Canada Express Entry Program 2023
Express Entry is the fastest pathway towards applying for Canada permanent residence (PR) visa. If you are a skilled worker and want to immigrate to Canada, you first need to submit your application to the express entry pool. The applicant will be placed in the express entry pool; the applicant will be ranked based on age, qualification, work experience, adaptability, etc. This ranking system is known as the CRS (comprehensive ranking system).
Please note that an Express Entry is not a PR application but an indication of your interest in being considered to apply for the PR visa. Therefore, if you submit your profile in the Express Entry pool, you will not be invited to apply for a PR visa.
Applicant’s selection in the Express Entry pool is based on the CRS score; having the highest CRS score in the Express Entry pool will have higher/more chances of getting an Invitation to apply for PRApplicant’s selection in the Express Entry pool is based on the CRS score; having the highest CRS score in the Express Entry pool will have higher/more chances of getting an Invitation to apply for PR.
Canada Express entry Benefits:
- Express entry will allow provinces, territories, and employers to recruit skilled foreign workers directly from the Express Entry pool.
- Express entry will allow more recruitment possibilities for prospective foreign skilled migrants before their arrival in Canada.
- In 80% of cases, they usually get PR visas within six months.
- Express Entry Canada can help you get a Canada PR visa faster.
Do you wish to settle in Canada permanently? Apply for your express entry now!
Canada Express Entry Facts
- Do you know? Approximately 1, 90,937 candidates were in the Express entry pool as of December 16.
- Canada aims to welcome 411,000 new permanent residents in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023.
- 80 % of applications are being processed within six months through Express entry.
Express Entry Eligibility:
To become eligible for Canada express entry, an applicant needs to meet any program requirements such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trade Program, or Canadian Experience Class Program Federal Skilled Worker Program:
To be eligible under the Canada FSW program, you need to satisfy the following requirements.
- Age:
The applicant must be aged 18 or above but below 49 years.
- Qualification:
The applicant must have a Canadian or equivalent to Canada standard qualification from a recognised university/ institution. Qualification specialization requirements may vary as per the NOC code.
- Work Experience:
An Applicant must have at least 12-months of full-time, paid, continuous relevant work experience in the NOC skills set O, A & B in the past ten years before submitting the Permanent Residency application.
Please note that some occupations require specific education or licenses so, please check here before applying for your Express Entry application.
- Language Ability:
All applicants who intend to apply for Canada Express entry must prove their English language ability. They can write any of the English language exams to demonstrate their English language skills.
IELTS
CELPIP
To apply for Canada Express entry, you must have six bands in your IELTS. If you have fewer than six bands, you are ineligible to apply for Canada Express Entry; in this case, you can apply for another program, such as Canada PNP; contact our immigration expert for more information.
- Settlement Funds:
The settlement fund is also mandatory to apply for Canada express entry; please note you must maintain the settlement funds throughout the process.
The amount of money you need to support your family depends on the size of your family. To calculate the size of your family, you must include
Yourself
Your spouse or partner
Your dependent children include them even if they’re permanent residents or Canadian citizens not coming to Canada with you.
- Health Requirements:
To apply for Canada express entry, the applicant needs to go through a health examination to ensure there is no danger or threat to the people of Canada.
- Police clearance requirements:
To apply for Canada Express entry, you & your family must be of good character, so you need to provide a Police Clearance Certificate from your local police station or the regional passport office where you stayed for six months or more in a row, from 18 years or above.
Express Entry Process
Express entry is a pathway towards Canadian immigration. If you are a skilled worker and wish to move to Canada, express entry is the fastest and the most convenient way. To become eligible for the express entry pool, an applicant needs to meet specific requirements, and once they do so, they are qualified to submit their profile into the pool. Express entry is the fastest way to get a PR visa in Canada because, in this stream, an applicant can receive their invitation in 15-20 days, and within six months, they could be granted a Permanent Residence.
Below mentioned is the express entry process:-
- Step 1: Find out your eligibility.
The first step is to find out the applicant’s eligibility. To become eligible for the express entry pool, an applicant needs to meet specific requirements and score a minimum of 67/100 points based on the applicant’s age, qualification, work experience, English proficiency, adaptability, etc.
- Step 2: Get your documentation ready.
While applying for the express entry pool, certain documents must be submitted. Once an applicant receives their ITA, they need to submit the required documents within 60 days. Once the applicant’s documents are verified, the application is processed ahead.
- Step 3: Submit your profile into the pool.
Once all the documentations are ready, be prepared for filling your application into the pool; once the application is submitted, wait for the ITA. Usually, the ITA is received within the express entry pool within 15-20 days after filling it up.
- Step 4: Receive an invitation and apply for a permanent residence visa.
Once an applicant receives invitations they must, submit all the required documents, send a passport for stamping and get ready to fly to Canada within the given entry date.
CRS calculator
Once an applicant submits their express entry application, Citizenship immigration Canada ranks candidates in the pool using a points-based system called CRS or Comprehensive Ranking System.
This Comprehensive Ranking System is based on its parameters
- Core Human Factor – 500 CRS points
- Skills Transferability – 100 CRS points
- Additional factors – 600 CRS points
- Core Human Factor:
This factor is about the credentials of the primary applicant, such as Age, Qualification, English language proficiency, French language, and job offer letter. Here you can get a maximum of 500 CRS.
- Skills Transferability:
Skills transferability means transferable skills; it includes education, work experience and english language proficiency. Under this factor, you can claim a 100 CRS score.
- Additional Factors:
This is the most critical factor in boosting your CRS score; it includes
Nomination from a province or territory
LIMA approved valid job offer
Sibling in Canada either PR holder or Citizen
Competent French language skills
Canadian qualification
So total = Core Human Factor (500) CRS+ Skills Transferability (100) CRS + Additional Factor (600) CRS = your total score 1200 CRS score
Canada CRS calculation Table in Detail
| S.No. | Factors | With spouse | Without spouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Core Human Factor | ||
| Age | 100 | 110 | |
| Level of education | 140 | 150 | |
| Canadian Work Experience | 70 | 80 | |
| Communication Skills | 150 | 190 | |
| 2 | Spouse or common-law partner factors | ||
| Level of education | 10 | 00 | |
| Official language proficiency | 20 | 00 | |
| Canadian Work Experience | 10 | 00 | |
| 3 | Skill Transferability factors (Maximum 100 points) | ||
| Education | Max. 50 points | Max. 50 points | |
| With good/strong official languages proficiency and a post-secondary degree. | 50 | 50 | |
| Foreign work experience | Max. 50 points | Max. 50 points | |
| With good/strong official languages proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark [CLB] level 7 or higher) and foreign work experience | 50 | 50 | |
| Certificate of qualification (for people in trade occupations) | Max. 50 points | Max. 50 points | |
| With good/strong official languages proficiency and a certificate of qualification | 50 | 50 | |
| Additional Factor – Max – 600 | |||
| Brother or sister living in Canada (citizen or permanent resident) | 15 | 15 | |
| French language skills | 30 | 30 | |
| Post-secondary education in Canada | 30 | 30 | |
| Arranged employmen | 200/50 | 200/50 | |
| PNP Nomination. | 600 | 600 | |
You must demonstrate that you meet the minimum IELTS score for Express entry pool Canada announced by the CIC Canada by providing proof of your language proficiency exam. The minimum IELTS score required for Canada Express entry is IELTS 6 bands in each module (Reading, writing, speaking & listening)
Please Note:- Language test results are valid for two years only. So it is the applicant’s sole responsibility to provide a valid IELTS scorecard throughout the process.
Language tests accepted by CIC for Express entry visa:
You may write /take any of these approved language tests:
- English Language Proficiency:
To prove your English language proficiency, you can write any one of the Exam
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – General Training: –
You need to write IELTS – GT and score a minimum of six bands in every module.
CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program:-
You must take the CELPIP-General test; CIC doesn’t accept the General-LS test for Express Entry, and you need to score CELPIP level
- French:
To prove your French language proficiency, you can write any of the Exams.
TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français,
TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français.
- Convert IELTS to CLB level:
CLB level Reading Writing Speaking Listening 10 10 7.5 7.5 8.5 09 7 7 7 8 08 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 07 6 6 6 6
- Convert TEL to CLB level:
CLB level Oral expression Listening comprehension Reading Comprehension Written expression CLB 7 310 – 348 249 – 279 207 – 232 310 – 348 CLB 8 349 – 370 280 – 297 233 – 247 349 – 370 CLB9 371+ 298+ 248+ 371+
- CELPIP to CLB calculator:
CLB level CELPIP G – Oral expression TEF- Listening comprehension CELPIP G – Reading Comprehension CELPIP G – Written expression CLB 7 7 7 7 7 CLB 8 8 8 8 8 CLB9 9 9 9 9
Migrating to Canada is an exciting opportunity but also a challenge. Simply being eligible for Canada Express entry is not enough for you to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA). In addition, getting into the Express Entry pool does not mean that applicant will receive an invitation to apply for a Canada PR visa.
Higher the CRS score, the better the chances of receiving an invitation. Here are some quick tips that could help you to increase CRS Score
If your CRS score is unfavorable and if you wish to improve your score, then Aptech visa suggests you consider the following steps-
Short term options to Increase CRS score:
- Improving your English and French:
Canada is a bilingual country with two official languages: English and French. For English, you can write IELTS or CELPIP, and your English contributes a CRS score of 260/ 600. So, improving your language proficiency will not only increase your CRS score but also assist you in getting better jobs/ opportunities in Canada.
Try to score CLB 9 bands in IELTS – General module; CLB 9 means you must have 7 in Reading, writing, speaking, and eight bands in the listening module.
Having competency in French will boost your CRS score; now, you can claim a 50 CRS score if you have a good score in French; for the French language, you Can write the TEF exam.
- Change primary applicant:
If you are married and planning to migrate to Canada with your spouse, check which one has more chances to get a higher CRS score. If a spouse is younger than you and has skilled experience post qualification, make your spouse a primary applicant because Age contributes 110 CRS scores.
So, every couple should carefully review who should be the principal applicant
- Siblings in Canada:
You can claim 15 points if you have a sibling in Canada based on a PR or citizenship.
- Improve your partner’s first language:
Did you know that a spouse’s language ability is worth up to 20 CRS points in total if she can write an English language proficiency test, and You can add up to 20 points to your CRS through your partner’s first language scores?
- Spouse qualification ECA:
You can take points to advantage up to 10 points by getting ECA done for your spouse’s qualification if you plan on moving to Canada together with your spouse/common-law.
Long Term option to Increase CRS score:
- PNP nomination:
PNP is also a Fast-Track option to boost your CRS score up to 600; PNP nomination increases your CRS score and speeds up your procedure.
- Valid Job offer Letter:
If you have a valid job offer, you can get additional points. Securing a job offer from outside Canada seems challenging but not impossible; obtaining a job offer letter supported by LMIA boosts your CRS score up to 200 scores and will be life changing.
Citizenship Immigration Canada has announced the following changes in the Express entry system
- Points for French:
Now you can get additional 50 CRS score if you write French exam and get appropriate score
25 additional CRS score if you scored CLB 4
50 additional CRS score if you scored CLB 5
- Points for siblings in Canada:
You can now earn 15 additional CRS score in the express entry pool, if you/ your spouse has a brother or sister who is:
Living in Canada and
Canadian Citizen or Canada PR holder
- Job Bank registration voluntary:
If you meet the minimum entry criteria for Express Entry, you will be automatically be
placed into the pool
eligible for invitation rounds right away
Suppose you’re not invited from the Canada Express Entry pool. In that case, your EOI will automatically expire within 12 months from the submission date, and your Express Entry profile will be removed from the system.
You can always create a new profile. However, if your profile is about to expire, you need to remember that you will be losing 5-7 points every year because increasing your Age may reduce your chances for selection.
So better try to as soon as possible you can apply.