Express Entry stands as the Canadian Government’s innovative solution to streamline the Permanent Resident visa process for a spectrum of Economic Immigration Programs. This electronic system, featuring online submissions, significantly accelerates processing times, with most applications processed in approximately 6 months.
The following programs are processed by Express Entry:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
To qualify for the Express Entry program:
You need to fulfill the eligibility criteria for one of the Immigration Programs processed through Express Entry. Each program has its own set of requirements. If you meet these criteria, you can express your interest by creating a profile outlining your personal details, including skills, work experience, language proficiency (test scores), and education.
All eligible candidates are pooled together and ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Regularly, a predetermined number of the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply for Permanent Residence. Upon receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA), candidates have 90 days to submit their permanent residence application along with all necessary documents. Failure to submit all required documents within this timeframe will result in the application being rejected. Once the process is complete, successful candidates and their dependents (spouse and children) can immigrate to Canada as Permanent Residents, taking the first step towards Canadian citizenship.
Candidates who remain in the Express Entry pool without receiving an ITA will stay in the pool for 12 months and may be selected in the future. If not selected after 12 months, they can express their interest again by creating a new profile.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) assesses eligible candidates for immigration to Canada through Express Entry based on various factors, including core human factors, accompanying spouse or common-law partner factors, skill transferability factors, and factors related to provincial nomination or qualifying job offers.