Immigrate to Canada through Express Entry for Skilled Workers. This step-by-step guide has everything you need to apply for Express Entry Canada, including its types, eligibility requirements, and application process.
Latest Update on Targeted Express Entry Draws: Canada launches a new process to welcome skilled newcomers with work experience in priority occupations as permanent residents. The category-based selection process will enable Canada to issue invitations to apply for permanent residency to individuals with specific skills, training, or language proficiency.
Learn more about Targeted Express Entry Draws here.
The Express Entry System is still the most popular system for immigrating to Canada. Prospective immigrants who wish to settle in the country and obtain Canadian citizenship can follow this step-by-step process to apply for Canada Express Entry:
You can get Canadian permanent residence within 4-8 months of the time period through Canada Express Entry programs. Let’s go into detail on how to apply for permanent residency in this step-by-step guide for Canada Express Entry.
Start your application for Canada Express Entry with our licensed experts.
The Express Entry System consists of three economic immigration options.
If you qualify for one of these three programs, you can also apply for the Provincial Nominee Programs through Express Entry. If you are nominated, you will receive up to 600 extra points and will get an invitation faster.
Each program under the Canada Express Entry system has unique eligibility requirements outlined below:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program remains one of the most popular programs under the Express Entry System. You may be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program if you meet the following requirements:
The Federal Skilled Trades Program provides a permanent residence pathway for skilled workers with 24 months of continuous or part-time equivalent work experience in a qualifying skilled trade in the past five years. These trades must fall under TEER 2 or TEER 3 category.
In case you do not have the full 24 months of work experience mentioned above, you will need to also meet the following requirements:
The Canadian Experience Class program is ideal for candidates with Canadian work experience. Many international students use the CEC as their preferred pathway for Canadian immigration. You may be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class if you meet the following requirements:
The Canada Express Entry steps for applying through economic immigration programs are outlined below.
You must determine your eligibility for any of the programs under the Express Entry System before applying. You can check the requirements for the three programs below.
Candidates must get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) document to show that their education is equivalent to that in Canada. You can get this with the aid of some authorized organizations, such as WES.
To prove their proficiency in either one or both English or French (Canada’s official languages), the candidates must pass a language test. They get Express Entry points on the basis of test results which are valid for 2 years.
After completing language testing and Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) the candidates must create an Express Entry profile for one of the three federal economic immigration programs.
The candidates are then placed in the Express Entry pool where they are ranked by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on the basis of their CRS Score. After that, they wait to receive an ITA (Invitation to Apply) in the Latest Express Entry Draw.
Those who get invitations must send IRCC their fully completed Application for Permanent Residence (APR) and application fees by the due date. This stage requires you to attach copies of your police clearance and medical examination. After that, IRCC will give you an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR).
In this stage, IRCC processes your application and if the visa officer finds that they need some additional documents, they inform the candidates. It usually takes 6-8 months for a typical Canada Express Entry application to process.
IRCC makes the final decision on your Express Entry application and you receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR).
After that, candidates can move to Canada as a permanent resident.
The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are special immigration programs that are run by each province in Canada. They do not fall under the Express Entry System, which covers only the economic Federal immigration pathways.
However, it may be possible for candidates to earn 600 additional points on their CRS score if they receive a nomination under a qualifying Provincial Nominee Program. This will help them improve their odds of receiving an Invitation to Apply via the Express Entry System.
Learn more: Express Entry vs PNP which is better?
Start your application for Canada Express Entry with our licensed experts.
The CRS system awards candidates with points in different areas. This includes:
Younger applicants with high levels of education, extensive work experience in qualifying occupations, and high English or French language proficiency generally receive preference under the Express Entry System. It may be possible to increase your CRS score by gaining additional work experience, earning more education credentials, and by improving your language test scores.
Another option is to try for a provincial nomination. This will earn you an additional 600 CRS points towards your Express Entry Profile. Please get in touch with Elaar Immigration to learn the different ways to boost your CRS score.
This list includes the application processing fee, and other fees the candidates must pay to apply for Express Entry:
Additional fees for other procedures
The candidate must also present evidence of financial support in the form of bank statements, fixed deposits, etc., in addition to these costs. These settlement funds show the candidate’s ability to support themselves and any accompanying family members throughout their immigration to Canada.
| Number of family members (in Canadian dollars) | Funds required |
|---|---|
| 1 | $13,757 |
| 2 | $17,127 |
| 3 | $21,055 |
| 4 | $25,564 |
| 5 | $28,994 |
| 6 | $32,700 |
| 7 | $36,407 |
| If more than 7 people, for each additional family member | $3,706 |
Check if you have enough score for Express Entry Canada.
All the Canada Express Entry federal economic immigration programs take 6–8 months to process. The moment a complete application for permanent residency is received, the government starts tracking the processing time. When a decision is made about the application, the processing period is complete.
Candidates must visit the IRCC’s official website to check the most recent processing time for Canada Express Entry.
If you need assistance with your Express Entry profile, please get in touch with ELAAR. Our team of experts is headed by Keshav Sharma, a Licensed and Regulated Immigration Consultant with many years of immigration experience. Together we can help you optimize your Express Entry profile and maximize your odds of receiving an Invitation to Apply. Book a consultation here.
You may be eligible for Express Entry if you meet the requirements for any of the three programs under this system:
You need a minimum of $13,213 if you are applying through the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
You typically require a minimum of 67 points out of 100 if you wish to be eligible under the Express Entry System.
It takes around 6 months for Express Entry applications to be processed in 2022.
You can show proof of funds in the form of:
Express Entry draws occur every two weeks.
Get Canadian PR as a skilled worker, or international student through Canada’s Express Entry Programs.
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