---
title: Understanding your proposal
description: How to read a Lexpoint proposal — scope, professional fees, government fees, applicants covered, and when the offer expires.
product: Lexpoint — Individuals
audience: People managing their own Canadian immigration
doc_type: guide
canonical_url: https://docs.lexpoint.io/individuals/proposals/understanding-proposals/
app_routes: https://my.lexpoint.io/app/proposals, https://my.lexpoint.io/app/proposals/[id]
last_verified: 2026-09-03
keywords: immigration proposal, retainer proposal, professional fees, government fees, scope of services, proposal expiry
license: Documentation © Lexpoint. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL.
---
# Understanding your proposal

A proposal is a written offer: what will be done, who it covers, how long it should take, what it
costs, and on what terms. It is the first point at which money is discussed in writing, and nothing
is billed until you accept it, sign, and pay.

Proposals live at [**Proposals**](https://my.lexpoint.io/app/proposals), filtered by **Active
proposals**, **Expired proposals**, and **Archived proposals** in the sidebar. Opening one shows the
full document.

## The four stages

A tracker at the top of every proposal shows where you are:

| Step | What it means |
|---|---|
| **Review** | The offer is open. You read it, confirm applicants, and set the payment schedule. |
| **Sign** | You have accepted. The retainer is waiting for your signature. |
| **Pay Deposit** | Signed. The first payment opens the engagement. |
| **Active** | Signed and paid. Your case is being set up. |

Nothing on the proposal is charged before **Pay Deposit**, and no case exists before **Active**.

```media
id: proposal-overview
type: screenshot
caption: A proposal in the Review stage, with the four-step tracker above the document and the section rail on the left.
shot: /app/proposals/[id] on a draft proposal — top of the page showing the cover, the Review/Sign/Pay/Active stepper, and the left section rail. Demo account, light mode, 1440×900. Redact the client name, email, phone, and the proposal number.
src: /media/individuals/proposal-overview.webp
```

## How the document is laid out

Eleven sections, reachable from the rail on the left. The URL keeps the section you are reading, so
a link you save returns you to the same place.

| Section | What is in it |
|---|---|
| **Cover** | Program, service type, proposal number, **Prepared By** (the firm and the representative with their licence number), and **Prepared For** (you). |
| **Engagement Overview** | What the engagement is, in plain terms. |
| **Scope of Services** | **Included Services**, **Not Included**, and **Assumptions**. |
| **Applicants Covered** | Every person the fee covers — you, and any spouse or dependents. |
| **Processing Time** | Our preparation time and the government's processing time, separately. |
| **Professional Fees** | What you pay for representation, and your payment schedule. |
| **Government Fees** | Third-party fees paid to IRCC or another authority, not to us. |
| **Communications** | How you will be kept informed. |
| **Guarantees & Limitations** | What is and is not promised about the outcome. |
| **Legal Terms** | The full agreement text, section by section. |
| **Acceptance** | The confirmations, and the button that moves you to signing. |

If your ImmiReport was used to prepare the proposal, its code appears on the cover as a reference.

## Scope is the part to read twice

**Scope of Services** is what you are buying. It is split three ways, and the second and third parts
matter as much as the first:

- **Included Services** — the work covered by the professional fee.
- **Not Included** — work that is out of scope. If something you expected is on this list, raise it
  before you accept, not after.
- **Assumptions** — the facts the price was built on. If an assumption is wrong, the price was built
  on the wrong facts.

## Applicants covered

The fee depends on who is covered. The section names the principal applicant and lists any spouse or
dependents included in the quote.

While the proposal is still in **Review**, a **Change family** control lets you add or remove a
spouse and dependents, and the fees update before you accept. After acceptance the composition is
locked. Some proposals — those funded by a school or employer, or custom priced — have the family
composition locked from the start; a new proposal is needed to change it.

If the proposal covers a spouse or dependents, their details must be filled in before you can
accept. The **Accept** button will send you back to this section until they are.

## Processing time

Two separate clocks, shown separately because only one of them is ours:

- **Our Service Timeline** — how long preparation takes, counted from the day you have uploaded
  everything that is needed, not from the day you sign.
- **Government processing** — IRCC's own published time, and for an Ontario nomination, the
  provincial stage before it.

A **View live IRCC processing times** link opens the current published figures. Times shown in a
proposal are estimates that were current when it was prepared.

## Professional fees

This is the part with a payment schedule. It builds up in a fixed order:

1. **Base fees** — a line per person covered, plus a prior-refusal line where one was disclosed.
2. **Add-ons** — anything added to the base engagement, each named.
3. **HST** — added where applicable. Whether it applies depends on where you live, which is why the
   proposal states whether tax was applied.
4. **Subtotal**.
5. **Credits** — consultation credit, loyalty, admin, or another courtesy applied by the firm,
   subtracted with the reason shown.
6. **Preferred professional fees** — the total after credits.
7. **Your professional fee balance** — what you actually owe.

Where a school or employer is funding part of the engagement, a **Covered by your school/employer**
line appears above the balance, and your balance is what remains after it. If they cover the whole
professional fee, the schedule section says so outright.

Below the breakdown sits your payment schedule. While the proposal is in **Review** you can adjust
it within limits and must save it before accepting — see
[Payment plans](/individuals/proposals/payment-plans/).

## Government fees

A separate section, kept separate on purpose. **Direct Government Fees** itemizes what each covered
person is charged, plus provincial and biometrics fees where they apply.

:::caution[These are not paid to your representative]
Government fees are paid directly to IRCC or the relevant authority at the time your application is
submitted, in full. They are not part of your professional-fee payment schedule and are generally
not subject to GST/HST.
:::

## Expiry

An offer does not stay open forever. The cover reads *Created … · Expires …* for as long as the
proposal is unsigned. Once signed, that line changes to show the signing date, then the payment
date — the expiry no longer applies to a proposal that has become a retainer.

If the offer lapses, the proposal opens with a banner saying it is no longer active and a **New
proposal** button. Expired proposals stay readable under the **Expired proposals** filter.

## What has to be in place before you can accept

The **Accept** button in the sidebar tells you what is missing, in order. All of these come before
the confirmations, not after:

1. **A phone number on your account.** Canadian and US numbers need an SMS code first.
2. **Identity verification.** Started from the proposal itself; **Accept** unlocks when it completes.
3. **Spouse and dependent details**, if the proposal covers them.
4. **A saved payment schedule.**
5. **Four confirmations** in the Acceptance section, each ticked individually — that you have read
   every section, that your information is accurate, that you understand the fee structure and
   payment schedule, and that you agree to the terms.

Accepting locks the payment schedule and moves the proposal to signing.

## Related

- [Accept and sign a retainer](/individuals/proposals/sign-retainer/) — what happens after you accept
- [Payment plans](/individuals/proposals/payment-plans/) — setting the schedule before you accept
- [Book a consultation](/individuals/consultations/book-a-consultation/) — a call before you decide
- [Cases](/individuals/cases/) — what opens once the retainer is active

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a proposal charge me anything?

No. A proposal is an offer. Nothing is charged until you have accepted it, signed the retainer, and paid the first payment yourself through Stripe Checkout.

### What is the difference between professional fees and government fees?

Professional fees are what you pay for representation, and they are the only part with a payment schedule. Government fees are paid directly to IRCC or the relevant authority when your application is submitted — they do not go to your representative.

### My proposal expired. Can it be reopened?

No. An expired proposal shows a banner saying it is no longer active, with a New proposal button. The expiry date applies only to the offer stage — once a proposal is signed, the countdown stops applying and the cover shows the signing date instead.