Canada Express Entry is a highly competitive immigration scheme where candidates who have submitted their profile in the Express Entry pool are ranked based on certain criteria such as education, age, language proficiency (English/French), work experience and other factors.
This immigration stream offers permanent resident status to qualified individuals and families.
Eligibility
Canada has one of the most flexible immigration systems in the world, and a free tool is provided to help applicant confirm if they are eligible for Express Entry, hence saving them time and money.
However, before using the free useful tool, it is advisable to have taken your language test and also have your job title, skill type, and code( known also as NOC code). These are the necessary information to confirm your eligibility.
Though needed not mandatory if you work in a skilled trade is your Education Credential Assessment (ECA).
At the end of your eligibility test, you will be issued a reference number which you will need when you begin your Express Entry application.
Applicants applying through the Express Entry must be eligible under any of the following federal economic immigration schemes.
- The Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC
- The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
Creating Your Express Entry Profile
Head over to the CIC website to create an account where you will be issued MyCIC number you need each time to sign in.
You will be required to enter the personal reference code you generated during the eligibility check, however, if you don't have this code, you can simply enter your personal details such as work and education experience.
There is a 60 days window to complete your profile, otherwise, you will be required to create a new one.
The Express Entry profile submission acts as an Expression of Interest (EOI) from the applicants, and scores are awarded to individual profiles based on
- Age
- Education
- Work experience
- job offer
- language proficiency (English or French) etc.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool are ranked against each other based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and the highest-ranked profile receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
The Comprehensive Ranking Scores is used to assess a candidate's likelihood of becoming economically successful in Canada.
Having a valid job offer from a Canadian employer can greatly increase the candidate's CRS score.
Register With Canada Job Bank
Candidates without a valid job offer or provincial nomination are required to register with Canada's Job Bank, a free resources used by Canadian employers to find suitable and qualified candidates. However, this step is not mandatory.
Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
The Express Entry draws are conducted at regular intervals by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada where candidates with the required score are invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada.
Candidates that do not receive an invitation to apply after 12 months will have their profile expunge and will be required to submit a new profile.