Canadian Express Entry Explained

Canada has a program called Express Entry which is a program designed to fast track permanent residency applications for qualified individuals. The intent is to find applicants that have skills which are needed in Canada. Essentially, this means that if the Canadian job market has a shortage of engineers than Express Entry will look for Engineering applicants. This is accomplished by having applicants fill out an online application. This application records information about you and stores it. Points are assigned for the various answers that you have filled in. For example, you will receive points based on your age. Depending on what the market shortages are at a given time will impact the points you receive for your occupation. Eligible individuals are sorted into a pool of eligible individuals for specific permanent resident programs. These individuals are ranked based on their predicted economic success and the people with the highest scores are invited to apply for permanent residency.

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is the manner in which points are assigned for specified categories. These are: Age, Level of Education, Official Language Proficiency, Second Official Language, Canadian Work Experience. This score will be used to determine which permanent residency program you are eligible for. You can check which programs you are eligible for after you have submitted a profile by looking at the Details section of your online account. It will say “Met” next to any program you qualify for. Therefore, you will be considered for multiple programs simultaneously.

The Programs You Could Be Considered For Are:

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

This system allows the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC) to asses and recruit individuals that will meet the immigration requirements. Additionally, it allows the individual provinces to locate individuals that would benefit the Province.

Express Entry Steps:

1. Complete an online Express Entry Form
2. The Government has Express Entry draws periodically. Each draw invites a batch of applicants to apply for permanent residency.
3. If you are:
   1. Invited to apply: You will have 60 days to submit your application, including all supporting documentation.
   2. Did not receive an invitation: You will be automatically re-entered into the pool for the next Express Entry Draw.

An immigration lawyer can help you to maximize your CRS score and to answer any of your questions about Canadian Express Entry.