Express Entry Guide · Updated October 2026
Express Entry Application Status: What “In Progress”, “Not Started” and Each Section Really Mean (Real Cases)
“In progress” for five months. “Not started” on a section you finished in week two. The status page explains less than it seems to, so here is how to read it.
Your Express Entry application status is probably the most refreshed page in your browser. After the acknowledgment arrives there is not much else to do, so people log in every morning, compare screenshots with strangers on forums, and try to work out what a one-word change means.
The trouble is that the page was built to tell you where things stand in broad terms, not to narrate the officer’s work. IRCC publishes a short list of status words and what they mean. Almost everything else applicants believe about the order of the sections, hidden stages and secret codes comes from other applicants watching their own files.
We read IRCC’s pages on checking your status, the Help Centre answers that define each status word, and seven public forum threads from 2015 to 2023. This guide separates the two: what IRCC says a status means, and what applicants have seen happen behind it.
Quick answer: how do I read my Express Entry application status?
Sign in to your IRCC secure account; that is where IRCC says it sends status updates, biometrics instructions and document requests. IRCC’s Help Centre defines the words you will see: “Not started” means the review of that section has not begun, “In progress” means it is being reviewed, “Waiting on you” means IRCC needs something, and “Completed” means that section is finished. The sections do not have to move in order. For how long the whole thing takes, see Express Entry processing time.
Key takeaways
Where and when you can check your Express Entry application status
IRCC’s “How to check the status of your IRCC application” page (modified August 25, 2026) gives two routes: your IRCC secure account, and the Client Application Status tool, which asks for identification numbers from the documents IRCC has sent you. For an Express Entry application the account is the main one. IRCC’s Express Entry status page (modified August 4, 2026) says it contacts you through the account to confirm it has reviewed your application, tell you to give biometrics, send status updates, ask for more documents and set up an interview if one is needed.
You cannot check anything on day one. The Help Centre answer “When can I check my application status?” (modified April 17, 2026) lists five things that must happen first: you submit, IRCC receives the application and adds it to the queue, it checks that the application is complete, it starts processing, and you get an acknowledgment of receipt letter or email with your application number. IRCC says these steps can take from a few days to several months depending on what you applied for. We explain the letter in AOR in Express Entry.
What each status word means, according to IRCC
The official definitions come from the Help Centre answer “What does my status mean in the application status tracker?” (modified September 1, 2026). The tracker is IRCC’s newer status tool, and the same words appear in the secure account.
Where you see it | Status | What IRCC says it means |
|---|---|---|
Whole application | Received | The application was submitted and is being checked for completeness |
Whole application | In progress | The application is still being reviewed |
Whole application | Closed | It was approved, refused, or withdrawn or abandoned |
One section | Not started | The review of that section has not begun |
One section | Waiting on you | More information or documents are needed from you |
One section | In progress | The section is being reviewed |
One section | Completed | The review of that section is finished |
One section | Exempted | The section does not apply to this application |
Our summary of the IRCC Help Centre answer on status meanings, modified September 1, 2026.
Two of these deserve a second look. “Closed” is not bad news by itself: it covers approval as well as refusal. And “Waiting on you” is the only status that requires action. If you see it, open your messages and find the request. Our guide to an additional document request covers how to answer.
The sections applicants see, and what IRCC does not explain
In the secure account, applicants report a list of sections under the application: review of eligibility, review of medical results, review of additional documents, interview, biometrics, background check and final decision. IRCC’s public pages do not list these sections or describe what happens inside each one, so what follows is applicant experience.
How applicants describe each section
Real case: eligibility stayed “in progress” until the last day (May 2015)
An applicant asked whether the eligibility section had to show as passed before officers looked at documents and medical results, or whether it would sit at “in progress” for the whole six months. A member posted a full timeline from another file. In it, the eligibility review stayed “in progress” throughout and changed to passed on the same day as the final approval. The takeaway in the thread was that this section usually moves only at the very end.
That single observation answers a large share of the worried posts on any forum. An eligibility section that has not changed in four months is behaving the way it usually does.
Sections do not move in order
People expect a production line: eligibility first, then medical, then background, then decision. The page does not work like that, and nothing in IRCC’s definitions says it should.
Real case: background check started before eligibility (May 2023)
An applicant who submitted on March 22, 2023, and gave biometrics and did the medical promptly, noticed something that looked wrong: the background check showed “in progress” while eligibility still said “not started”. They asked why the order was reversed. Others in the thread had the opposite pattern, with eligibility finished and the background check pending for over a month, and offered guesses about the cause. On May 26, 2023, about two months after applying, the original poster reported that the application was approved.
“Not started” beside a section does not mean nobody has opened your file. It means that section’s review has not begun or has not been marked. In that case the whole application went from submission to approval in about two months with the sections in an unexpected order.
You will also see applicants use shorthand such as NA1, IP1 and NA2 for supposed stages of the background check. A 2017 thread lays out a whole sequence of them. These labels were invented by applicants comparing notes. They do not appear on any IRCC page we read, and we would not plan around them. Our post on the name mismatch in Express Entry shows the same pattern of applicant folklore filling a gap in official guidance.
What the status page does not show
The harder lesson from the threads is that the page can be quiet while something specific is holding the file.
Real case: on hold for five months, nothing on the page (October 2022)
An applicant with a provincial nomination, invited in August 2021, had the medical review completed in January 2022 and biometrics in February. Months later the background check was still pending, even though a clean police certificate from the United States had arrived in February. A member suggested a web form enquiry. When the applicant ordered their file notes in late October 2022, they found the file had been on hold since May because of a problem with the biometrics. Nothing in the online account had said so.
Real case: “in progress” after a document dispute (April to May 2018)
Someone posting for a family member described a provincial nominee application filed in May 2017 that had stalled. In November IRCC had asked for consent from the children’s other parent. The applicant sent court documents showing custody instead, then uploaded more documents through a web form in January, and heard nothing. Members recommended ordering the file notes, which they said took around 40 days. By late May 2018 the notes were on order and the status page still showed the application in progress with background checks under way. No final outcome was reported.
In both cases the status page was accurate and unhelpful at the same time. The file was “in progress”. The reason it was not moving was only visible in the officer’s notes or in an unanswered request. A later post in this series explains how to order those notes.
Real case: “how long is a piece of string?” (December 2020)
An applicant shared their status details: medical passed, biometrics completed, no final decision. They asked how much longer it would take. The replies could offer nothing concrete. One simply repeated the line on the page, that the application was in progress and a message would be sent once a final decision was made. No outcome was reported in the thread.
Six mistakes people make reading their status
Six mistakes from the threads and the definitions
When to stop refreshing and do something
Most of the time the right move is to wait. There are four situations where it is not.
Act when one of these is true
If none of those apply, the page is telling you the truth: the file is in the queue. Your status does not affect your points, and if you are still waiting for an invitation it is your score that matters. Check it with the CRS calculator against the latest draw cut-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check my Express Entry application status?
Sign in to your IRCC secure account and open the application. IRCC says it uses the account to send status updates, biometrics instructions and document requests. You need to have received your acknowledgment of receipt or application number first.
What does “in progress” mean?
For the whole application, IRCC says it means the application is still being reviewed. For a single section, it means that section is being reviewed. It does not tell you how close a decision is.
What does “not started” mean on my background check?
IRCC’s definition is that the review of that section has not begun. Applicants have been approved within weeks of seeing it, and sections do not always move in the order listed.
Why has my review of eligibility been “in progress” for months?
That is common. In a timeline shared on a public forum in 2015, the eligibility section stayed in progress throughout and changed only on the day of the final decision.
Does “closed” mean my application was refused?
Not necessarily. IRCC says “closed” means the application was approved, refused, or withdrawn or abandoned. Check your messages for the decision letter.
My status has not changed in months. What should I do?
Check your messages for any request, confirm nothing in your file has expired, and compare your wait with IRCC’s current processing time. Once you are past it, send an enquiry through the IRCC web form. Many applicants also order their file notes to see what the status page does not show.
Waiting on a decision? Your points are already locked in
If you are still in the pool, the page that matters is the draw history. Check your score against recent cut-offs.
Final Thoughts
Your Express Entry application status is a summary, not a diary. IRCC’s definitions are short: not started, in progress, waiting on you, completed. Sections can move out of order, eligibility often changes last, and “waiting on you” is the one status that needs you to act. Everything beyond that is other applicants’ pattern-spotting.
If a section shows “waiting on you” and you cannot provide what is asked, if your file is far past the current processing time, or if your status in Canada depends on a decision arriving soon, speak to a licensed consultant or lawyer. They can help you read your file notes and decide whether to wait or to push.
