Express Entry

Federal Skilled Trade (FST) under Express Entry

People qualified in a skilled trade and planning to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents can apply under the Foreign Skilled Trade stream. To be eligible under this program applicant must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• Meet the required language level for each ability
• Have at least one year of continuous Skilled work experience in Canada, in either managerial, professional or technical jobs
• Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade
• Have a job offer for full-time employment for a period of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer or a Certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territory or federal authority

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

People with skilled work experience in Canada or foreign graduates with qualifying Canadian work experience may apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class. To be eligible under this program applicant must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• Meet the required language level for each ability
• Have 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the 5 years prior to submission of application

To be Eligible under the Express Entry System:

You must meet the eligibility requirements for one of the Immigration Programs that are processed by Express Entry, based on a set of criteria related to age, work experience, educational qualifications and language ability among others. Each program has its own eligibility requirements. If you meet the requirements for the program, an expression of interest can be submitted by creating a profile based on the abovementioned selection factors.

Candidates who have successfully created their profiles are placed in a pool and are ranked using a Comprehensive Ranking System, based on the eligibility criteria. The highest-ranking candidates will be invited to apply for Permanent Residence on a regular basis through a draw which takes place once or twice monthly. Once a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA), they have 60 days to apply for permanent residence with ALL necessary accompanying documents, failing which the invitation will be cancelled.

After completing the process, successful candidates and their dependants (spouse and children) will be provided with the required documentation to land in Canada as Permanent Residents and be on their way to becoming Canadian Citizens.

Candidates who are in the Express Entry pool and have yet to receive an ITA (invitation to apply), will remain in the pool for 12 months, following which the profile will become inactive and a new profile will have to be created, if the candidate still meets the eligibility requirements.

Candidates who fail to receive an ITA from the Federal Government because of their low score, can still make it through a provincial nomination. Once they receive a provincial nomination, they are allocated an additional 600 points which can help them to get an ITA at the next draw.

Candidates who receive a direct invitation by the Federal Government can land in any provinces of their choice, whereas provincial nominees are bound to land in the province from which they received their nomination.

Francophone Immigration under Express Entry

One of the objectives of the Government of Canada is to attract more French-speaking immigrants to settle outside Quebec. Since June 6, 2017, candidates with strong French language skills are awarded additional points under the CRS. The main objective of this landmark change in the permanent residence program is to contribute to the growth, vitality and prosperity of Francophone minority communities across Canada. Potential immigrants who speak both of Canada’s official languages can earn 50 additional points for strong French language skills and increase their chances of earning higher points in the Express Entry’s CRS.