Express Entry FAQ

Express Entry is a selection system for Canadian immigration, used by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to select candidates (skilled workers, professionals, and tradespersons) for economic immigration program.

Yes, however, obtaining a valid job offer from a Canadian employer significantly increases their chances of being invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Yes, all candidates need to take a language test to determine their language abilities. There are set number of minimum points for each economic immigration programmes approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly known as CIC). The most popular are IELTS for English and TEF for French. As part of their Express Entry profile, a candidate should submit a valid language test report (obtained within last two years).

The Express Entry profile is valid for 1 year or until an Invitation to Apply for PR is issued, whichever comes first. A Candidate can recreate the profile if he/she wishes to remain in the pool after 1 year.

Under Express Entry, candidates with higher points totals in the Express Entry pool may have a better chance of being invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence by either the federal government, a Canadian province or territory, or a Canadian employer. Highly educated candidates with skilled work experience and strong language skills in English and/or French, for example, are likely obtain a greater number of points than those who do not possess these qualities.