Get immigration help you can trust. Book a consultation with one of Moving2Canada’s recommended Canadian immigration consultants.
Find the best immigration program for you. Take our free immigration quiz and we’ll tell you the best immigration programs for you!
Learn everything you need to know about Canadian immigration
If you need help with your immigration, one of our recommended immigration consultant partners can help.
Calculate your estimated CRS score and find out if you're in the competitive range for Express Entry.
Take the quiz
Your guide to becoming a student in Canada
Take our quiz and find out what are the top programs for you.
Learn more
Watch on YouTube
This guide will help you choose the best bank in Canada for your needs.
Get your guide
latest articles
Read more
Learn all about Express Entry and how it may help you immigrate to Canada.
Updated 9 hours ago
Advertisement
Individuals and families around the world can immigrate to Canada within just a few months through the Express Entry immigration selection system. First introduced in 2015, Express Entry has become the main driver of skilled worker immigration to Canada and one of the most popular immigration systems globally.
Let us help you navigate the process! Create a free Moving2Canada account to get expert guidance, build your career, and settle into your new life with confidence.
Express Entry is an application management system used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to manage and process permanent residency applications received through three of Canada’s federal economic immigration programs for skilled workers, including the Federal Skilled Worker program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trade program.
As one of the main drivers of economic-immigration to Canada, it is a competitive immigration system, ranking all eligible candidates against one another and then inviting the best ranking candidates to apply for Canadian permanent resident status. Candidates are ranked against one another based on their age, education, language proficiency, work experience, and other factors.
Under Express Entry, individuals and families wishing to settle in Canada can become new permanent residents within just a few months.
Potential Express Entry applicants need to be eligible under one of the following federal economic immigration programs.
A portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are aligned with the Express Entry program, but candidates still must be eligible under one of the three federal programs in order to enter the pool of candidates.
Though the eligibility requirements differ for each of the aligned- Express Entry program, all candidates are required to have at least one-year of skilled work experience, as well as a certain level of proficiency on an approved language test in either English or French. Also, Canada screens all Express Entry applicants for criminal history and medical issues that could make a person inadmissible.
Potential Express Entry applicants under one of the three federal economic immigration programs. The easiest way to determine your eligibility is to complete our free Moving2Canada immigration eligibility assessment.
Eligible individuals must submit a profile to the pool of candidates. The Express Entry profile acts as an Expression of Interest (EOI). Eligible candidates will automatically receive a score based on their profile and will be ranked against the other candidates in the pool.
The ranking score for Express Entry is based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and is out of 1,200 points. Candidates can improve their rank by taking steps to improve their CRS score. The higher a candidate’s CRS score, the higher the likelihood they will receive an Express Entry Invitation to Apply (ITA),
The CRS score is used as a cut-off point in Express Entry draws. It is designed to project an Express Entry applicant’s likelihood of being economically successful in Canada. It ranks different candidates based on their career and educational history, language skills, among other factors.
Up until Spring 2025, candidates can receive additional points if they have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer. Candidates can also get 600 additional points if they’ve received a provincial nomination.
The Moving2Canada Express Entry CRS Calculator allows you to check your Express Entry eligibility and potential CRS points total at the same time, without you handing over personal contact information. No other CRS Calculator lets you do all of this.
Before creating your Express Entry profile, take a moment to find out which program you may be eligible for and how competitive your profile may be.
Calculate your CRS score here.
Express Entry candidates may register with the Canada Job Bank, a free public resource used to help Canadian employers identify and select workers possessing the skills they require. This step used to be mandatory, but became voluntary as of June 2017.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who have not yet been selected are able to improve their profile and score. They can do this by submitting new and updated information. Examples include: increased language proficiency scores, educational credentials assessments, adding additional foreign work experience or Canadian work experience, and obtaining a provincial nomination. See our tips for improving your CRS score.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts Express Entry draws at regular intervals (usually every two weeks). In these draws, Express Entry candidates above a certain rank are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence. If a candidate is not invited, their profile will expire after 12 months, at which point they may submit a new profile.
If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you will be given 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence. In this application you will have to provide extensive personal information along with supporting documentation. The entire application is submitted electronically.
After you’ve submitted your application, you have to wait for a final decision to be issued. 80 percent of Express Entry applications are processed in six months or less. If your application is approved, then you will receive authorization to activate your permanent resident status in Canada to become a Canada PR (permanent resident).
If you receive an Invitation to Apply, you may submit an official application for permanent residence. This application is completed and submitted entirely online. Here are a few things to keep in mind about the final permanent residence application:
All FSW and FST applicants must demonstrate that they have enough money to support themselves and their family members during their settlement into Canada. Applicants with a valid job offer in Canada, as well as CEC applicants are exempt from this requirement.
The figures below are in place as of June 3, 2024.
A big misconception held by many in Canada who are working on LMIA-exempt work permits, such as the IEC Working Holiday Visas, is that the “job offer” that they have from their current employer is equal to what IRCC considers a valid job offer for Express Entry.
Note- As of Spring 2025, CRS points will no longer be awarded for valid job offers. Valid job offers are still important in the context of the Federal Skilled Worker Program eligibility.
Did you fudge a few months of work experience on your profile without knowing the real consequences? Well, you’re in for a big surprise . . .
The majority of the important data that you enter into your Express Entry profile carries over automatically into your electronic Permanent Residence (PR) application. Any changes you make at this stage could jeopardize your application.
Consequently, it is important to be conscious about everything that you enter in the first time around. You will be asked to provide documentation to support the claims you’ve made.
Lying on an immigration application is a serious crime and can result in a five-year ban from Canada.
Even though the educational credential assessment is not a requirement for FST and CEC, you should still get it done. Once the ECA is completed and added to an Express Entry profile, scores typically increase drastically. Therefore, if you’re a FST or CEC applicant with a post-secondary credential, begin the ECA process as soon as possible.
Even if you only need to show a Canadian language benchmark (CLB) level 7 for your language proficiency, you should aim to score as high as you can to increase your CRS score. Scoring CLB level 9 rather than CLB level 7 can drastically increase your CRS score.
It does not cost anything to submit an Express Entry profile to the Express Entry pool however, you may incur costs associated with gathering the necessary documents like your language test and ECA report. You can use our handy table we created so you can better anticipate your costs:
This question is best answered in two parts: before entering the Express Entry pool, and once in the pool.
There are three Canadian immigration programs through which you may become a candidate in the Express Entry pool: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). All 3 programs target skilled workers with either foreign work or Canadian work experience.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program program is for qualified tradespersons with recent experience in a listed occupation, and Canadian Experience Class is for people with recent skilled Canadian work experience. Neither the Federal Skilled Trade program nor the Canadian Experience Class require candidates to satisfy a points requirement to be eligible to submit a profile.
The FSW program, on the other hand, is open to people around the world who satisfy a minimum points requirement for eligibility. Note: this is a completely separate points system from the CRS score. Under the FSW points-grid, you need to be awarded at least 67 points out of 100 in order to enter the pool. You can view the FSW points grid and factors here.
In the Express Entry pool, candidates — regardless of which program they are eligible under — receive a CRS score. This score determines where an individual candidate ranks. When IRCC conducts an Express Entry draw, this score is the main determining factor to decide which candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence.
Do take note that the CRS cut-off thresholds are not pre-determined, and that the threshold is subject to change for different Express Entry draws. Ultimately, there is no strict or written number of points you need to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, but previous draws give an indication of which candidates have the best chances of being invited to apply, based on CRS score.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also holds category-based draws that invite candidates based on factors like language ability and work experience. These draws tend to have lower CRS requirements because less candidates in the pools are competing for invitations.
To be eligible for category-based selection, you must meet the requirements of the category. For example, in order to be invited for a French draw you need at least a language score of 7 in all four language abilities. To be invited in a STEM-specific draw, you need at least six months of work experience in an eligible occupation within the three years preceding the date that IRCC receives your application.
Keep in mind, IRCC may change the Express Entry categories depending on Canada’s economic goals for immigration.
Canada’s Express Entry system is designed to provide fast permanent residence to Canada. For eligible Express Entry candidates who receive an invitation to apply (ITA) soon after entering the pool, and who then quickly submit a complete Canadian permanent residency immigration application, the entire process may take six months, or even less. However, the following variables may extend this timeline of you becoming a permanent resident and should be taken into account:
We have designed the Express Entry Roadmap: a free service designed to inform you about the Express Entry application and process so that you can be empowered to make the best decisions when it comes to your immigration. Sign up for the Express Entry Roadmap here.
Find some advice about applying for Express Entry in Canada in the video below:
@explorecanadawithme AD | LINK IN BIO to moving2canada.com @Moving2CanadaTok – an AMAZING website with SO many resources to help you on your immigration journey to Canada. Whether you’re at the beginning of the process, middle, or end, they have something that everyone trying to immigrate to Canada can benefit from. I often get asked how to find work in Canada and Moving2Canada even provide you with job opportunities in your field of work 😍 You can make a FREE account to receive these job oppprtunities as well as an immigration checklist ✅ Good luck with your immigrating to Canada journey 🇨🇦 . . . #move2canada #moving2canada #expressentry #expressentrycanada #movetocanada #britincanada #immigrationcanada #expressentrytips #canada_life🇨🇦 #canadatiktok #vancouvertiktok ♬ original sound – Lauren | BritinCanada
AD | LINK IN BIO to moving2canada.com @Moving2CanadaTok – an AMAZING website with SO many resources to help you on your immigration journey to Canada. Whether you’re at the beginning of the process, middle, or end, they have something that everyone trying to immigrate to Canada can benefit from. I often get asked how to find work in Canada and Moving2Canada even provide you with job opportunities in your field of work 😍 You can make a FREE account to receive these job oppprtunities as well as an immigration checklist ✅ Good luck with your immigrating to Canada journey 🇨🇦 . . . #move2canada #moving2canada #expressentry #expressentrycanada #movetocanada #britincanada #immigrationcanada #expressentrytips #canada_life🇨🇦 #canadatiktok #vancouvertiktok
♬ original sound – Lauren | BritinCanada
Note: these tips reflect the experience of the speaker (Lauren @explorecanadawithme) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Moving2Canada. Please always conduct your own research before submitting an application for Express Entry, and speak with a qualified and registered immigration consultant if you need tailored guidance.
An Express Entry profile is an online, electronic form submitted by an applicant to the Canadian government through an online portal. In submitting the electronic form, applicants must provide personal details like age, work experience, education, official language proficiency (English or French), family information and any time to Canada, like previous Canadian work experience, studies, or family.
Once submitted, the electronic form is automatically assessed for Express Entry eligibility. To be accepted into the Express Entry pool, the applicant must qualify for one of the three federal immigration programs:
Profiles that are eligible will be entered into the Express Entry pool and given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The CRS score is used to rank one applicant against another.
In order to submit your Express Entry profile, you will require three main supporting documents. If you’re interested in Express Entry Canada as your first step to get Canada PR visa or permanent residency, gathering these three documents should be your priority:
Language Proficiency Test: All candidates must show proficiency in either English or French. You require official test scores from an approved language test in order to submit your profile. The minimum required score varies between the three Express Entry-aligned programs.
If you want to prove your proficiency in English, your options are the IELTS General Training exam or the CELPIP General exam. If you want to prove your proficiency in French, your options are the TEF exam or the TCF exam.
Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA): The ECA is an evaluation of non-Canadian education by Canadian standards. Notably, education is only a mandatory requirement for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, but it is recommended that FST and CEC candidates also complete an ECA report, as education is an important component of the CRS score. There are 8 approved ECA providers, Moving2Canada recommends the World Education Service for it’s faster processing time. Note: An ECA is not required for educational programs completed in Canada.
Passport: A valid passport is required in order to submit an Express Entry profile. In very rare cases, alternative identification documents may be accepted when it is not possible to get a passport.
Once you have these three documents, you will be able to create your Canada Express Entry profile and become an Express Entry candidate.
Primary Occupation: All principal applicants must state a primary occupation they would like their immigration eligibility to be assessed against.
Applying with a spouse or common-law partner: If you are applying with your spouse or common-law partner, you may want to compare your credentials ahead of time. One person must be listed as the principal applicant in the Express Entry profile and the vast majority of the CRS score will be based on the principal applicant’s credentials. If your spouse also qualifies to enter the Express Entry pool, they can also have their own profile. Irrespective of who is listed as the main applicant, both will get Canadian PR.
Be sure to follow our tips on creating an Express Entry profile to make sure yours is as strong as it can be.
This depends on a few factors. Since the Express Entry system uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), with the highest-ranking applicants per draw type receiving an Invitation to Apply, what this a good express entry score depends on the type of draws you are eligible for. You can learn more about express entry draws on our dedicated page.
The language results needed to create a profile will depend on the immigration program the applicant is applying under. For instance, federal skilled workers who are claiming points for language must demonstrate at least Comprehensive Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7, however some may need higher than this if they lose eligibility points in other areas.
To demonstrate English proficiency, the following tests are accepted:
To demonstrate French proficiency, the following tests are accepted:
We provide a great guide on how to obtain an ECA report. There are 5 ECA providers you can choose from and 3 occupation specific ECA providers. Generally, to receive an ECA report, you will need to send your original transcripts and certificate to the ECA provider. Depending on the ECA provider, you can can then expect to wait between 1 to 5 months to get your ECA report.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has designed a tool that makes finding your National Occupation Classification (NOC) code quick and easy. Just head over to the Canadian government’s find your NOC code search tool.
Start by searching your job title to see what results are generated. Be sure to go through all the returned codes to find which NOC is the most appropriate for your experience, looking at the job duties to find a match.
In some cases, you may not be able to find the perfect match. In this case, pick the NOC code that most closely matches your work experience.
If you receive an invitation to apply (ITA), as part of the documentation needed to submit an application for permanent residence, you will need a reference letter containing duties that correspond to the NOC you selected.
Pro tip: Make sure the duties are not word for word identical to those provided in the NOC. This will work against you in your application.
Your primary occupation is the occupation you wish to be assessed against therefore it is important that you select the best primary occupation for you.
Federal Skilled Worker applicants: Your primary occupation must be a skilled occupation of at least 12 months continuous employment in the last 10 years.
Canadian Experience Class applicants: Your primary occupation must be at least 12 months in the last 3 years, in a skilled occupation worked in Canada with the correct legal authorization.
Federal skilled Trade Worker applicants: Your primary occupation must be a skilled trade occupation of at least 2 years in the last 5 years.
To receive a notification of interest from some provinces as part of their provincial nominee programs, your primary occupation must be a targeted occupation therefore you should also consider provincial nominee programs when selecting your primary occupation.
Once you have the required information and documentation ready, you can submit your Express Entry profile via the IRCC secure account. For this, you will need to either create a GC key account or sign in through a designated Sign-In partner. Once you have submitted a profile, you will receive an Express Entry profile number starting with an E. Be sure to keep a record of this number for future use.
Once submitted, by default, your profile is valid for 12 months however there are some instances where your profile will be removed from the pool. These include:
Your Express Entry profile will expire after 12 months. So long as you remain eligible you can resubmit your profile. It is recommended that you maintain an active Express Entry profile so long as you are eligible. That way, you remain open to receive a notification of interest for provincial nomination.
Yes, an active express entry profile can be updated at any point until an ITA is issued. Before updating your profile, consider the impact the changes make to your eligibility. Updating a profile is easy. Log into your GC key account, and go to “view the applications you have submitted”. Click on “Check full application status”. On the “Express Entry profile status” page, then click on the “View your profile” and proceed to update the form. Remember to submit the profile again for the changes to take effect. Once updated, if you expect the change to affect your CRS score, check that your CRS has changed to reflect the updates.
Common reasons to update an active profile include, new and improved language tests, change in occupation or change in family size.
In some cases, your Express Entry profile CRS score will be automatically updated. For instance, once you acquire more work experience, your CRS points will increase to reflect this. This does also mean that your CRS score will automatically decrease in certain circumstances, say for instance, your next birthday. After the age of 29 your CRS score will decrease every year.
The Canadian government select Express Entry profiles through Express Entry draws. There are normally several Express Entry draws each month. If your profile is selected during a draw, you will receive notification of this in your IRCC portal. If you are wondering when the latest Express Entry draw happened, check out our detailed page which is kept up to date with the latest information on Express Entry draws.
If your Express Entry profile is deemed ineligible, it means you didn’t meet the minimum criteria to enter the Express Entry pool. This may be because you are not eligible to enter the pool or you made a mistake when entering your information.
You can learn more about common reasons Express Entry profiles are rejected here.
The chances of being successful in Express Entry depend on a few things, including your CRS score and which program you qualify for.
Before entering Canada’s Express Entry pool, do a rough calculation of what your CRS score could be by using our CRS calculator. Compare this score to the CRS score cut-off in the latest express entry draws which you qualify for. Are you close to the cut-off? Above the cut-off? Far below the cut-off?
This should give you an idea of your chances of success in Express Entry. If you are far below the cut-off score, take a look at our guide to improving your CRS score, our guide to alternative immigration options for Canada, and our resource for individuals over 35 looking to immigrate to Canada.
Once you are in the pool, it is essential that you track the express entry draw trends and do all that you can to increase your CRS score. Increasing your CRS score will increase your chances of becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
Express Entry is the system used by the Canadian government to select and process applications for permanent residence. Provincial Nominee Program’s (PNP’s) are immigration programs offered at a provincial level. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada. Anyone looking at immigrating to Canada should explore their Canada Express Entry and PNP options when looking to immigrate to Canada and gain Canadian permanent residence.
A big difference between Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program is the skilled worker element. If an applicant does not have skilled work, they will not qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker program, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades program and therefore would not be able to enter the Express Entry pool. PNP’s that work outside the Express Entry system do not always require skilled workers therefore an applicant with no skilled experience should look for PNP’s.
Many Provincial Nominee Program’s have permanent resident options for those with Canadian work experience, therefore any one with Canadian work experience should look at available PNP’s in addition to the Canadian Experience Class.
Use our PNP stream finder to find the perfect program for you.
Yes, applicants can have both an Express Entry profile and a PNP profile active. As there are many provinces, it is common for applicants to have multiple PNP profiles active. In most cases, PNP’s are used to strengthen an Express Entry profile. In the event an Express Entry candidate receives a notification of interest from a province, they should withdraw all other PNP profiles before they apply for provincial nomination.
If the provincial nomination was received through an Express Entry aligned PNP, once a nomination certificate is issued and accepted, the applicant will receive an additional 600 points. With an additional 600 CRS points, the applicant will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) in the next Express Entry draw.
There are many provinces that use the Canada Express Entry system to select skilled immigrants. These provinces offer ‘enhanced nominations’ where applicants benefit for the speedy Express Entry program processing for permanent residence of 6 months.
Most provinces have an Express Entry aligned PNP. Here are some of the most popular ones:
Alberta Express Entry Stream
British Columbia – Express Entry streams
Manitoba Express Entry Pathway
New Brunswick Express Entry Stream
Newfoundland and Labrador Express Entry Skilled Worker
Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry
Ontario Human Capital Stream
Ontario French Speaking Stream
Ontario Skilled Trade Stream
PEI Express Entry
Saskatchewan Express Entry: International Skilled Worker
It important to note that in all of the above PNP programs, the applicant must also be a skilled immigrant, eligible for one of the three immigration programs that use the Express Entry system. These are the Federal Skilled Workers program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trade program.
The total number of profiles selected each year will depend on the Immigration levels plan in place. For 2025, Canada wants to admit between 70,000 and 120,000 candidates through the Express Entry stream. This excludes candidates coming through provincial nominee programs aligned with the Express Entry system.
Once in the pool, applicants should focus on increasing their CRS score to make their profile as competitive as it can be. Check out our great guide on how to improve your CRS score.
You can enter the Express Entry pool as many times as you like, so long as you remain eligible and remember, you can only ever have 1 valid Express Entry profile in the pool.
Yes, so long as they are eligible, they should have their own profile. This increases your chances of one of you receiving an ITA through one of the Express Entry draws or receiving a notification of interest from a province. This means your spouse should provide their own language test results and ECA report. Remember to also add these credentials to your own Express Entry profile to give your CRS score a boost.
No, to enter the Express Entry pool your work experience does not need to be in the same field as your studies.
No, you can only have 1 valid Express Entry profile at any time. If your Express Entry profile expires, you can resubmit so long as you remain eligible.
No, an express entry profile is not the same as submitting an application for permanent residence. An express entry profile should be seen as submitting an expression of interest to the Canadian government to show them that you would like to be considered for immigration to Canada. Under the Express Entry system, applicants can only submit an application for permanent residency if their profile is selected from the Express Entry pool.
This depends on the immigration program you are eligible for. Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) need to show proof of funds if they do not have an approved job offer. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants do not need to show proof of funds. How much funds you will need to show depends on how many family members are included in your application.
Pro tip: If you are eligible for both the FSW and CEC program and receive an ITA, check which immigration program you were selected under. If you received your ITA as a FSW, you will still need to provide proof of funds, even if you qualify under the CEC program.
Yes, you can include your spouse or common-law partner in your application. You can also include your dependent children. A dependent child includes your child who is under the age of 22 and not married, or a child who is over the age of 22 but is financially dependent on the principal applicant since before the age of 22 due to a physical or mental condition.
No, you cannot include your parents in your Express Entry profile; however if you become a permanent resident of Canada through the Express Entry system, you may be able to sponsor your parents at this point.
No, it is not essential to have a job offer to submit a profile; however some applicants may need a job offer to be eligible to enter the pool.
Yes, you can still create an express entry profile if you live in Quebec however as the Express Entry system is for federal immigration programs, if you receive an ITA, you will need to demonstrate that you intent to live outside the province of Quebec.
No, there is no age limit on who can enter the pool. So long a the applicant is eligible, they can enter the pool however CRS points are awarded for the age of the applicant. The older you are, the less points you will get under the age points.
To be used in support of an Express Entry profile, language results must be less that 2 years old.
If your language results are set to expire, remember to retake the exam and get the results prior to the original expiry. Once you have your new results, update your Express Entry profile with the new results. This will avoid any disruption to your profile.
Yes. Some of the Express Entry-aligned programs require you to have a minimum amount of work experience in a single occupation, but once you reach that minimum amount, you can add additional experience in other skilled occupations and have that experience contribute to your CRS score. Remember to include both foreign work experience and Canadian work experience in your profile.
Yes, you should include all work experience, including self-employed work experience. Self-employed work experience can be used for immigration programs like the Federal Skilled Worker program
Search results
results for “”