What is the Express Entry process?

The Express Entry Canadian immigration process has two stages. First, eligible candidates indicate their interest in obtaining permanent residency. Second, the Canadian government will invite the highest scoring candidates to immigrate to Canada. Candidates are drawn approximately every two weeks.

Do you want to know your eligibility for Express Entry to Canada?

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Or Call Us: 1-(888)-509-1987

Start Your Online Assessment

Or Call Us: 1-(888)-509-1987

Do you want to know your eligibility for Express Entry to Canada?

Call us toll-free or take less than a minute to fill our Online Assessment for Your Visa Options.

Canada is holding Express Entry draws regularly throughout the coronavirus pandemic and is inviting the highest levels of immigrants since Express Entry was launched in 2015.

How does Express Entry work?

Express Entry is very simple and contains two major stages. In the first major stage, candidates who are eligible for Express Entry indicate to the Canadian government their expression of interest in obtaining Canadian permanent resident status.

In the second major stage, the Canadian government invites the highest-scoring candidates to immigrate to Canada.

To apply for Express Entry, you must:

Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry.
Complete your language testing and obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
Submit your profile on the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Wait to see if you receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence from IRCC.
Submit your completed Application for Permanent Residence (APRR) to IRCC and pay your fees within the specified deadline. You need to include your medical exam and police certificates as part of this step. IRCC will then provide you with an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR).
Submit your biometrics once IRCC asks you to do so.
Wait for IRCC to make a final decision on your APR. IRCC aims to finalize applications in 6 months or less. Once your application is approved you will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and a permanent resident visa (if you are from a country that requires a visa) so you can travel to Canada and complete your landing.

How long does the Express Entry process take?

An Express Entry profile can be valid for up to one year. Candidates who receive an ITA can expect the Canadian government to process their permanent residence applications within six months. The government begins to measure the processing time when a complete permanent residence application is received.

The processing time ends when a final decision is made on the application. If a candidate does not receive an ITA within one year of creating their Express Entry profile, they can simply re-submit their profile if they are still eligible.

What are the benefits and restrictions of Express Entry?

There are various strengths and limitations of Express Entry, but the pros far outweigh the cons.

Canada got its inspiration for Express Entry from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand was the first country to launch an "Expression of Interest" system in 2004, followed by Australia in 2012.

Canada launched Express Entry in 2015 to improve the way it processes skilled worker applications and provide a better experience to immigration candidates.

Prior to Express Entry, Canada operated a first-come, first-served application system. The problem with the old model is there were far more applications submitted than there were available skilled worker immigration spots each year. As a result, successful candidates would often need to wait several years for IRCC to provide them with a permanent resident visa.

IRCC introduced Express Entry so that it could issue permanent resident visas to successful candidates far more quickly. Now it is able to issue visas to successful candidates within 6 months, compared with 6 years under the old system.

In addition to being faster, Express Entry is beneficial to immigrant candidates because the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is based on plenty of Canadian government research that has been able to determine what characteristics enable immigrants to succeed in Canada and find good jobs.

Immigrants who are young and middle-aged, have high levels of education, professional work experience, and high levels of English and/or French skills become very successful in the Canadian job market. IRCC research since 2015 finds that Express Entry immigrants perform at a very high level in the labour market. Express Entry immigrants can feel confident that they will be in a strong position to eventually work a professional job in Canada.

The biggest limitation of Express Entry is that it does not offer immigration candidates certainty that they will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Under the previous system, candidates were expected to receive a permanent resident visa as long as they met all the eligibility and admissibility criteria. Under Express Entry, only candidates with the highest CRS scores have the opportunity to obtain a permanent resident visa.

On the bright side, however, Express Entry draws occur regularly, usually every two weeks, which gives you many opportunities to receive a permanent resident invitation. You can always try and increase your CRS score through ways such as obtaining a Canadian job offer, a provincial nomination, studying in Canada, obtaining more eligible professional work experience, and improving your English and/or French language test score. In addition to Express Entry, Canada offers over 100 different skilled worker immigration pathways.

How much does Express Entry cost?

Submitting an Express Entry profile to the government pool of eligible candidates is free of charge.

However, candidates incur some costs before submitting their Express Entry profile.

Possible costs before submitting an Express Entry profile may include

English or French language exam by a language-testing organization that has been approved by the Canadian government
Educational Credential Assessment
Fees if you need to translate any documents into English or French language
Hiring an immigration professional (e.g., a law firm). Click here to learn how our Law Firm can help you with Express Entry.
Government fees and other costs after you receive an ITA, including medical exams, police background checks, and biometric fees
$825 processing fee and $500 right of permanent residence fee
Spouse or dependent child processing fees

Do I need a Canada job offer under Express Entry?

No, you do not need a job offer to be successful under Express Entry. Obtaining a job offer does not guarantee you will succeed, however it will help to increase your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. You can obtain either 50 or 200 additional CRS points if you receive a job offer that is eligible under Express Entry.

What sorts of backgrounds do Express Entry immigrants have?

Each year, Canada welcomes immigrants through Express Entry from over 100 different countries. Since it became the first country in the world to launch a points system for skilled workers back 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 in 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 a diversity of 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.

Can my family come with me under Express Entry?

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.

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Am I eligible for Express Entry?

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 10 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 who have 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 3 years of the application date and also meet language proficiency criteria.

Federal Skilled Trades Program: The FSTP is available to candidates who want to become permanent residents on the basis of 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 5-year period of submitting an application; meet the job requirements of the skilled trade; have a full-time job offer in Canada for a period of at least 1 year or possess a certificate of qualification in the skilled trade that has been provided by an official Canadian authority; and meet language proficiency criteria.

What Canadian immigration options do I have?

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 of its skilled worker immigrants through Express Entry.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): It is the second major way that Canada welcomes skilled workers.

Quebec: The province of Quebec operates its own immigration system to recruit skilled workers.

Other Federal Immigration Programs: In addition to its Express Entry programs, IRCC offers other skilled worker immigration pathways. Options include moving to Canada's Atlantic provinces, 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 major stepping stone towards 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.

Should I enter the Express Entry pool if I have a low CRS?

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

First, it is free to enter the Express Entry pool. You incur some costs before entering the pool for your language test and ECA, but these are costs you will need to incur for the majority of Canadian immigration programs you wish to apply to.

Express Entry CRS cut-off scores are always fluctuating and are impossible to predict. What may seem like a low CRS score could be enough to eventually secure an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

While you are in the Express Entry pool, you can work on improving your CRS score such as 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 essentially 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 which may give you a high enough CRS score to obtain an ITA for permanent residence. You can apply directly to other Canadian immigration programs while you are in the Express Entry pool.

Is my language test CLB level good enough for Express Entry?

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 identifying 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 be eligible 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 that you get the highest possible CLB level on your language exam. If you are a single Express Entry candidate, for example, a total of 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.

What makes a job offer valid under Express Entry?

IRCC states that a valid job offer under Express Entry generally meets the following criteria:

is full-time and not a seasonal job
is at least one year
is a skilled job that falls under skill type 0, A, or B in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
be recent (e.g., within the last 1 year)
not be from an embassy, consulate, or high commission

Job offers must be written and outline the likes of your duties, pay, and conditions of employment (e.g., which hours you will work.

Job offers often need to be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) but there are jobs that are exempt from the LMIA requirement. If an LMIA is required, your employer must apply for one by submitting an application to Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada.

Valid job offers under Express Entry are worth either 50 or 200 additional CRS points. Valid job offers under NOC skill type 0, A, or B are awarded 50 additional CRS points. Job offers under NOC skill type 00 are eligible for 200 additional CRS points.

Which Express Entry job offers are exempt from requiring an LMIA?

An LMIA is not required for an Express Entry job offer to be valid if all three of these conditions are met:

you have continued to work full-time for the employer on your work permit for at least 1 year (or you have worked for the employer part time for an equivalent length of time as 1 year)
the job offer fulfills other requirements for it to be valid such as it falling under NOC 0, A, or B skill type, being recent (e.g., within the last 1 year), and not being from a diplomatic mission in Canada
you have a work permit that is exempt from an LMIA under an international agreement such as CUSMA (formerly known as NAFTA), 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.

I am already working in Canada. Does this count as a job offer?

No. A work permit is not a job offer. A job offer is valid under Express Entry if, among other eligibility criteria, your 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.

What are the required documents for an Express Entry profile?

When submitting your Express Entry profile, IRCC will ask you for information from 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)

Will IRCC keep my profile after one year?

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

Can I combine my language test scores for Express Entry?

No. Your language test will evaluate you across four abilities: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It may be possible that you 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, retake the language test until you get your desired score, and then update your Express Entry profile to increase your CRS score.

How can I obtain an ECA for Express Entry?

You need to obtain your Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a body that is 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 (professional body for Doctors)
Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (professional body for Pharmacists)

Do I need to include my proof of settlement funds in my Express Entry profile?

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 will be able to financially support yourself and any family members who immigrate with you.

You will only be required 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.

If you are eligible for more than one program, you are unable to choose which program IRCC will issue your invitation under.

I was previously ineligible but now I am eligible for Express Entry. What should I do?

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.

What do I need to do if I get an ITA for permanent residence?

You will need to provide IRCC with 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

Express Entry process FAQs

Candidates who receive an ITA can expect the Canadian government to process their permanent residence applications within six months. The government begins to measure the processing time when a complete permanent residence application is received.

The processing time ends when a final decision is made on the application.

Possible costs before submitting an Express Entry profile may include:

English or French language exam by a language-testing organization that has been approved by the Canadian government
Educational Credential Assessment
Fees if you need to translate any documents into English or French language
Hiring an immigration professional (e.g., a law firm). Click here to learn how our Law Firm can help you with Express Entry.
Government fees and other costs after you receive an ITA, including medical exams, police background checks, and biometric fees
$825 processing fee and $500 right of permanent residence fee
Spouse or dependent child processing fees

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What is the Express Entry process?

How does Express Entry work?

How long does the Express Entry process take?

What are the benefits and restrictions of Express Entry?

How much does Express Entry cost?

Do I need a Canada job offer under Express Entry?

What sorts of backgrounds do Express Entry immigrants have?

Can my family come with me under Express Entry?

Am I eligible for Express Entry?

What Canadian immigration options do I have?

Should I enter the Express Entry pool if I have a low CRS?

Is my language test CLB level good enough for Express Entry?

What makes a job offer valid under Express Entry?

Which Express Entry job offers are exempt from requiring an LMIA?

I am already working in Canada. Does this count as a job offer?

What are the required documents for an Express Entry profile?

Will IRCC keep my profile after one year?

Can I combine my language test scores for Express Entry?

How can I obtain an ECA for Express Entry?

Do I need to include my proof of settlement funds in my Express Entry profile?

I was previously ineligible but now I am eligible for Express Entry. What should I do?

What do I need to do if I get an ITA for permanent residence?

Express Entry process FAQs

What are the processing times for an Express Entry application?

What are the application fees?

Can my family come with me under Express Entry?

Why Start with My Visa Source with a Free Online Assessment?

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Planning on entering the United States or Canada this year or in 2025? Avoid potential issues by consulting with a licensed immigration professional. Book a consulation today! Learn More

What is the Express Entry process?

How does Express Entry work?

How long does the Express Entry process take?

What are the benefits and restrictions of Express Entry?

How much does Express Entry cost?

Do I need a Canada job offer under Express Entry?

What sorts of backgrounds do Express Entry immigrants have?

Can my family come with me under Express Entry?

Am I eligible for Express Entry?

What Canadian immigration options do I have?

Should I enter the Express Entry pool if I have a low CRS?

Is my language test CLB level good enough for Express Entry?

What makes a job offer valid under Express Entry?

Which Express Entry job offers are exempt from requiring an LMIA?

I am already working in Canada. Does this count as a job offer?

What are the required documents for an Express Entry profile?

Will IRCC keep my profile after one year?

Can I combine my language test scores for Express Entry?

How can I obtain an ECA for Express Entry?

Do I need to include my proof of settlement funds in my Express Entry profile?

I was previously ineligible but now I am eligible for Express Entry. What should I do?

What do I need to do if I get an ITA for permanent residence?

Express Entry process FAQs

What are the processing times for an Express Entry application?

What are the application fees?

Can my family come with me under Express Entry?

Why Start with My Visa Source with a Free Online Assessment?

Begin Your Application for Temporary Residence Today!

See What Our Clients Are Experiencing

Overall Planned Canadian Permanent Resident Admissions

Your Source For Everything Immigration

Media

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE

Planning on entering the United States or Canada this year or in 2025? Avoid potential issues by consulting with a licensed immigration professional. Book a consulation today!