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Can an expiring CELPIP/IELTS score still be used if it expires before your Express Entry application is processed?

Canada • Express Entry • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Step-by-Step

If your language test (CELPIP or IELTS) is due to expire before you expect a final decision on your Express Entry application, the key question is which milestone has to happen before expiry — submission or the whole process.

What group members confirmed:
  1. It's fine to submit your application documents before the test's expiry date, even if processing will continue past that date.

  2. What actually matters for validity is getting your Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) before the expiry date — once your application is formally received and AOR'd while the test was still valid, the test remains valid for that application even if it technically expires later during processing.


So you do not need to retake the test purely because processing might run past the two-year validity window, as long as you submit (and get your AOR) before it expires.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Submit your application and aim to get your AOR before your language test's expiry date — you don't need the whole process to finish before expiry.
  • Tip: Build in buffer time before your document submission deadline in case of last-minute delays.

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