Canada’s Express Entry Program is an electronic immigration program designed by the Government of Canada. It allows eligible candidates to submit a profile, and get ranked on various criteria. Roughly every two weeks the Canadian government invites the top-ranked candidates to apply for Permanent Residency.
Express Entry is usually the quickest and easiest way to immigrate to Canada. There’s no other country in the world that has anything quite like this – it’s entirely possible to become a Canadian Permanent Resident in about six months!

HOW DOES EXPRESS ENTRY WORK?

You start by creating an Express Entry profile on the Government of Canada’s website. The system will do a quick eligibility check to start with. If you are eligible, you’ll be able to proceed with creating your profile and “entering the pool”. As you create your profile, the system will calculate and assign points. When your profile is fully created, you’ll be told how many points you have. This is called your Comprehensive Ranking System Score. You’ll usually see this called a CRS score.

The Canadian government conducts multiple draws throughout a calendar year. There’s a draw roughly every two weeks, and if your CRS score is above the announced cut-off, you will be Invited to Apply. You then have 60 days to submit a complete profile. About six months after your complete profile is submitted, your PR application will be processed and you’ll become a PR.

Who can apply for Express Entry?

Express Entry manages three immigration programs. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for at least one of these three programs to apply under Express Entry.

• Federal Skilled Worker Program: The FSWP is Canada’s primary economic immigration pathway. Minimum eligibility requirements under this program are:
  •  At least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A, or B;
  • Validated intermediate or better language ability in English or French 
  • An educational credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) with a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report. If you have studied in Canada, you don’t need an ECA
  • Besides the minimum requirements for work, language ability, and education, candidates must also get at least 67/100 points under the FSW points grid.

• Canadian Experience Class: The CEC is designed for international students and foreign workers who have Canadian experience with the opportunity to obtain permanent residence. Minimum eligibility requirements under this program are:
  • Candidates must have obtained at least one year of skilled, professional, or technical work experience in Canada within 3 years of the application date
  • Meet language proficiency criteria. 

• Federal Skilled Trades Program: The FSTP is designed for candidates who want to become permanent residents on the basis of qualifying for a skilled trade. Minimum Eligibility requirements under this program are
  • A minimum of 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the 5-year period of submitting an application
  • Meet the job requirements of the skilled trade
  • Have a full-time job offer in Canada for a period of at least 1 year OR
  • Possess a certificate of qualification in the skilled trade that has been provided by an official Canadian authority
  • Meet language proficiency criteria.

How do I get started?