Express Entry

Complete Guide — How It Works

Express Entry is an online system that is used to manage immigration applications from skilled workers/professionals seeking to immigrate to Canada.

The federal government decides if a candidate is qualified for a programme run by Express Entry after the candidate uploads an online profile outlining their interest and enroll themselves for the Canada immigration process. The Express Entry pool accepts qualified applicants, who are then ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The government uses the CRS, a points-based system, to evaluate and rank applicants in the Express Entry pool. The CRS score is determined by a candidate’s age, education, employment history, language proficiency, and other characteristics.

The Canadian government chooses the top candidates from the Express Entry pool every two weeks on average.

Table of Contents

• • Express Entry – Category Based Selection
• • Express Entry Eligibility Criteria
• • Documents Required for Express Entry
• • Education Credential Assessment (ECA) for Express Entry
• • Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and how to improve it
• • Language proficiency test and how to improve
• • Receiving Invitation to apply (ITA)
• • Valid Canadian Job offer under Express Entry
• • Difference Between PNP and Express Entry
• • National Occupation Classification (NOC)/TEER system
• • Provincial Nominee Program
• • PNP for Ontario (OINP)
• • BCPNP
• • Canadian Experience Class
• • Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• • Immigration options for US H1B/L1/F1 Holders
• • Immigration options for IT workers
• • Draws from the Express Entry pool
• • Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

Time to Process Express Entry Profile

A profile for Express Entry is good for a year at most. Candidates can anticipate that six months after acquiring an ITA, the Canadian government will begin processing their applications for permanent residency. The government starts to estimate the processing time after it receives a fully completed permanent residence application.

Once a choice is made regarding the application, the processing period is over. If an applicant is still eligible and has not received an ITA after a year of submitting their profile on the portal, they can quickly resubmit their Express Entry profile.

Three Federal Economic Immigration Programs

Canadian Experience Class

For skilled workers who have Canadian work experience — work experience must have been gained in the 3 years before you apply.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

For skilled workers with foreign work experience — must meet criteria for education and other factors.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

For skilled workers who are qualified in a skilled trade — must have a valid job offer or a certificate of qualification.

If you’re eligible for one of the above programs, you can also apply through Express Entry for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). If you’re nominated, you’ll get extra points so you can be invited to apply quickly.

Express Entry Process

There are two main stages to Express Entry, which is quite straightforward. Candidates who qualify for Express Entry Canada need to communicate their interest in becoming Canadian permanent residents to the Canadian government in the first significant stage. The top candidates are invited to immigrate to Canada in the second stage by the Canadian government.

Here is a step by step guide.

Determine your Express Entry eligibility as the first step.

Clear your language exams and get an evaluation of your educational credentials (ECA).

Get your documents ready for submitting the profile.

Upload your profile to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website (IRCC).

Wait for Immigration and Refugee Council (IRCC) to send you an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

Complete your Application for Permanent Residence (APR) and submit it to IRCC together with your fee payment by the due date.

When IRCC requests it, submit your biometric data.

Await IRCC’s final decision on your Authorized Paid Representative portal. IRCC tries to process candidate applications in six months or less. If your approval is granted, you will be issued Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) so that you can travel to Canada for landing.

Cost of Express Entry

It is free to submit an Express Entry profile to the government pool of qualified candidates. Candidates must, however, pay some fees before submitting their Express Entry profile.

Before submitting an Express Entry profile, you may incur the following costs:

• English or French language exam administered by a language-testing organisation approved by the Canadian government
• Educational Credential Assessment Fees
• If any documents must be translated into English or French

Following receipt of an ITA, you will incur the following government fees and costs:

• Fees charged by the Canadian government to process permanent residence applications
• Medical examination
• Background investigation by the police
• Fee for biometrics

Express Entry Permanent Residence Fees

• The processing fee for your application ($850) and the right to permanent residence fee ($515) — $1,365
• Fees for processing a spouse or partner ($850) and the right to permanent residence ($515) — $1,365
• Include a dependent child at a cost of $230 (per child)

Family Immigration with Express Entry

You can include your partner, or common-law partner in Express Entry. Additionally, you may include your own dependent children as well as the dependent children of your spouse or common-law partner. If you are granted permanent residence through Express Entry, your accompanying family members will also be granted permanent residence.

Difference Between PNP and Express Entry

The federal government, as well as the provinces and territories, are allowed to run their own immigration programmes in Canada. However, whether a candidate is granted permanent residence is ultimately decided by the federal government.

Three of the several economic immigration programmes run by the federal government are managed through Express Entry.

Provinces and territories can inform the federal government that an immigrant candidate satisfies the economic needs of their region through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Such candidates receive a provincial nomination, which they can submit with their federal application for permanent residency.

The single most important factor for Express Entry’s CRS is a provincial nomination, which awards an additional 600 points to the candidate’s CRS score and all but ensures that they will be granted an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Even if an Express Entry candidate does not originally have a high enough ranking score to acquire an ITA from the federal government, they may receive a nomination from a province or territory through Express Entry, boost their CRS score by 600 points, and then receive an ITA from the federal government during the following Express Entry pool draw.