Canada Express Entry

Choosing a program

Express Entry manages three programs, and a profile is assessed against each one. Their minimum criteria differ:

1. Canadian Experience Class: one year of Canadian work experience in the last three years, in an occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. No job offer or education is required.
2. Federal Skilled Worker Program: one continuous year of experience in the last ten years in your primary occupation, in TEER 0 to 3, with Canadian or foreign experience accepted. Secondary education is required, and a valid job offer earns points but is not required.
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program: two years of experience in a skilled trade within the last five years, plus either a valid full-time job offer of at least one year or a certificate of qualification issued by a Canadian province, territory or federal authority.

Applicants eligible for one of these programs can also be nominated through the Provincial Nominee Program, and a nomination adds points.

Documenting work experience

Proof of work experience is where contractors and self-employed applicants run into trouble. IRCC’s document list gives a reference or experience letter from an employer as its example, so anyone without a conventional employer should assemble contracts, invoices and client statements before creating a profile. An educational credential assessment is required for Federal Skilled Worker applicants and for anyone claiming points for education earned outside Canada.

Settlement funds

Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must show funds sized to family size: CAD 15,263 for one person, CAD 19,001 for two, CAD 23,360 for three and CAD 28,362 for four. Family size includes a spouse or partner and dependent children even if they are not coming to Canada. Canadian Experience Class applicants are exempt, as are applicants already authorized to work in Canada with a valid job offer.

The funds must be available both when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued. Equity in real property does not count and money cannot be borrowed from another person. Proof is an official letter from each bank on its letterhead, listing your outstanding debts and, for each account, the number, opening date, current balance and 6-month average balance.

Fees

The fee for the main applicant is CAD 1,590, made up of a CAD 990 processing fee and a CAD 600 right of permanent residence fee. A spouse or partner pays the same amount and each dependent child pays CAD 270. The right of permanent residence fee can be paid with the application and is refunded if you withdraw or IRCC refuses the file. A biometrics fee is also listed among the application fees, at CAD 85 per person or CAD 170 for a family of two or more. The permanent resident card costs CAD 50.

After the invitation

An Invitation to Apply is valid for 60 days. If it expires, the profile is removed from the pool and a new profile is needed. A profile that receives no invitation expires after 12 months.

The system builds a personalized document checklist once the form is complete. Police certificates are the slowest item, so IRCC advises requesting them as soon as the profile is in the pool. The certificate for the country where you live must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit. An officer can ask for certificates covering any period since age 18.

The immigration medical exam is a requirement, and family members need one even if they are not coming. It is best taken after the invitation and as close as possible to the application date. Do not book more than one appointment. Results must be valid when you submit and when you land.

Keeping status and moving to citizenship

A permanent resident must have been in Canada at least 730 days in the last five years, and the days need not be continuous. Some time abroad can count toward the total. Status does not end when the PR card expires. It ends only by an officer’s decision, voluntary renunciation, a removal order or becoming a citizen. A PR card can only be delivered to an address in Canada.

Citizenship requires at least 1,095 days physically in Canada during the five years before applying, including at least 730 days as a permanent resident. Applicants aged 18 to 54 must also show English or French skills and pass the citizenship test. Canada allows dual citizenship, but the country of your current citizenship may not.