With a spouse already approved for study and an open work permit application still under review, this applicant (CRS 480) had withdrawn their Express Entry profile earlier out of concern it might signal 'immigrant intent' to the visa officer reviewing the work permit — but now worried about missing a likely ITA if they stayed out of the pool.
What group members advised:- Go ahead and create/re-enter your Express Entry profile. Both members who responded encouraged proceeding rather than staying out of the pool, prioritizing not missing a strong CRS-matching draw.
- It's acknowledged as a grey area, not a clear-cut rule. One member explicitly flagged that whether re-entering the pool affects the concurrent work permit review isn't settled — they recommended proceeding anyway given how close the applicant was to a likely ITA, but didn't claim there's zero risk.
The practical takeaway: several members' view was that having an EE profile in the pool alongside a pending open work permit is common and generally proceeded with, but treat it as an unresolved grey area rather than a guaranteed-safe move, and weigh how much CRS opportunity you'd lose by staying out.