Express Entry - A Great Path to Permanent Residence

Express Entry (EE) is an application processing system that helps people become permanent residents in Canada through its three economic programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). To qualify for CEC, you need one year of Canadian work experience in a high-skilled job within the last three years before your application. For FSWP, you need one year of foreign skilled work experience and a high school diploma. For FSTP, you need two years of skilled trade work experience in the last five years and a qualification certificate, or a job offer from a Canadian employer. All programs require you to take a French or English language test.

Once you qualify for one of these programs, you get a score based on your qualifications and other factors through the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). If your score is higher than the minimum score during an invitation round, you will be invited to apply for permanent residence.

The CRS gives points for your age. If you're between 20 and 29, you get 100 points. But the points drop by 5 each year starting at age 30, and by age 45, you don't get any points. You also get points for education, language skills in French and English, and Canadian work experience. More education, work experience, and higher language test scores give you more points. There are also points for "skills transferability factors," which are combinations of factors like foreign work experience plus Canadian work experience or a high language test score plus foreign work experience. A job offer for a management position gets you 200 points, and a high-skilled job offer gets you 50. A provincial nomination gives you 600 points, almost guaranteeing an invitation. Having a diploma from a Canadian post-secondary school gets you 15 or 30 points, and if your siblings live in Canada, you get 15 points.

Invitations happen a few times each month, including category-based rounds. Lately, invitations in general draws have been given to candidates with scores of 500 or more. But don't be discouraged by a high score. There are three good reasons to apply to the Express Entry pool:

First, it's hard to predict future CRS scores. By applying, you get a chance of getting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) if the IRCC increases the number of invitations, which would lower the lowest score.

Second, provinces and territories can invite you to apply for their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) if you're in the Express Entry pool. If you receive a nomination through the PNP your CRS score will increase by 600 points.

Third, you can work on improving your CRS score after applying for Express Entry. You can enhance your English and/or French language skills, get more work experience, continue your education, work in Canada, or get a Canadian job offer. To see if you're eligible for Express Entry, use our assessment.