Express Entry Process: Explained

Express Entry is an online system used to manage immigration applications from skilled professionals.

There are 3 immigration programs managed through Express Entry:

• Canada Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Workers Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program

​​1. Find your NOC (National Occupational Classification)​​

To be eligible, you must first ensure that your job experience, as defined by the NOC system, is eligible for Express Entry. Applicants for Express Entry (or any other Canadian immigration program) must specify the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code that applies to their work. Making the right NOC choice is so critical to a successful migration to Canada.

How Do You Find Your NOC?

You can start by searching the NOC website for the NOC job code whose description resembles your current work.

You must centre your NOC code search on job duties rather than job titles. Job duties are the most crucial because they must be included in your proof of work experience. IRCC will compare your employment duties to those of the NOC job code. You should concentrate on the lead statement and the major duties in the NOC job code.

​​2. Obtaining an Evaluation of Educational Credentials​​

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) determines whether a foreign degree, diploma, or certificate is equivalent to one in Canada. For instance, an ECA will assess if a candidate’s foreign Master’s degree meets the same standards as a Master’s degree from Canada. You must present an ECA if your credential was granted by a Canadian educational organization.

​​You do not need to meet a minimum educational requirement to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program. If you apply for the ECA for your diploma, you can still receive CRS points for any secondary education you received outside of Canada.

​​3. There are two approved English tests and two for French:​​

IRCC-approved English tests:

IELTS: you must take the “General Training” option and not the “Academic Training”. There are test locations pretty much everywhere in the world (140 countries) and fees are around $320, depending on the country. 

CELPIP: you must take the “General Test” option and not the “General LS Test”. You can only take the test in Canada, Dubai, Chandigarh, Manila, and New York, and fees vary between $265 and $340 depending on the country. 

IRCC-approved French tests:

TEF Canada: you must take either the paper or online-based (e-TEF) test. They have locations pretty much everywhere in the world and fees are around $300, depending on the country. 

TCF Canada: you can also take this test in various locations around the world, for a fee of around $300.

Language Test Results Validity

Your test results must be less than two years old when you 

(i) Complete your Express Entry profile

(ii) Apply for permanent residence

4. Calculating your CRS score

Overview of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

Express Entry candidates are given a score out of 1,200 based on the four major sections:

A. Core / human capital factors: These include points for Age, Education, Canadian Work Experience and Language proficiency. These are considered key to economic success for immigrants.

B. Spouse or common-law partner factors: These include the accompanying spouse or common-law partner’s Language proficiency, Education, and Canadian Work Experience.

C. Skills transferability: This section provides additional points to your profile that are based on a combination of factors, e.g a combination of your Education, Language proficiency, and/or Non-Canadian Work Experience.

D. Additional points: This section awards 600 additional points for a Provincial nomination, and other additional points for a valid job offer, etc.

5. Getting into the Express Entry Pool

To enter the pool, follow these two steps: To enter the pool, you must (i) create a GCKey account and your profile, and (ii) use the ‘Come to Canada’ tool to verify your eligibility and obtain your Personal Reference Code.

Come to Canada Tool

There is no need to provide any supporting document at this stage, not even your name. Before you start, you need the below information:

• Age
• Country of nationality
• Education qualifications: enter your highest credential as per your Educational Credential Assessment.
• If single, married or in a common-law relationship.
• Number of members in your family.
• Language ability: English and/or French language test results and exam dates for you, and your spouse/partner if applicable.
• Number of years of Work experience.
• If you have a valid job offer in Canada.
• Your destination province(s) (do not choose Quebec or you will be deemed inadmissible) 
• The amount of money you have in your possession.

6. Create a GCKey account and Express Entry profile

If you haven’t taken the necessary language test(s) and obtained your ECA, you should avoid creating an Express Entry profile. Your report numbers will be required.

When creating your profile you will be asked for the Personal Reference Code that we got earlier from the Come to Canada tool. Fill up the code in the relevant field, and it will automatically fill in some of the information already given in the Come to Canada tool.

​In order to create your Express Entry profile, you will need to enter detailed information on the following :

1. Personal Reference Code,
2. First name, middle name, last name, 
3. Gender,
4. Date, country, and city of birth,
5. Marital status,
6. ID documents data,
7. Number of dependent family members,  
8. Settlement funds amount,
9. Education history,
10. Education Credential Assessment date, results, and reference number,
11. Language test date, results, and reference number,
12. Work history and National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes for each work experience,
13. Passport or travel document number, expiry date,
14. Choice(s) of province,
15. Details of Provincial nomination, if applicable,
16. Details of a valid job offer, if applicable, and
17. Details about representatives, if applicable.

7. Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

What is an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

When a candidate in the Express Entry pool receives a CRS score that is higher than the cut-off threshold score established in each draw, they are sent an invitation to apply (ITA). It is received in the correspondence part of the Express Entry profile after being sent by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A candidate cannot submit an application for permanent residency before acquiring the ITA.

Candidates who fulfil the cut-off requirement are invited to apply for permanent residency when IRCC conducts a draw from the pool. Having received an invitation to apply, the applicant is now in a position to immigrate to Canada and get permanent residence status in a matter of months.

8. What happens if I am eligible for multiple Express Entry programs?

In that case, you will be invited to apply for one program based on this order:

1. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
2. Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program
3. Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program

9. Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

Through a procedure usually referred to as a “Draw” or “Round of Invitations,” IRCC sends Invitations to Apply (ITA) to applicants who rank highest in the pool. Therefore, in order to receive an ITA, you must achieve high CRS scores.

If your Express Entry profile is active, and your CRS score is equal to or higher than the cut-off score for a specific draw, you will receive an ITA. However, for some draws, not all candidates at the cut-off score receive an ITA. Only those who have been in the pool the longest with that score are selected, depending on the total number of ITAs issued.

Once you receive an ITA, you’ll get a letter via your account. This ITA will include crucial information such as the program you should apply for, your CRS score and its breakdown, and the deadline for filing your electronic application for permanent residence. Additionally, it outlines the actions you can take after receiving the ITA.