as refundable. Second, the record: IRCC’s withdrawal page says nothing about a withdrawal counting against a later application, and we found no official page that says it does. Third, the risk: if the weakness is false or missing information, IRCC’s pages on fraud describe a refusal and a five-year bar. A withdrawn application cannot be refused, though the information in it still exists.
If the weakness is that you no longer meet the requirements, for example a job loss that removes your eligibility, waiting does not fix it. If it is an honest error, correcting it usually does. An application rejected as incomplete is a different thing again: there IRCC ends the file and refunds the fees without you asking.
Five mistakes people make when they withdraw
Five mistakes from the threads and the rules
Before you send the web form
If you do go back into the pool, your score will be calculated on the day you create the new profile. Age, language test dates and work experience may all have moved since the first one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I withdraw Express Entry application after submitting it?
Send IRCC a written request through the web form. IRCC’s withdrawal page asks for a clear statement that you want to withdraw, the date you submitted, your payment receipt number if you know it, and your reason. IRCC reviews the request and tells you if it needs more information or refuses it.
Will I get a refund if I withdraw?
IRCC says you get a full refund if you withdraw before processing starts. After processing begins, only some fees are refunded, such as the right of permanent residence fee. After approval, fees are not refunded. Eligible refunds can take 2 to 8 weeks.
How do I withdraw my Express Entry profile?
In your account, go to “View the applications you submitted”, click “Withdraw profile”, then click “Continue” below the warning. A profile is free, so there is no refund. You do not need to withdraw a profile to edit it.
Can I create a new profile after withdrawing?
Applicants on public forums reported doing so. In one 2020 case a new profile was blocked until IRCC confirmed the withdrawal of the application, which took about two weeks after a signed form was returned. IRCC’s withdrawal page does not describe this step.
Does withdrawing affect a future application?
We did not find an IRCC page that says a withdrawal counts against you. The information in the withdrawn application stays on record, though, and a later application has to be consistent with it.
Can I cancel a withdrawal request?
IRCC’s page does not say. In one November 2020 forum case an applicant asked IRCC to disregard a withdrawal request before completing the steps, and processing continued. Do not rely on that; treat a withdrawal request as final when you send it.
Thinking of starting again? Check your score first
A new profile is scored on the day you create it. See what your points would be now and how they compare with recent cut-offs.
Final Thoughts
The decision to withdraw Express Entry application or profile is rarely as urgent as it feels. Work out the stage, read what IRCC says about refunds at that stage, and ask whether a correction would do. In the cases we read, the people who paused for advice kept more options than the ones who clicked first.
If the reason you want out involves information you left off an earlier application, a document you now doubt, or a change that may have ended your eligibility, speak to a licensed consultant or lawyer before you send the web form. Those are the situations where the order of your next two steps matters most.
