Take The Plunge With Express Entry
Life in Canada happens in 6 months
What Is Express Entry To Canada?
Express Entry Canada is the gateway for the majority of newcomers who immigrate to Canada permanently each year in the federal economic immigration programs. It is one of the fastest ways to immigrate to Canada permanently, with Canadian Permanent Residence Visas generally issued within 6 months of applying.
Express Entry is an appealing program because decisions on applications are made quickly, so you aren’t left in limbo, wondering about your future, for years at a time. But the Express Entry system is more complicated than it seems, and you can miss your chance to live in Canada if you make even a small mistake on your application. Further, many people are spending a lot of money upfront for Express Entry – requesting Educational Credential assessment and official languages testing, with no understanding if they will qualify or not. Imagine how you would feel to spend several hundred dollars on assessments, only to find out that there was no chance to even get started in the first place?
This is where working with a Canadian immigration expert to understand your options around the Express Entry Canada program makes a lot of sense. At The Way Immigration, we understand the Express Entry system inside and out, and we can predict on the basis of a conversation whether or not it makes sense for you to spend the hundreds of dollars to obtain the necessary assessments. There is a good chance you will actually save money by having a consultation with our firm in advance of starting the Express Entry process.
Let’s Get Into The Details Of How Express Entry Works
The Express Entry application system consists of 2 stages, the Express Entry profile and the eAPR (electronic Application for Permanent Residence). Both steps are included in the IRCC online system.
Stage 1: Express Entry Profile
If you are interested in applying through the Express Entry system, you can create an online express entry profile by entering information related to your age, language ability (French or English), level of education, past work history in a skilled occupation, and some family details. The electronic system then reviews your information to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria for one of Canada’s 3 main federal economic immigration programs, in order to become an express entry candidate. If your express entry profile is accepted into the express entry pool, you are eligible to be invited to apply for permanent residence.
The federal express entry programs are The Federal Skilled Worker program, The Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
A. The Federal Skilled Worker Program – Express Entry
Qualifying under the Federal Skilled Worker program requires that you demonstrate:
- Minimum 1 year work experience in the same skilled occupation
- Language test results of a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in English or French
- Settlement funds to support your family upon arrival to Canada, unless you are presently working in Canada and received points for a valid job offer
- Minimum 67 points in the selection factors, which consist of:
- Language ability
- Education – verified by an Educational Credential Assessment
- Work experience
- Age
- Arranged employment in Canada, and
- Adaptability points which consider spouse language skills, past work or study in Canada, a job offer in Canada and a close relative living in Canada
B. The Canadian Experience Class – Express Entry
Qualifying under the Canadian Experience Class program requires that you demonstrate:
- Minimum 1 year work experience in a skilled occupation Canada
- Language test result showing a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 or 7 in English or French, depending on your work experience
C. The Federal Skilled Trades Program – Express Entry
Qualifying under the Federal Skilled Trades program requires that you demonstrate:
- Minimum 2 years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past 5 years, including the following occupations:
- Industrial, electrical and construction trades
- Maintenance and equipment operation trades
- Supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production
- Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators
- Chefs and cooks
- Butchers and bakers
- Must meet the National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupation requirements for that trade, except for Provincial trade certification
- Language test results of a minimum CLB 5 for speaking and listening, plus minimum CLB 4 for reading and writing
- A valid job offer in Canada or a Canadian trade certificate
- Settlement funds to support your family upon arrival to Canada, unless you are presently working in Canada and received points for a valid job offer
If you meet the criteria to apply in one of the three programs, you are accepted into the Express Entry Pool and you receive a ranking score on the basis of several factors. This score is referred to as the Express Entry CRS Score – or Comprehensive Ranking Score.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
The Comprehensive Ranking system operates to rank express entry candidates, in order to determine who will be invited to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada. Several times each year, the Minister of Immigration issues an invitation to apply for permanent residency to the eligible candidates in the Express Entry pool who have the highest-ranking score.
The CRS score is determined on the basis of age, language ability, work history, education, spouse factors, a Canadian job offer, a provincial nomination, a sibling living in Canada and strong French skills. The highest possible CRS score would be a perfect 1200. For 2023, most candidates needed an express entry score above 480 to receive an invitation.
Stage 2: The Electronic Application For Permanent Residence (eAPR)
Once you have been issued an invitation to apply for Permanent Residence through an Express Entry draw, you have 60 days to submit a perfected application. The application itself is completed entirely online and you are required to upload documents to verify the qualifications you declared when creating your profile. There are two points of focus when preparing your supporting documents – category of application and CRS. You need to provide documents that prove you are eligible under the category of application for which you were invited. You also need to include documents that prove each of the factors that contributed points to your express entry score.
Express Entry Cost
In addition to the costs for assessment of your language ability and education, and your upfront medical exams, there are Canadian immigration government fees payable when you submit your permanent residence application through Express Entry.
To submit the Express Entry permanent residence application, you will need to pay $850 per adult and $230 per accompanying child, plus $170 family biometrics fees. You can also pay $515 per adult Right of Permanent Residence fee (RPRF) at the time of application, or you can wait until these fees are requested by IRCC. The RPRF is not mandatory when you apply but must be paid before you can receive permanent residence. If your application is refused, you will receive a refund of the RPRF, but the application fees and biometrics fees paid to start the application are non-refundable.
How To Prepare For Express Entry To Canada
Because Express Entry is both costly and time sensitive, our best recommendation is to meet with an expert at the start of your journey, so that you have a clear idea of how, or even if, you qualify. During that meeting, you can determine which assessments you need to complete in order to get the result you are seeking, within a time frame that makes sense for your situation. Not only are the assessments costly, but they also expire, and you certainly don’t want to have to pay for them twice.
Working with our firm also assures that if you are eligible, your application will be prepared properly and you will gain Canadian Permanent Residence at the end of the process. If you submit an application that is rejected, there is no guarantee that you will ever be invited to apply again, as CRS points decrease sharply with age, work-related circumstances can change, and the Express Entry program itself is constantly evolving.
Not everyone will qualify for Express Entry, but that doesn’t mean that living in Canada permanently is out of reach. There are dozens of ways that you might qualify to immigrate to Canada, and meeting with one of our experts will ensure that you fully understand what other opportunities are available, along with the steps that you can take to maximize your chances to immigrate to Canada.
A Word About Canadian Job Offers for Express Entry
It is not mandatory to have a Canadian job offer to qualify through Express Entry, but a job offer from one or more Canadian employers can significantly increase your CRS score under Express Entry. It’s important to understand that only certain foreign workers qualify to gain these extra Express Entry points. Valid job offers to obtain Express Entry points include only the following situations:
- Valid LMIA
- Work permit based on an LMIA
- Work permit not based on an LMIA, but which lists the employer and occupation, and you have already spent 1 year working in the position
Provincial Nomination Program & Express Entry
Several Canadian Provinces also offer an Express Entry stream for their Provincial Nomination programs. In all cases, you must first have an active Express Entry profile. Some Provinces will review the available candidates in the Express Entry pool and send an invitation to candidates that meet their program requirements. Other Provinces require that you first create your active profile, and then contact the Province directly to request nomination. More detailed information about the various PNP programs, including the Express Entry PNP streams, is available here.
Express Entry Changes 2023
From the start of Express Entry in 2015 until 2023, the program operated by issuing invitations to those Express Entry candidates with the highest CRS score at the time of the draw. Starting in 2023, the Canadian federal government, has indicated that IRCC will start using the Express Entry system to target candidates with work experience in specific occupations that are in demand in Canada. Choosing immigrants on the basis of their occupation skills will enable Canada to minimize the negative effects of skills shortages in the Canadian economy, but it will make the Express Entry application process more uncertain for applicants. In the past, being invited to apply was a matter of having a good CRS score; however, moving forward candidates will need both a good CRS score and skills that are needed by Canada.
Express Entry FAQ
What is Express Entry in Canada?
Express Entry is a system that allows Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to manage Permanent Residence application intake. The system is designed to ensure that Canada can control the number of applications it intakes at any given time, so that processing times can be kept reasonable. The system also allows Canada to target certain types of new immigrants, either by language skills, level of education, age, or work experience in a certain occupation. This allows Canada to select immigrants who best meet the demographic needs of Canada, rather than accepting everyone who wants to come to Canada.
How to apply for Express Entry Canada?
Express Entry is a two step process whereby you first create an Express Entry profile to tell Canada you are interested in immigrating, and then if chosen by Canada you are able to submit an application for Permanent Residence. There are costs involved with assessments that you need to complete before you can submit an Express Entry profile, plus most people who submit a profile will not be eligible for an invitation to apply for Permanent Residence. Please review our article about when not to apply for Express Entry before you take steps to create an EE profile.
Do I need a Job Offer to apply for Express Entry?
A job offer is not mandatory to apply for Express Entry, but many applicants will not have enough CRS points to be successful without a valid job offer from a Canadian company.
How to get a Job offer from Canada for Express Entry?
Although it’s definitely possible, it is not simple to get a job offer from a Canadian company when you are overseas. The Canadian employer will have to spend significant time and money to obtain approval from the Canadian government to hire you, which is a mandatory component of a valid job offer for Express Entry. The government jobs website is www.jobbank.gc.ca and all employers who are seeking to hire foreign workers in Canada must advertise their positions on that site.
Who is Eligible for Express Entry Canada?
It’s important to remember that you can be eligible for Express Entry (you can submit an Express Entry profile) without ever being invited to apply for Permanent Residence (receive an Invitation to apply for PR). In 2023, your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for Permanent Residence are highest if you are under age 30, fluent in French or English (or both) and if you have a Master’s Degree. Other factors that may help include work experience in a specific occupation that IRCC targets, a sibling in Canada who is a Permanent Resident or Citizen, Canadian work experience, and/or completing your post secondary education at a Canadian school. Once you have reached age 40, the chances of you being invited to apply for PR through Express Entry are very low.
What is a good CRS Score for Canada Express Entry?
As of the date this article is written, candidates need a CRS Score higher than 480 to be invited to apply for Permanent Residence through Express Entry. It is possible to monitor the CRS score required to receive an invitation on the IRCC website.
IRCC is planning to move to a system that targets certain occupations instead of simply issuing invitations to apply based on the highest overall CRS.
What IELTS Score is Required for Canada Express Entry?
The language scores required for Express Entry vary depending on what Federal Immigration program you are eligible for. See above for the breakdown by program stream.
Can I bring my family with me to Canada through Express Entry?
Your immediate family members should be included in your Express Entry application, including your spouse or common law partner plus any children who are less than 22 years old and still single.
How Long Does it Take to Process an Express Entry Application?
Express Entry applications are supposed to be processed to a final decision within 6 months. This timeframe can take longer if you have complications with your application like a past criminal record or medical issues in your immediate family.
