The Global Travel Consultants
Express Entry
Express Entry is an online selections system designed by the Government of Canada to accept the Expression of Interests to immigrate to Canada from the foreign nationals. The Express Entry allows the Immigration, Refugees, and Immigration Canada (IRCC) to invite candidates who are eligible to relocate to Canada.
Canada’s Express Entry (EE) system was introduced in January 2015 so Canada could meet its future labour market needs and sustain growth in the future. Through federal economic programs, such as Express Entry, the immigration target was set at 195,800 in 2020, and it is expected to significantly increase as the year advances. It was estimated that Express Entry would issue 91,800 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency; however, it issued an impressive number of 107,950 ITAs in 2020.
Express Entry applications are still accepted and processed in Canada despite the current pandemic travel restrictions. Over 1.2 million newcomers are expected to arrive in Canada within the next three years, according to Canada’s new immigration statistics.
How does Express Entry work?
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), designed Express Entry to assess candidates for Canadian Permanent Residency for their skills and other factors. This points-based system checks the eligibility of candidates by assessing their age, level of education, skilled work experience, knowledge of official Canadian languages, and other adaptability factors.
What programs does Express Entry Serve?
Express Entry serves three main federal immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST)
In addition, some Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are aligned with Express Entry.
Expression of Interest
Individuals who would like to immigrate to Canada need to create a profile in the Express Entry system. Creation of the profile is considered as an Expression of Interest (EOI). Based on the factors, each profile is assessed and ranked. The maximum score a profile can receive is 1200 CRS. Every two-three weeks, a new portion of candidates with the highest-ranking profiles receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Invitation to Apply
When the candidates are selected by the system, they receive a letter with an invitation to apply for permanent residency in Canada. Each candidate has 60 days to upload all required documents to the IRCC to prove the information that was input in the profile. Once the profile is submitted, it takes about six months to get a decision.