Canadian immigration express entry is a system that manages applications for permanent residence under existing immigration programs. It basically selects qualified workers for Canada under the federal economic programs. Applicants must submit online profiles to the Express Entry Pool so Canadian provincial governments and employers across the country can access the best candidates invited by the federal government to apply for permanent residence.
Who is eligible?
Express Entry immigration is designed for skilled workers who are currently working in Canada or even other countries. Therefore, it is important to check with the National Occupational Classification to find out whether or not your occupation qualifies before applying. To qualify for entry, you must be in one of the existing immigration programs which are the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. The programs also come with different requirements including work experience, education, and language skills.
The process
The Express Entry system is not as complicated as it might seem. It is actually a short process that involves a couple of steps.
Step 1
The first step in Express Entry requires the potential candidate to complete the relevant online profile. The form is secure and is used to provide the necessary information about your language ability, work experience, skills, education, and other details needed to assess you. By meeting the criteria of the federal immigration program, candidates are accepted into the candidate pool. In the event candidates do not have LMIA-supported job openings or nomination from the territory, they will need to register with the ESDC job bank to connect them with eligible Canadian employers.
Candidates can also increase their opportunities with employers through the use of job and recruitment boards. ESDC LMIA is required for job offers to be valid in Express Entry and also to earn points. Permanent residency applications, however, do not attract a fee.
Step 2
After the application and evaluation of the candidates, the highest ranking candidates will be invited to apply for permanent residence. The system ranks candidates by points, also known as the comprehensive ranking system. The information provided in the profiles is what is used to award the points and those with higher scores in the group receive an invitation to apply. Points are awarded for job offer, nomination of territory or province, and experience and skill factors. LMIA-endorsed job postings and nomination by province attract additional points for candidates. The higher you are ranked as a candidate, the better your chances of getting invites.
After receiving an invitation, you are offered a 60-day window period to submit an application for permanent residence. Citizenship and Immigration Canada takes six months or less to process full applications and candidates can stay in the pool for up to a year. In case they are not invited to apply for permanent residence within this period, they can submit new profiles to start the process all over again.
Canadian immigration express entry makes it easy for interested candidates to obtain permanent residence in the county. Find out if you qualify and start your journey to Canada.