Express Entry

Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Eligibility

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) programme is suited for candidates with recent Canadian job experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently. CEC is also one of the quickest paths to permanent residence in Canada, taking as little as three to four months to complete!

What is the Canadian Experience Class program?

CEC is controlled through the Express Entry system and ranks interested candidates using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Applicants with competitive CRS scores will be invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Who is eligible for Canadian Experience Class Program?

A candidate must have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equivalent amount of part-time) skilled job experience in Canada to be eligible for CEC. The Canadian work experience must have been obtained within the prior three years of the application date.
For foreign nationals with no previous Canadian job experience, CEC is not a possibility.

Canadian Experience Class requirements

To be counted toward your CEC application, your 12-months of Canadian work experience must match the following criteria:

• 1. Have been gained in Canada within the previous 36 months on the date of filing of the computerised Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR).
• 2. Your job duties in Canada are classified as NOC Code Skill Level 0, A, or B.
• 3. Have legal, paid employment experience in Canada.

Work experience earned while enrolled in full-time study in Canada cannot be included.

Candidates who meet these criteria will be able to submit an Express Entry profile for the Canadian Experience Class programme. Candidates should keep in mind, however, that they must meet Canada's minimum admission requirements. Certain criminal crimes and medical problems may render a person ineligible for entry into Canada.

Is proof of funds required for Canadian Experience Class?

The CEC programme does not demand proof of money. You will not be needed to furnish any financial documentation.

Does internship experience in Canada count towards my Canadian Experience Class application?

It varies. You may consider your paid internship toward the Express Entry work experience requirement if it is not a requirement for your school.

Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program

The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programme is one of three immigration categories available through Canada's Express Entry system. Candidates with international work experience and no ties to Canada can apply for permanent residency through the FSW programme.

What is the FSW program?

The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programme is operated through the Express Entry system and ranks candidates who seek to settle permanently in Canada using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Unlike CEC candidates, Federal Skilled Workers are not required to have Canadian work experience in order to enter the Express Entry pool. Instead, candidates must obtain a certain number of points depending on variables such as work experience, language proficiency, and education. Applicants in the pool with the most competitive CRS scores will be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Who is eligible to apply under the FSW program?

To be eligible for the FSWP, candidates must achieve the following minimum requirements in terms of years of experience, degree of education, age, and English or French language proficiency:

• Work Experience
  A minimum of 12 months of continuous, full-time, skilled job experience completed within the past ten years (or an equal amount in part-time experience).
  Skilled job experience is defined as NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B experience.
• Language Proficiency
  Successfully complete a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 English or French language test.
• Education
  A Canadian high school diploma or the equivalent in foreign education is required.
• Financial Support
  Enough money to support themselves and any spouses and/or children during their transition to Canada.
• Residence in Canada
  The applicant must intend to live outside of Quebec.

How can I apply under the FSW program?

Interested candidates must apply through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Submitting an Express Entry profile does not guarantee a candidate will be granted permanent residence in Canada. A candidate will be assigned a CRS score and evaluated in future Express Entry drawings for Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence only after submitting an Express Entry profile.
An FSW candidate must present the following papers when submitting their Express Entry profile:

• 1. Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA)
• 2. Language Proficiency Test Results
• 3. Identification Documents

How long does it take to process an FSW application?

A Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Express Entry profile will be valid in the candidate pool for 12 months.
If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) while in the pool of candidates, you will have 60 days to submit a full application and paperwork to the Government of Canada.
From the time an Express Entry application is received by Canadian authorities until the issuance of a permanent residence visa, the normal processing period is six months.

Am I required to show settlement funds for FSW?

Federal Skilled Workers must demonstrate that they can support themselves and their families once they arrive in Canada.
The amount of money needed for settlement is determined by the number of family members listed in your application. Please see the table below for the amount needed for your household size.

Do I need to provide language test results for the FSW program?

Candidates must produce results from an approved language exam in order to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker programme. Federal Skilled Workers must achieve a CLB 7 or higher in each section of the language exam to meet the minimum eligibility standards.

Federal Skilled Worker program vs Express Entry

The Express Entry system is used to administer the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Express Entry is a mechanism that organises applications for three major economic immigration programmes, including FSWP.

Federal Skilled Trade (FST) Program

One of the three federal immigration programmes controlled by the Express Entry system is the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program. FST, like all Express Entry programmes, ranks prospective individuals against one another using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), inviting only the most competitive people to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

Program Requirements for FST

A candidate must have at least two years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade to be eligible for FST (or an equal amount in part-time). This experience must have occurred within the past 5 years, and it only takes into account work experience earned after an individual has been awarded certification to perform the trade in their country of residence.
If a person has the required job experience, they must additionally meet the following FST programme eligibility criteria:

• 1. Job Opportunities in Canada
  Have a genuine offer of full-time employment for at least a 12-month period or a certificate of qualification in their skilled trade from a Canadian provincial or territory authority.
• 2. The language
  Successfully complete a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 English or French language test.
• 3. Permanent residency in Canada
  The applicant must intend to live outside of Quebec.

The FST Application Process

If a person fits these qualifications, they can apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada for an Express Entry profile (IRCC). Submitting an Express Entry profile does not guarantee a candidate will be granted permanent residence in Canada. A candidate will be assigned a CRS score and evaluated in future Express Entry drawings for Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence only after submitting an Express Entry profile.
When submitting an Express Entry profile, an FST candidate must supply information from the following documents:

• 1. Language Proficiency Examination Results
  All Express Entry candidates must provide results from an approved language test performed within the last two years.
• 2. Identification Paperwork
  Candidates must give details from identification documents. A candidate and all accompanying family members should ideally have valid passports.
• 3. Evaluation of Educational Credentials (ECA)
  An FST candidate must present a valid ECA report attesting to the value of overseas education by Canadian standards in order to claim points for education. In Canada, five organisations are permitted to issue ECA reports. For educational certificates earned from a Canadian educational institution, this is not required.

Draws for Express Entry

Canada's Express Entry system, which was launched in 2015, arranges immigration applications for three federal immigration programmes: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). A candidate must first submit an Express Entry profile to the pool of candidates in order to be considered for these programmes. All Express Entry profiles are ranked against one another using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which awards a CRS score of 1200 points to each candidate.
Every two weeks, the Canadian government holds an Express Entry draw. Each draw has a CRS cut-off score, which signifies the lowest-ranking candidate's CRS score in order to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. After receiving an ITA, a candidate has 60 days to complete and submit an official electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR).

What kinds of Express Entry Draws exist?

There are three types of Express Entry draws held by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They are as follows:

• 1. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws: These draws are for Express Entry candidates with at least one year of Canadian work experience.
• 2. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) drawings: These draws target Express Entry candidates who have been nominated for Canadian permanent residence by a Canadian province.
• 3. Federal Skilled Trade Worker (FST) draws: These draws target Express Entry candidates who qualify for the Federal Skilled Trade Program. In general, these candidates have a lower CRS score than the rest of the pool.
• 4. All Program Drawings: There are no program-specific draws. Instead, they look at the applicant's overall CRS score, regardless of which programme they qualify for.

What do I need to do to have my profile selected in an Express Entry Draw?

The majority of Express Entry draws place emphasis on an applicant's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. As a result, once you have submitted your Express Entry profile to the pool, you should investigate all possible options to improve your CRS score ranking inside the pool.

What is the lowest CRS score accepted in an Express Entry Draw?

Each Express Entry draw has a different lowest accepted CRS score.
Since the introduction of the Express Entry system in 2015, the lowest CRS score ever accepted has been 75. This was from a CEC Draw held in February 2021.
The lowest CRS score obtained from an all-program draw for Federal Skilled Workers was 413.

How many profiles are selected in each Express Entry Draw?

Each Express Entry draw selects an unknown number of Express Entry Profiles. The number of profiles chosen in each draw is determined by the number of candidates in the pool, the quality of the candidates in the pool, and the needs of the Canadian labour market at the time of the draw.

What do you do if your profile has been selected from an Express Entry Draw?

If your profile is chosen in an Express Entry Draw, you will be sent an Invitation to Apply (ITA). You have 60 days after receiving an ITA to submit a comprehensive Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR). For additional information, please see our guidance to acquiring an ITA and submitting an eAPR.

How often are there Express Entry Draws?

There is no specific timeline for Express Entry Draws to happen, but, you may expect an Express Entry Draw at least every 2 weeks. Since the beginning of the COVID 19 epidemic, IRCC has held two Express Entry lotteries every two weeks. These Express Entry drawings have mostly targeted CEC and PNP applicants.

Am I more likely to be selected during an Express Entry Draw if I have a job offer?

Having an authorised Canadian employment offer does not secure you an ITA through an Express Entry Draw. However, it will improve your chances. When you apply to the Express Entry pool with a valid Canadian employment offer, you will be awarded 50 or 200 CRS points.
Furthermore, a Canadian job offer may make your profile more appealing to the province where the job offer is based.

How can you improve your CRS score to make sure you receive an invitation in the next Express Entry Draw?

If a candidate's CRS score is much lower than the minimal cut-off in the pool, they might consider trying to increase their score. For additional information on how to improve your ranking, please see Solex's CRS score and ranking guidelines.