Express Entry

The skilled workers class is one of the major class of Economic immigration category. Express Entry (EE) is an electronic immigration selection system used to manage the applications of skilled workers who wish to become permanent resident of Canada. An interested candidate creates an online Express Entry profile on IRCC’s website. An eligible candidate is accepted into the Express Entry pool and receives a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The CRS is a points-based system used by IRCC to assess and rank candidates in the Express Entry pool. The CRS score is calculated based on a candidate’s age, education, work experience, language skills, as well as other factors.

Approximately every two weeks, IRCC selects the top candidates from the Express Entry pool whose CRS score is higher than the cut-off score of the EE draw performed by IRCC on that day and provides them with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. All candidates who receive an ITA are currently required to submit the supporting documents along with their application and government processing fees within 60 days. IRCC aims to process complete PR applications in only 6 months.

To be eligible for Express Entry, candidates must meet the criteria of at least one of the following federal economic immigration programs:

1. 1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
   2. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
   3. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

If you do not become eligible for Express Entry, you may consider applying directly to a province or territory through the Provincial Nominee Program or find out about other options to immigrate to Canada since Canada operates dozens of different skilled worker immigration streams.