Canada Express Entry

Canada Express Entry is the fastest and one of the most popular immigration pathways for foreign skilled workers to become permanent residents in Canada. It is an online system for managing applications for immigration under the three federal economic immigration programs, which are the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP) and Canadian Experience Class(CEC).

A brief history of Express Entry

Canada introduced the Express Entry system in January 2015. Before that the country used to accept applications for immigration from skilled workers on a first-come, first-served basis. Because of this reason, skilled and qualified candidates had to wait for years to have their application accepted. This situation also deprived the country of eligible foreign skilled workers who could contribute to the growth of the country’s economy. So, Canada introduced the Express Entry system to accelerate the application process for Canada immigration for skilled workers. As a result, the processing time for the application for immigration came down to mere six months from six years.

The Express Entry system helps the Canadian government to choose the best candidates for immigration, as the CRS score system ranks the candidates on the basis of age, work experience, education and language proficiency. Because of this reason, the candidates selected through Express Entry stand a better chance to economically establish in Canada.

One flip side of the Express Entry system is that it does not guarantee that all candidates will receive permanent residence. Only those will the highest CRS scores will become permanent residents under the system.

Application process for Canada Express Entry

The first step in applying for permanent residence through Canada Express Entry is to create an Express Entry profile. If you are eligible, your profile will be moved to the Express Entry pool. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts Express Entry draws on a regular basis in which eligible candidates are selected from the Express Entry pool and invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Those who receive the invitation can submit the complete application for permanent residence within 60 days. IRCC will take a decision on the application within six months.

An Express Entry profile will remain valid for maximum of one year. If a candidate does not receive an invitation within one year, they can re-submit their Express Entry profile.

A job offer is not necessary for a candidate to apply for permanent residence in Canada through Express Entry. Besides, a candidate can bring their spouse and children to Canada through Express Entry, who will also be awarded permanent residence status along with them.

Economic immigration programs managed under Express Entry

Following are the three federal economic immigration programs managed under Express Entry:

Federal Skilled Worker Program: Foreign workers with a minimum of at least one year work experience and meet other eligibility requirements will be eligible under this Program. The candidates will be assessed on the basis of six selection factors – Language, education, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada and adaptability. One has to score at least 67 out of 100 points to qualify.

Canadian Experience Class: This program is for international graduates and temporary workers who have Canadian work experience.

Federal Skilled Trades Program: Foreign workers who have training and work experience in a skilled trade can apply under this Program.

Comprehensive Ranking System

Comprehensive Ranking System or CRS is used to assess and rank candidates under the Express Entry system on the basis of various human capital factors such as age, education, language proficiency, work experience, qualifications of the spouse as well as previous connection to Canada. Those with the highest CRS scores will be invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Candidates can score a maximum of 1200 points in the CRS and they are allocated as follows:

• Human capital factors such as age, education etc. : Maximum 460-500 points
• Spousal factors: Maximum 40 points
• Skills transferability or interaction factors(Maximum 100 points)
• Additional factors such as provincial nomination, job offer, Canada education (Maximum 600 points)
  A candidate can improve their CRS score while their profile is in the Express Entry pool by adding a new credential or improving language score and more.

Express Entry immigration through PNP

All Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) have at least one immigration stream or category aligned to the federal Express Entry. If an Express Entry candidate receives a provincial nomination, they will have 600 additional CRS score points added to their total CRS score. It guarantees them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw. The Express Entry-aligned PNP streams are of two types. One is where the candidate submits an application directly to the PNP. The other is where the PNP selects eligible candidates directly from the Express Entry pool and invite them to apply for provincial nomination.

Steps involved in Express Entry immigration

Now let’s explore the different steps involved in the process of Express Entry immigration:

1. Clearing the language test

One important pre-requisite to apply for immigration to Canada through Express Entry is to prove that you have proficiency in English or French, the two official languages of Canada. It is proved by clearing any of the language tests recognized by the IRCC.

Following are the language tests accepted by the IRCC:

For English
CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
IELTS: International English Language Testing System

For French
TEF Canada: Test d’evaluation de francais
TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du francais

2. Entering the Express Entry pool

In order to qualify for Express Entry immigration, you must prove your eligibility under any of the three federal immigration programs, which are: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class.

If you prove your eligibility under any of these programs, you will be assessed and ranked on the basis of Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score and entered the Express Entry pool.

If you are interested, you can also apply for a provincial nomination under any of the Provincial Nominee Programs. If you get a nomination you will have a better chance of obtaining permanent residence in Canada as provincial nominee will be awarded 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score points.

Documents required for creating Express Entry profile

• A passport or travel document
• Language test results
• Educational Credential Assessment for FSWP applicants
• Provincial nomination(if applicable)
• Written job offer from a Canadian employer(if applicable)
• Proof of work experience
• Certification of qualification in a trade occupation, which is issued by a Canadian province or territory

Proof of funds

3. Getting an Express Entry invitation

The IRCC conducts Express Entry draws on a regular basis and invites candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

4. Submitting the application

Those who have received the Express Entry invitations may submit the complete application for immigration within 60 days. They also need to clear criminal and medical background checks.
The application will be reviewed by Canada immigration authorities and they may even ask for additional information and documents.

5. Becoming a permanent resident in Canada

If the application is approved by the immigration authorities, the candidate will be awarded permanent residence status in Canada. Then they can apply for a PR card with which you can travel to Canada.

Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)

Getting Educational Credential Assessment done is necessary to apply through Express Entry, especially under the Federal Skilled Workers Program. This is applicable for all immigration candidates who have earned their educational qualifications from outside Canada. It is to prove that their qualifications are equal to Canadian secondary school or post-secondary credentials.

NOC in Express Entry

National Occupation Classification or NOC is the system used by the Canada government for classifying the occupations which are in demand in Canada. The NOC system is managed by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada. The NOC undergoes a revision in every 10 years to adjust to the changing trends in the Canadian job market. Currently the NOC manages of 30000 occupations.

Proof of funds for Express Entry

You need to have enough funds at your disposition that will help you settle in Canada if you receive an invitation under Federal Skilled Worker Program or Federal Skilled Trades Program. However, this requirement is not applicable for CEC. If you are currently authorized to work in Canada and a valid job offer from an employer in Canada, you will not have to submit proof of settlement funds. Proof means official letter from any bank or financial institution where your money is kept.

If you are a skilled worker and aspire to move to Canada permanently, the first thing you must do is to create an Express Entry profile. You can do it with the help of Canada immigration experts if you contact CanApprove. We have more than two decades of experience in helping people move to Canada permanently. If you are interested to know more about our services and your options for Canada immigration, connect with us at the earliest!