What Is Express Entry ?
On 01st January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has set a faster and unique process to welcome aspiring skilled professionals from any part of the world to meet their immigration needs by introducing the Express Entry System, a comprehensive online electronic visa processing method.
The Express Entry system allows Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to proactively assess, recruit and select immigrants who are skilled and/or possess relevant qualifications under federal economic immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The Express Entry program will also allow individual provinces and territories to use the system in order to recruit suitable candidates as part of the Provincial Nominee Programs so that their local/regional/provincial labour market demands are met.
How Express Entry Works:
Step 1: Find out if you’re eligible
Candidates who are eligible for the Express Entry program can complete an online profile which will include various details about themselves, including their skills, their language ability, education and previous work experience, amongst others.
Step 2: Get your documents ready
Step 3: Submit your profile
After you have successfully completed your Express Entry profile, you have to submit your profile to the Express Entry pool. If you are eligible, the system gives you a score and ranks you according to several specific criteria.
Keep in mind that completing an online Express Entry profile or entering the pool doesn’t guarantee that you will be invited to apply for permanent residency.
Foreigners will wait to receive an ITA. Each draw whether it is through a PNP or Express Entry will have a minimum CRS score and those with a ranking CRS score higher than the published one will receive an invitation. Once one has received an ITA, there is a 60 day period where you must apply and submit all the required supporting documents to become a permanent resident.
Step 4: Receive an invitation and apply for permanent residence
When IRCC conducts a draw from the pool, candidates who meet the cut-off threshold are invited to apply for permanent residence. The receipt of an invitation to apply means they are now in a position to settle in Canada with permanent resident status within a matter of months.
