What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an online system used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) to manage applications for permanent residency for skilled worker immigration programs.
How Does Express Entry Work?
Under Express Entry, foreign nationals submit a profile to determine eligibility for the programs managed by Express Entry and to determine ranking under those programs. During the course of each year, IRCC holds rounds of invitations. Each round specifies the minimum rank needed to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency for one or more specified programs. Foreign nationals who are eligible for those specified programs and who are ranked at or higher than the minimum rank for those programs are invited to apply for permanent residency.
Each round of invitation is subject to the prevailing rules issued by the Minister of Immigration, including as to ranking of foreign national candidates. Under current rules, foreign nationals are ranked in the first instance using a points based system known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”). Thereafter, foreign nationals with the same number of points competing for an invitation in the same round for the same programs covered by that round are ranked based on the time their profile was submitted to Express Entry.
Express Entry Application Deadline
If a foreign national receives an invitation to apply for permanent residency, the foreign national must submit an application for permanent residency before the deadline specified in the round of invitation. Generally, an application must be submitted within 60 days.
Who is Eligible for Canada Express Entry?
To receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency under Express Entry, a foreign national must meet a number of conditions.
Express Entry Profile
The foreign national must submit an expression of interest by completing a profile through Express Entry. The profile must include the results of an approved language test and, if the foreign national did not complete his or her education in Canada, an assessment of the equivalency of his or her educational credentials. The results of the language test and the assessment of equivalency of educational credentials must be less than 2 years old and 5 years old respectively. If during a period of expression of interest these results expire, the foreign national is no longer eligible under Express Entry.
Comprehensive Ranking System
The foreign national must rank high enough in the invitation round for the program for which he or she is eligible. Ranking is based primarily on the number of points assigned to a foreign national based on the foreign national’s submitted profile. These points are assigned under the Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”). Under CRS, the maximum number of points is 1,200 across 4 categories:
Category | Description | Maximum Points |
---|---|---|
Core Human Capita | Age, level of education, official language proficiency and Canadian work experience of the foreign national | 500 if foreign national has no accompanying spouse; or 460 if foreign national has an accompanying spouse |
Accompanying Spouse Factors | Level of education, official language proficiency and Canadian work experience of the foreign national’s spouse | 40 |
Skill Transferability Factors | Combination of level of education and official language proficiency, combination of level of education and Canadian work experience, combination of foreign work experience and official language proficiency, combination of Canadian work experience and foreign work experience and combination of certificate of qualification and official language proficiency | 100 |
Additional Factors | Provincial nomination, qualifying offer of arranged employment, Canadian educational credentials, sibling in Canada and French language proficiency | 600 |
As is evident from the foregoing, CRS is weighted predominantly towards the core human capital factors and the additional factors.
Program Eligibility
Based on the profile, the foreign national must meet eligibility requirements under one of the immigration programs managed by Express Entry. The immigration programs managed by Express Entry are the Federal Skilled Worker Program (“FSWP”), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (“FSTP”) and Canadian Experience Class (“CEC”).
Foreign nationals who are eligible for these programs may apply through Express Entry for nomination to a Provincial Nominee Program. If successfully nominated, they may receive additional points under the CRS.
What CRS Score is Required for Canadian Permanent Residency?
The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”) score to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency under Express Entry varies in each Express Entry round. It is important to remember that under current practice, meeting the minimum score may be insufficient to receive an invitation as Express Entry invites foreign nationals to apply for permanent residency based on ranking. Where more than one foreign national has the same CRS score, the foreign nationals are ranked according to the time of submission of their Express Entry profile.
In recent sample Express Entry rounds, the number of invitations issued and the CRS score for the lowest ranked candidate receiving an invitation were as follows:
Date of Round of Invitation | Immigration Program | Minimum Ranking to Receive Invitation | CRS score of lowest ranked candidate |
---|---|---|---|
March 2, 2022 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,047 | 761 |
February 16, 2022 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,082 | 710 |
February 2, 2022 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,070 | 674 |
August 19, 2021 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 462 |
December 23, 2020 | All programs | 5,000 | 468 |
August 6, 2020 | Federal Skilled Trades | 250 | 357 |
March 4, 2020 | All programs | 3,900 | 471 |
September 24, 2018 | Federal Skilled Trades | 400 | 284 |
The majority of Express Entry rounds in the past few years have focused on the Provincial Nominee Program, in which the CRS scores have generally been higher than those in rounds open to other programs.
What is the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)?
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (“FSWP”) is a Canadian immigration pathway to Canadian permanent residency open to foreign nationals with work experience in prescribed management, professional or technical occupations, who meet minimum language and education requirements, who intend to reside outside Quebec and who demonstrate the ability to become economically established in Canada.
A foreign national who meets the threshold criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program is eligible to submit an expression of interest in applying for permanent residency through the Express Entry System. In essence, the Express Entry System scores the foreign national on a Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”), ranks them based on this score and the time of their application and issues invitations to apply for permanent residency based on their ranking.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is open to skilled workers whether or not they are working in Canada. However, Canadian work experience is a positive factor which can assist with acquiring points under CRS.
What is the Federal Skilled Trades Program?
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (“FSTP”) is a Canadian immigration pathway to Canadian permanent residency open to foreign nationals who wish to reside outside of Quebec based on qualifications in a skilled trade.
To qualify a foreign national must have at least 2 years of full time work experience (or the equivalent in part-time experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before the application in a skilled trade within prescribed occupations. These occupations are described in the National Occupational Classification (“NOC”) and relate to industrial, electrical and construction trades, maintenance and equipment operation, natural resources, agriculture and related production, manufacturing and utilities, chefs and cooks and butchers and bakers.
Foreign nationals who wish to apply under FSTP may need to undergo an assessment of their experience, skills and knowledge against provincial or federal standards which must be met to perform the skilled trade. Foreign nationals without a valid job offer of full time employment for at least 1 year must have a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by the regulatory authority in the province or territory in which they seek to reside or, where applicable, by the Canadian federal authority.
What is the Canadian Experience Class Program?
The Canadian Experience Class Program is a Canadian immigration pathway to Canadian permanent residency available to foreign nationals with prior work experience in Canada who demonstrate an ability to become economically established in Canada, who meet minimum language requirements and who intend to reside outside of Quebec.
The Canadian work experience must be at least 1 year in duration in the last 3 years before the application is made. In the case of a full-time job, this will mean that the applicant should have worked at least 30 hours per week for 12 months (1,560 hours). The work experience should have been acquired by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work. The work experience must be in a managerial job, a professional job or a technical job or skilled trade as set out in Skill Level 0, Skill Type A or Skill Type B in the Canadian National Occupation Classification (“NOC”).
As with the Federal Skilled Worker Program, a foreign national who meets eligibility requirements under the Canadian Experience Class Program must submit an expression of interest in applying for permanent residency through the Express Entry System. The Express Entry System will score the foreign national using the Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”), rank the foreign national according to the score and the time of their application and issue invitations to apply for permanent residency based on ranking.