Ultimate Guide to Express Entry to Canada

In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residency under these federal economic immigration programs:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program
• The Federal Program for Skilled Trades, and
• The Canadian Experience Class.

Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system so that a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program can meet the needs of the local job market.

The Express Entry system will be the first step for immigrating to Canada under these programs. Potential candidates will be able to fill out an Express Entry profile (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/index.asp?expand=step1#step1) at any time once the system is online. Please note that there will be no deadline for completing a profile and no cap on the number of candidates that will be accepted into the pool.

Someone who is accepted in the Express Entry pool will be able to receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. Draws to invite candidates to apply are expected to occur at regular intervals throughout the year. We will select high-ranking candidates without considering when they were accepted into the pool. The first draw is anticipated at the end of January. If you have been invited to apply, you will have 60 days to submit an online Application for Permanent Residence.

The Express Entry will begin at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time) on January 1, 2015. The first draw for an invitation to apply is scheduled for the last week of January.

The Express Entry system has two steps:

• Step 1) Potential candidates fill out an Entry Express profile online. Qualified candidates are placed in a reserve.
• Step 2) The highest-ranking candidates in the reserve will be invited to apply for permanent residency.

Step 1:

Potential candidates will fill out an Online Express Entry profile. This is a secure form that they will use to provide information about their:

Skills, Work experience, Language proficiency, Academic background (education), and Other details that will help us assess them. Those who meet the criteria for one of the federal immigration programs listed above will be placed in a pool of candidates.

Anyone who does not yet have a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) (if you need one), or a proposal from a province or territory, must register with the Job Bank of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The Job Bank will help connect Express Entry candidates with suitable employers in Canada.

Candidates are also encouraged to promote themselves to employers in other ways, such as using employment agencies, recruiters, etc.

In most cases when a job is being offered to a candidate, employers will require an LMIA from ESDC. The LMIA process ensures that employers have made an effort to hire Canadians for the available positions. There will be no LMIA fee for permanent resident applications.

Note: Entering the reserve (pool) of the Express Entry does not guarantee that the candidate will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency (ITA). Candidates who are invited must still meet the eligibility and admissibility requirements under Canadian immigration law (the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).

Step 2:

The highest-level candidates in the reserve will be invited to apply for permanent residency.

Candidates will be ranked against others in the reserve (pool) using a point-based system called the Exhaustive Category System. Points are awarded based on the information in their profiles.

Candidates with the highest scores on the reserve list will receive an Invitation to Apply. Candidates will be awarded points for:

• A job offer, and/or
• An appointment of a province or territory, and/or
• Skill and experience factors.

A candidate can earn additional points for:

• A job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or
• An appointment for a province or territory.

These additional points will allow a candidate to rank high enough to be invited to apply for the next eligible candidate lottery.

If someone is invited to apply, they will have 60 days to submit an online application for permanent residency.

Canada's Citizenship and Immigration will process most complete applications (meaning those with all the necessary supporting documents) within six months or less.

Candidates can remain in the pool for up to 12 months. If they do not receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residency within 12 months of submitting an Express Entry profile, they can submit a new profile. If they still meet the criteria, they can re-enter the pool. This will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.