Express Entry Program

Express Entry is an online selection system used by the Canadian government for Canadian immigration. It's an online process that manages applications received for selecting skilled and qualified candidates for Canadian immigration. The express entry process has brought a big transformation in the way Canada chooses skilled immigrants for immigration to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) allows the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) draw eligible candidates to apply for the process of Canada permanent residency.

How to Check My Eligibility?

Six selection factors

• Language skills points
• Education points
• Work experience points
• Age points
• Arranged employment in Canada points
• Adaptability points

Selection factor points assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

You will be assessed based on your selection factors and assigned an overall score out of 100.

You need to score 67/100 to qualify for the program and to submit an Express Entry application.

The eligible candidates can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). For EOI, the candidate needs to create an online Express Entry profile and enter the Express Entry Pool, where they will be awarded a score by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Understanding the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

Candidates will be assigned a score out of 1,200 under the CRS. This score is utilised to rank the federal economic candidates to apply for immigration to Canada. Candidates have an option to improve their rankings and increase their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

IRCC performs the draw twice or thrice every month from this pool of Candidates, where the top-ranked candidate will receive an ITA accordingly. The use of CRS is not a selection criterion but it's a ranking system for eligible candidates under the three primary immigration programs of Canada:

• Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Class
• Canadian Experience Class

Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW)

This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently. Skilled workers are chosen as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other factors. These things often help them succeed in Canada.

This program has minimum requirements for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education

You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST)

The FST is prescribed as a class of people who meet all of the following criteria:

• They are qualified in a skilled trade
• They may become permanent residents on the basis of their ability to become economically established in Canada.
• They intend to reside in a province other than Quebec

Minimum requirements to be eligible,

• You must meet the required language levels.
• You have at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply.
• You meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification.
• You have a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year or certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The CEC is a permanent residence category for people with skilled work experience in Canada. It was developed for temporary foreign workers and foreign graduates with qualifying Canadian work experience. The Canadian experience credits extra CRS points in your Express Entry profile. They have similar requirements as FST & FSW.