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Canada Express Entry

What is Express Entry?

One of the most important and fastest ways to obtain permanent residency in Canada in recent years is through Express Entry. Many applicants have been able to obtain Canadian residency through this system in the past few years. Our goal is to introduce Express Entry in a simple and comprehensive manner, so stay with us.

Express Entry is a competitive points-based immigration system in Canada that the federal government introduced in 2015 as a replacement for the previous Federal Skilled Worker Program. This system, in collaboration with the federal government, provinces, and employers, attracts the best skilled workers from other countries. Therefore, using this system alone is not sufficient for immigration to Canada; it is recommended to seek assistance from Palina Immigration Company.

Under this system, individuals are assessed based on factors such as age, education, work experience, language skills, and adaptability. Professions such as medicine, nursing, engineering, management, etc., can use this system and Palina Immigration Company to immigrate to Canada.

Express Entry includes the following programs:

  1. Federal Express Entry Skilled Worker Program
  2. Federal Express Entry Skilled Trades Program
  3. Canada Experience Class (CEC)
  4. Select Streams Under Provincial Nominee Programs

Applicants can enter the Express Entry Pool by completing an Express of Interest (EOI) form online and obtaining points through the above programs to be selected. The maximum score achievable in this system is 1,200.

Federal Express Entry Skilled Worker Program

In the Express Entry system, under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, applicants among the 347 designated occupations determined by the federal government, based on the EOI registration form and the points obtained, enter the pool. The assessment of individuals in this program is based on their education, work experience, age, and English and French language proficiency. The federal government sets the following conditions for assigning points and confirming the qualifications and conditions of applicants to enter the pool:

  1. Applicants must have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent part-time work experience in one of the 347 designated occupations according to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) system in the past ten years. For more information on the NOC, you can search for “Canadian job codes.”

  2. Work experience is classified based on skill levels: Skill Type 0 or management occupations, Skill Level A or professional occupations, and Skill Level B or technical and trade occupations.

  3. Applicants must obtain a minimum of 67 points out of 100 in each of the six selection factors.

  4. Demonstrating intermediate language proficiency, certified by international language systems, especially IELTS, or achieving a score of 7 in the French language is mandatory.

  5. Having adequate financial capacity.

  6. No criminal history and good health.

Selection Factors:

As mentioned above, six main factors are assessed for scoring, including:

  1. Education: Applicants can earn points in this section based on their educational credentials, after the verification and equivalency assessment by the Canadian system. The maximum score for this section is 25, and it should be noted that different levels of education or fields have different points.

  2. English or French Language Proficiency: The minimum score for this section is 16, and the maximum is 28. Only individuals with moderate language proficiency can achieve the minimum score. Those with higher language proficiency will earn more points.

  3. Work Experience: The minimum score for this section is 9, and the maximum is 15. The minimum required work experience is 1 year, and the maximum is 6 years.

  4. Age: The maximum score for this section is 12, which applies to applicants between the ages of 18 and 35. For each year above 35, one point is deducted. Applicants over the age of 47 do not receive any points in this section.

  5. Job Offer from Canada: If an applicant has a job offer from a Canadian employer, it replaces the need for a Labor Market Opinion (LMO) for work permit issuance, which speeds up the process. The score for this section ranges from 0 to 10, and if the applicant has a job offer, they will receive an additional 5 points from the adaptability factor.

  6. Adaptability: This section awards a maximum of 10 points. Individuals with at least one year of work experience in managerial, professional, technical, and trade occupations in Canada will earn 10 points in addition to the 5 points mentioned in the previous section. Other factors also contribute to the score in this section, such as having a relative in Canada, Canadian educational experience, Canadian work experience, and knowledge of one of Canada’s official languages.

Federal Express Entry Skilled Trade

The new program called “Federal Express Entry Skilled Trades Program” has been introduced by the Government of Canada for immigration and obtaining permanent residency in the country.

Under this program, a limited quota of 3,000 applications per year and 43 specified occupations has been allocated. Occupations related to technical and trade skills such as carpentry, cooking, painting, etc., can use this program to pursue immigration.

Requirements:

By completing the following four stages, the eligibility of applicants in this category is assessed:

  1. Having valid job offers from reputable employers listed in the Canadian occupational classification list in the past year, or a certificate of occupational qualification.

  2. Having a valid language proficiency certificate in English or French:

    • CLB 5 (Canadian Language Benchmark) in English for speaking and listening
    • NCLC 5 (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) in French for speaking and listening
    • CLB 5 in English and NCLC 4 in French for reading and writing

  3. Having 24 months of work experience in the desired occupation within the past 5 years after proving qualification and accessibility.

  4. Meeting the job offer requirements according to the Canadian occupational classification system.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is not available for the province of Quebec, as it has its own specific rules for accepting immigrants.

Canada Experience Class (CEC)

Based on the previous explanations, having work or study experience in Canada is one of the Express Entry programs, and migration through this route is suitable for individuals who have been working or studying in Canada for a period of time and are familiar with the Canadian way of life.

To obtain permanent residency in Canada, the Canadian Experience Class program is suitable for individuals who have worked or studied in the country for a period of time. Since these individuals have education and employment, they significantly contribute to the social relationships and the economy of Canada. You can find more details about this program below.

Requirements of the Canadian Experience Class:

Based on the following conditions, applicants’ requests to enter this program are either approved or rejected:

1. The individual must have at least 12 months of work experience in one of the managerial, professional, or technical and trade occupations that are recognized by the Canadian occupational classification system.

2. After 36 months have passed since the date of the application, the individual immediately becomes eligible for Canadian work experience.

3. Proficiency in one of the official languages of Canada, such as English or French, is essential for applicants, and the language proficiency of individuals should be commensurate with their expertise and Canadian work experience.

4. Other program requirements include being in good health and having no criminal or negative history.

Qualification of work experience:

The work experience of an individual is evaluated based on full-time work; full-time work refers to occupations that involve working for 30 hours per week.

Some work experiences are not considered valid by the Canadian government or have been undertaken during full-time studies. Such experiences are not accepted for immigration programs.

Language proficiency:

Similar to other immigration programs, language proficiency is also an important requirement for the Canadian Experience Class program. Considering the individual’s work experience and the occupational classifications in the Canadian occupational classification system, having a level 5 and 7 proficiency in the approved language is required.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

(Select Streams Under Provincial Nominee Programs)

Another program under Express Entry is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which can greatly benefit individuals in scoring points and increasing their chances of being selected in the draws (known as rounds) conducted by provinces.

In the following, we will introduce some of these provinces and discuss their requirements.

The program works in a way that a province announces its specific needs, and individuals who meet the criteria of those needs enter the Provincial Express Entry program. If they meet the minimum score required in this program, they will receive a provincial nomination. Since this nomination is worth 600 points in the Federal Express Entry, it significantly helps the applicant in obtaining permanent residency in Canada.

Provinces consider two general factors in deciding on prospective applicants:

  1. The applicant’s financial ability to settle in the province.
  2. The applicant’s genuine interest in settling in the province, aligning with the criteria for permanent residency.

In addition to the aforementioned criteria, the applicant must have participated in at least one other Express Entry program.

In general, the Provincial Express Entry program follows the following steps:

  1. Applicants become eligible for the Provincial Express Entry program only after completing the Express Entry profile and entering the pool of candidates.
  2. Within 30 days of receiving the final confirmation and announcement, the applicant has the opportunity to confirm their interest in the program. It is important to note that each individual can only accept an invitation from one province.
  3. Once confirmed, the applicant is assigned a ranking score of 600 in the ranking system, which can lead to obtaining permanent residency in Canada and settling in that specific province.
  4. If the individual’s information is not already in the Express Entry pool, they must first complete the profile related to this system.