Express Entry

Canada welcomes immigrants through Express Entry from all over the world every year. Since it became the first country in the world to launch a points system for skilled workers in 1967, Canada does not screen skilled worker candidates based on their country of origin. Instead, Canada only evaluates candidates based on their ability to integrate into the Canadian job market. To do this, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) assesses skilled workers on their age, education, language skills, work experience, and other human capital factors. Since there are so many talented people around the globe, and Canada has a diverse economy, Canada welcomes people from different countries, skill sets, and occupational backgrounds every year. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) produces an annual report on Express Entry immigrants, which provides more information on the backgrounds of individuals who choose to bring their talents to Canada.

Yes. Under Express Entry, you can include your wife, husband, or common-law partner. In addition, you can include your dependent children, your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children, and the dependent children of dependent children. If you are successful under Express Entry, your accompanying family members will also receive permanent residence.

Dependent children are defined as:

• being under 22 years old and is not a spouse or common-law partner, or
• being 22 years of age or older, they rely on their parent’s financial support before age 22. They cannot support themselves financially because of a physical or mental health conditions.

To be eligible for Express Entry, candidates must meet the criteria of at least one of the following federal economic immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program: The FSWP is Canada’s primary economic immigration pathway. The minimum requirements include at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past ten 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; for candidates educated outside of Canada, an educational credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report. In addition to meeting the FSWP’s minimum work, language ability, and education requirements, candidates must also obtain at least 67 points under its points grid.
• Canadian Experience Class: The CEC provides international students and foreign workers with Canadian experience with the opportunity to obtain permanent residence. Candidates must have obtained at least one year of skilled, professional, or technical work experience in Canada within three years of the application date and meet language proficiency criteria.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: The FSTP is available to candidates who want to become permanent residents based on qualifying for a skilled trade. Eligibility criteria include having a minimum of 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the five years of applying; meeting the job requirements of the skilled trade; having a full-time job offer in Canada for at least one year or possessing a certificate of qualification in the skilled trade that an official Canadian authority has provided; and meet language proficiency criteria.

You have various options to become eligible for Express Entry. The first thing you can do is identify why you are currently ineligible. For example, you may not qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) because you do not meet one or more of the FSWP’s minimum work, language ability, or education requirements. Addressing the reason for your ineligibility is the first way you can submit an Express Entry profile.
The second major step you can take is to pursue an education pathway toward Canadian permanent residence. To be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program, you need at least one year of qualified Canadian work experience within the last three years and meet the minimum language proficiency requirements. You can become eligible for the CEC, and hence Express Entry, by studying in Canada and then working in Canada after you complete your studies. An added benefit of this approach is you will be rewarded with more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points due to your Canadian education and work experience.
You have many other options if you do not become eligible for Express Entry since Canada operates over 100 skilled worker immigration streams.

Canada offers over 100 different immigration streams for skilled workers who want to obtain a Canadian permanent resident visa. You can pursue one or more of these options at the same time:

• Express Entry: Canada welcomes most skilled worker immigrants through Express Entry.
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): It is the second significant way that Canada welcomes skilled workers.
• Other Federal Immigration Programs: In addition to its Express Entry programs, IRCC offers different skilled worker immigration pathways, including Atlantic Immigration Program, rural and northern communities, working as a caregiver, working in the agri-food sector, starting a business or being a self-employed person.
• Pursue a Study Pathway: Studying in Canada is a significant stepping stone toward obtaining a permanent resident visa through the above immigration options.
• Work in Canada: If you already have a job offer in Canada, you can begin your immigration journey by moving to Canada on a work permit and then pursuing the above options to transition to immigration status.

Reviewing the most recent Express Entry results is the best way to know what CRS scores are competitive for those hoping to receive an invitation to apply for a Canadian permanent resident visa.
You should feel encouraged if your CRS score is below recent CRS cut-off requirements. CRS score requirements change in each Express Entry draw. Changes to CRS cut-offs can be very volatile.
If your CRS score is slightly lower than the current cut-offs, you may patiently wait in the hopes that the cut-off will eventually include candidates with your CRS score. You can also look at ways to improve your CRS score.
You should not feel demoralized if your CRS score is significantly lower than the current cut-offs. Being in the Express Entry pool allows you to receive a provincial nomination, which guarantees that you will be successful under Express Entry. In the meantime, you can also look to obtain a job offer in Canada, improve your CRS score, pursue other Canadian immigration programs, or pursue a study pathway to a permanent resident visa.

The ways to improve your Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System score include:

• Ensure you claim all the CRS points you are eligible for
• Improve your language test score
• Have your spouse as the principal applicant
• Obtain more education
• Obtain more work experience
• Study and work in Canada

Here is a more detailed explanation of how you can improve your Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System score.

No one, including IRCC, can predict whether Express Entry CRS cut-off scores will increase or decrease since Express Entry is a dynamic system. It has yet to be determined what the CRS distribution of Express Entry candidates will be. When there are many Express Entry candidates with high CRS scores, the CRS cut-off tends to be higher. When this number of candidates is lower, the CRS cut-off becomes lower. As you can see, Express Entry results vary widely. CRS cut-off scores can fluctuate significantly within weeks, dropping or increasing by many points.
It is usually in your best interests to enter the pool, irrespective of your CRS score, since it gives you a greater chance to immigrate to Canada eventually. Remember that aside from your language test and obtaining an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), it is free to enter the Express Entry pool, so you keep everything even if you have doubts about your CRS school. You will need to complete a language test and obtain an ECA for most skilled worker immigration programs, so cost is not a prohibitive factor in entering the Express Entry pool.

Entering the Express Entry pool if you are eligible is beneficial for you since it increases your chances of successfully immigrating to Canada:

• First, as mentioned above, entering the Express Entry pool is free. You incur some costs before entering the pool for your language test and ECA, but you will need to incur these costs for most Canadian immigration programs if you wish to apply.
• Express Entry CRS cut-off scores are constantly fluctuating and are impossible to predict. A low CRS score could be enough to secure an invitation to apply for permanent residence eventually.
• While you are in the Express Entry pool, you can improve your CRS score by retaking your language test, gaining more eligible professional work experience and/or education, or working and studying in Canada.
• While in the pool, you may obtain an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination which will guarantee you will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for a Canadian permanent resident visa.
• You may also receive a Canada job offer while in the pool, giving you a high enough CRS score to obtain an ITA for permanent residence.
• You can apply directly to other Canadian immigration programs in the Express Entry pool.

There are two components to answer this question. The first component is identifying whether your CLB level is enough to make you eligible for an Express Entry program. The second component is determining whether your CLB level is enough to make your CRS score competitive.

First, you need to ensure your CLB level meets the requirements of one of the three Express Entry programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program: You need at least a CLB 7 for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in one of the official languages to qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
• Canadian Experience Class: You need at least a CLB 7 across all four language abilities under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) if you have a NOC skill type of 0 or A. You need at least a CLB 5 across all four language abilities under the CEC if you have a NOC B skill type.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: You need a minimum CLB 5 for speaking and listening and at least CLB 4 for reading and writing.

Secondly, you want to ensure you get the highest possible CLB level on your language exam. If you are a single Express Entry candidate, 310 CRS points will be available to you if you take official language tests in both English and French. Even if you only take a test in one language (e.g., English), you need to consider how much weight IRCC places on your language test score in the Comprehensive Ranking System.

Before you take your language test, make sure to study diligently. Even if you are fluent in English and/or French, you should check for the test to ensure you get the highest CLB level possible. If you believe you can get an even higher CLB level, you are welcome to retake your language test as often as you wish until you obtain a comfortable language test score.

The federal government and provinces and territories can operate their immigration programs. However, the federal government makes the final decision on whether a candidate can obtain permanent residence. Express Entry manages three of the numerous economic immigration programs operated by the federal government.
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows provinces and territories to signal to the federal government that an immigration candidate meets the economic needs of their region. Such candidates obtain a provincial nomination which they can use to support their permanent residence application submitted to the federal government.
A provincial nomination is the most valuable factor under Express Entry’s CRS. It results in an Express Entry candidate receiving an additional 600 points towards their CRS score, which guarantees they will receive an ITA.

A Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not required for an Express Entry job offer to be valid if all the following three of these conditions:

• You have continued to work full-time for the employer on your work permit for at least one year (or you have worked for the employer part-time for an equivalent length of time as one year)
• The job offer fulfills other requirements for it to be valid, such as falling under NOC 0, A, or B skill type, being recent (e.g., within the last year), and not being from a diplomatic mission in Canada.
• You have a work permit exempt from an LMIA under an international agreement such as CUSMA (formerly known as NAFTA), a federal-provincial agreement, or the “Canadian interests” category. Examples of “Canadian interests” exemptions are available here.

If you are working in the skilled trades, you can receive job offers from up to 2 employers, and you must work for both of them.

No. A work permit is not a job offer. A job offer is valid under Express Entry if other eligibility criteria are met. The employer has provided you with a written full-time job offer for one year or more if you receive permanent residence approval and your employer obtains an LMIA if one is required or the job offer falls under an LMIA exemption.

The best way to increase your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is to obtain a provincial nomination. To do this, you can apply directly to a PNP stream aligned with Express Entry. You can also enter the Express Entry pool so a province can invite you to apply through their PNP. Obtaining a provincial nomination will provide you with 600 additional CRS points, guaranteeing that you will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence from IRCC. You can obtain either 50 or 200 extra CRS points if you obtain a valid job offer under Express Entry.
Another significant way to improve your Express Entry CRS score is by obtaining the highest score possible on your English or French test. Language is a substantial component of the CRS.

The Express Entry CRS cut-off score is dynamic and varies from draw to draw. You should always identify how to maximize your CRS score, irrespective of what it is. It means ensuring you claim all the points you are eligible for based on your education, work experience, language skills, and other CRS criteria. Identify what steps you can take to improve it if you believe your current CRS score is too low such as by retaking your language test, obtaining more work experience and/or education, and obtaining a provincial nomination or a job offer valid under Express Entry.

You need the following documents:

• your passport or travel document
• language test results
• proof of Canadian education or your educational credential assessment (ECA) report
• proof of funds
• provincial nomination (if you have one)
• written job offer from an employer in Canada (if you have one)

Please get in touch with us if you need help with creating an Express Entry profile and consultation.

You can find your National Occupation Classification (NOC) code on IRCC’s website.

No. Your profile expires after one year. If you wish to remain in the Express Entry pool, you must wait for your profile to expire and submit a new one on IRCC’s website. IRCC suggests you take screenshots of your expired profile to make it easy for you to re-submit your information.

Yes, you can update it after submission.

You must complete a language test that IRCC has authorized for Express Entry. Your language test score is valid for two years. Your options are:

English

• CELPIP General
• IELTS General Training

French

• TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
• TCF Canada : Test de connaissance du français

No. Your language test will evaluate you across four abilities: reading, writing, listening and speaking. It may be possible to achieve a different score for the same ability after taking a test multiple times. Unfortunately, you can only submit your language test results from one test. Fortunately, you can submit your best language test result. Note that your language test score is valid for two years. One approach you can pursue is entering the Express Entry pool, retaking the language test until you get your desired score, and then updating your Express Entry profile to increase your CRS score.

You need to obtain your Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a body designated by IRCC.

Your options are:

• World Education Services
• Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
• International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
• International Qualifications Assessment Service
• International Credential Evaluation Service
• Medical Council of Canada (the professional body for Doctors)
• Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (the professional body for Pharmacists)

Yes. You will need to include in your Express Entry profile the amount of money you will have available to help you settle in Canada to demonstrate that you can financially support yourself and any family members who immigrate with you.
You have to meet the proof of settlement funds criteria if you receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Federal Skilled Trades Program unless you are legally authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada. Those who receive a permanent residence invitation under the Canadian Experience Class do not need to meet proof of settlement funds criteria.

Using the Canadian government’s Job Bank, you can look for a job while in the Express Entry pool. You can also apply directly to employers in Canada, use private sector job boards, and network with employers through social media. Note there are scammers who will ask you to pay a fee for a job offer that is illegal in Canada.

You will need to create a new profile and submit it on IRCC’s website again since ineligible profiles are no longer valid and cannot be changed.

You must provide IRCC with the requested documents and pay any necessary fees. Examples of requested documents include:

• Valid passport
• Birth certificate
• Language test results
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
• Police clearance certificates
• Medicals
• And more