A Brief Introduction to Express Entry

As described by IRCC, Express Entry is an online system that IRCC uses to manage immigration applications such as:

1. Federal Skilled Worker

   1. Open to anyone who has skilled work experience and meets eligibility requirements 

2. Canadian Experience Class

   1. Open to those who have at least 1 year of skilled Canadian work experience in addition to other conditions
      
      

3. Federal Skilled Trades

   1. Open to professionals who work in skilled trades occupations and meet remaining program instructions

4. Provincial Nominee Program*

   1. Open to select applicants who are applying for permanent residence under a provincial program that goes in tandem with Express Entry

      1. Must be noted that only select PNPs have this option, most programs run separately from Express Entry

So what does it mean?

It means, when you create an Express Entry profile, the system will automatically categorize your profile into one (or two) of the categories above.

This is important because when Express Entry conducts invitation rounds, the system will invite select candidates from the above categories (unless the system conducts a general draw). 

Meaning that if you are only eligible for Canadian Experience Class but the recent invitation round targeted candidates from Federal Skilled Trades, you won’t be invited to apply and will have to wait the next time IRCC conducts a general draw or Canadian Experience Class draw. 

Understanding CRS Points:

CRS stands for Comprehensive Ranking System - a point scoring system that IRCC uses for Express Entry. 

Applicants are evaluated based on age, education, work experience and language abilities. Extra points are awarded to those who have a sibling with a Canadian PR or citizen status.

While it is impossible to change the points in the age category, there are other ways to increase your chances of getting an invitation to apply.

If you are looking to improve your CRS score, you should consider the following options:

1. If your language test results are below CLB level 9 in all 4 categories, re-take it - this can drastically boost your score.

2. If you speak French or are willing to learn French. It will not only boost your score, but also make you eligible for French language proficiency draws as long as the results are at NCLC level 7 in all 4 categories.

3. Arranged employment can add 50 or 200 points by way of having an LMIA or a closed work permit through LMIA-exempt programs. 

4. Pursuing post-secondary education in Canada - the program must be at least 1 year in duration to claim 15 points and 3 years to claim 30 points. 

IRCC created a free calculating tool for anyone to use and calculate their own potential score within the Express Entry system. 

Creating a Profile:

To create an Express Entry profile you must have English (or French) test results that were issued within the last 2 years. 

IRCC accepts TCF, TEF, IELTS, CELPIP and PTE only, TOEFL or Duolingo will not be acceptable. 

If you have a non-Canadian post-secondary degree, then it must be assessed by an approved organization to evaluate it to a Canadian equivalent - also called an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).

Without these 2 items, you won’t be able to create your Express Entry profile. 

Otherwise, the system will ask a series of eligibility questions and then direct you to the page where you will be able to complete and submit your profile into the pool. 

NOC Codes:

NOC stands for National Occupational Classification - it is a numeric system that organizes occupations into 5-digit codes.

Choosing an accurate NOC code for each work experience is very important because a wrong NOC code could lead to an application refusal. 

This is what you must do in order to identify your NOC code:

1. Search your job title on the official government website 

   1. Sometimes it may not show up so use alternative titles that are similar to yours

2. Once the system shows you possible NOC codes, carefully review the NOC description and duties

   1. When selecting a NOC code, at least half of the NOC-described duties must match with the ones that you perform(ed)

3. Utilize AI platforms to help you with the search or confirm your findings

   1. Or reach out to a licensed immigration practitioner to help confirm it for you

Entering the Pool:

As soon as you submit your profile into the pool, you will be able to see your score and the category under which you are eligible for. 

While the profile is active, you can always go back and make edits or changes to it. 

The profile will be active for 12 months or until expiry of language tests (2 years) or ECA reports (5 years).

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If you were not invited to apply for permanent residence, you can recreate your profile as many times as you’d like - it won’t negatively affect your immigration history with the IRCC. 

A moment for clarity here: creating a profile and entering yourself into the pool does not mean that you submitted an application for permanent residence. 

It is merely an indication that you showed interest in becoming a permanent resident and submitted your profile in the pool for selection.

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Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence:

Express Entry conducts selection draws a few times in a month - you can see them here. 

You will get the invitation to apply only if you meet the selection requirements of the draw - sometimes the system conducts general draws for all categories and at other times it will invite applicants from specific categories. 

After the invitation to apply is received, you will be asked to complete your profile with remaining information and upload documents such as passport, photo, employment and education documents, etc. 

Information, Documents, Submission:

The following information will be asked from you after the ITA (invitation to apply) has been received:

1. Family information

2. Address and travel history over the last 10-year period

3. Work and personal history over the last 10-year period

4. Statutory questions about military service, criminality, medical history, etc.

I advise my clients to create a spreadsheet to include all of this information because it will come in very handy at the citizenship stage. 

In terms of documents, you will be asked to provide the following:

1. Identity documents such as passport, photo, national ID (if applicable)

2. Education documents such as diplomas, transcripts and ECA reports for non-Canadian degrees

3. Employment documents such as employment verification letters, payslips, notice of tax assessment (Canadian work experience) 

4. Police clearance certificates from any country of 6+ residence after turning 18 years age

5. Proof of relationship documents if you have a Canadian sibling or your application includes your spouse and your children 

All documents must be in English or French and strictly follow IRCC translation requirements.

Once the profile is fully completed and the documents have been collected, you can submit the application and pay application fees. 

The processing of the application can take anywhere between 2~12 months depending on the category of the application and of course - the reviewing officer on the application. 

Want to speak about your application or have some questions about your profile? Get in touch with me here and let’s go over all your questions.