What is the Express Entry System?
The Express Entry System was established in 2015 and has become the fastest and most popular pathway for newcomers seeking a new life in Canada. It is a conduit for immigrants to become Canadian Permanent Residents. This new system allows Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to proactively assess, recruit and select immigrants who are skilled and/or possess the relevant qualifications under federal economic immigration programs.
This was is in comparison to the old system that was based entirely on the actions of the prospective applicant choosing to immigrate to Canada without any correlation between their skills and prospects for employment in Canada. The Express Entry system ensures that immigrants who are provided with an Invitation to Apply for immigration have a better chance of being gainfully employed in their field.
The Express Entry System is beneficial to not only immigrants, but to Canada as a whole. Studies based on demographic challenges in Canada indicate that Canada will need to rely on immigration for many years to come to sustain economic growth. The Express Entry program enhances Canada’s ability to select the most appropriate immigrants for immediate labour market needs and processes those applications in a timely manner.
CICC processes applications that have all the supporting documents in six months or less.
Read more about the Federal Express Entry Programs.
The Steps for Express Entry
Express Entry is an online system that CICC uses to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.
Step 1: Find out if you’re eligible
- See if you meet the minimum requirements.
- Read the detailed requirements for each program
Step 2: Get your documents ready
You need documents, such as language test results, to show that you’re eligible for Express Entry. Some documents take a long time to get, so you should get them ready now.
Step 3: Submit your profile
Your Express Entry profile is where you give information about yourself. If you’re eligible, you’ll be accepted into the candidate pool.
You’ll be ranked in the Express Entry pool using a points-based system. Your score is based on the information in your profile.
Step 4: Receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence
College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) sends invitations to apply to the candidates with the highest scores in the pool.
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria
The Federal Express Entry Programs use a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to evaluate, score and select candidates. The CRS attributes points to candidates based on:
- English and/or French Skills (Canada’s two official languages)
- Education
- Work experience
- Age
- Whether the candidate has a valid job offer, and
- Adaptability (how well you are likely to settle in Canada)
Learn more about the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria
Get your education, work experience and credentials recognized in Canada
An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is used to verify that your foreign degree, diploma, or certificate (or other proof of your credential) is valid and equal to a Canadian one.
Learn more about the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
