If you are interested in immigrating to Canada through the Express Entry system, you need to determine whether you are eligible to apply. In this article, we will outline the eligibility criteria and provide tips on how to apply. The information provided in this article assumes that you have a basic understanding of the Express Entry system and how it works. The focus here is on eligibility requirements. For those who are not very familiar with the Canada Express Entry system, watch out for a complete guide on Express Entry.
Learn the techniques to determine your eligibility for Canada PR application under the Express Entry system.
What is the Canada Express Entry?
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) explains that Express Entry is a system that it uses to manage applications from skilled workers who want to immigrate to Canada. Express Entry has become a popular means of immigrating to Canada since its inception in 2015, In fact, Canadavisa.com remarks that Express Entry is the key means by which IRCC grants permanent residence to skilled workers.
What Are The Express Entry Programs?
The Express Entry system manages three programs through which skilled workers apply to move to Canada. The three programs are:
1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
2. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Prospective immigrants who intend to immigrate to Canada can apply for Canada permanent residence through the Express Entry system through any one of the three programs listed above. You cannot apply for more than one program. It has to be only one of the three.
Note: even if you are eligible for more than one of the three programs, you can only choose one pathway to apply for under the Express Entry system.
The Nature of the Express Entry System
The Express Entry system has many moving parts and as such, it is a complex system. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada have made a significant effort to provide robust information on the Express Entry system and how it works but it still remains challenging for most applicants. This should not be too surprising because immigration as an area is itself difficult. This post will focus on demystifying how to know whether you are eligible for Express Entry.
Now, the eligibility requirements as explained on the IRCC website provide only the minimum requirements, but because the Express Entry system is a points-based system, you may meet the minimum requirements but if your Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) is low, it would not be competitive enough for you to earn an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
And you will remain in the Express Entry profile pool until you receive an invitation to apply and if you don’t and one year elapses, your Express Entry profile will be deleted.
So, before you spend money to take the language proficiency tests or get an educational credential assessment (ECA), you need to be sure you are eligible and your comprehensive ranking score is competitive for you to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
So, now let us discuss how to determine your eligibility for Express Entry.
How to Determine Eligibility for Express Entry Programs?
Determining your eligibility for Express Entry involves two things:
1. You have to be certain that you meet the requirements for any one of the three programs under the Express Entry system
2. That your comprehensive ranking score is competitive to earn an invitation to apply.
We shall now discuss these two points.
Eligibility Requirements for The Express Entry Programs
Eligibility requirements for Express Entry programs mean that you have to meet the specific criteria for each program in order to apply through that program
Express Entry Eligibility Requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Citizenship, the requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are:
1. Skilled Work Experience
This means that you must have worked in 1 of the occupations in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) Teer 0, 1, 2, 3.
You must have at least 1 year of work experience in the occupation categories Teer 0, 1, 2, and 3 occupations in the last 10 years prior to your application.
1-year work experience means working 30 hours a week, which is equivalent to 1,560 hours and this amount can be achieved either by working full-time or part-time as long as the part-time hours equal 1,560 hours.
2. Language Proficiency Requirements
Express Entry language proficiency could be either a French or English test and you will be tested on these components:
- Writing
- Reading
- Speaking
- Listening
In each of the 4 components, you must attain a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB7). The language tests (English or French) are usually valid for a certain period and must still be valid on the day you submit your Express Entry profile.
3. Education Requirement
The Federal Skilled Worker Program under the Express Entry system requires that you have some educational qualification, which could be secondary education or post-secondary education. If your educational qualification was attained in a country other than Canada, you would need to obtain an educational credential assessment (ECA) report as an attestation that your foreign credential is equivalent to its Canadian counterpart.
If you meet the minimum requirements stated above, that is great, it means you are eligible to apply. Now, here’s where it gets complicated. Simply meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee that you will succeed or that you will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
The way the requirements are explained on the IRCC website gives the impression that having these minimum requirements means that you can apply for permanent residence – unfortunately, this is not the case.
You need to dig further to critically examine your chances of success and receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
From our experience at Canadex, an applicant with just 1 year of work experience has a slim chance of attaining a high score in the comprehensive ranking score system. An applicant with 3 years of work experience or more stands a better chance. Essentially, it comes down to the distinct circumstance of each applicant.
However, an applicant with a 1-year work experience but has a job offer in Canada and a sibling in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident may have a chance if he or she attains high band scores in the language proficiency test.
Note: a job offer is not a requirement in the Express Entry system though it is beneficial if you get one as it boosts your score.
Furthermore, in terms of language proficiency, the minimum language CLB 7 in all 4 components of the language proficiency tests is highly unlikely to put applicants in a competitive position to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Again from our experience at Canadex, simply attaining a band score of 7 in reading, speaking, writing, and listening has a slim chance of success.
At Canadex, we have discovered that with specific reference to the IELTS test, a candidate who scores 7.5 in reading, writing, and speaking and then scores 8 or higher in listening has a better chance of success assuming other criteria are met beyond the minimum requirements.
So, the conclusion is that having the minimum IELTS score of band 7 is only sufficient to create an Express Entry profile, but you would need a higher band score to boost your comprehensive ranking score.
Now, to the education criteria. The Federal Skilled Worker Program in the Express Entry system requires that applicants must possess educational qualifications which could be either at the secondary level or post-secondary level. The reality is that a higher educational qualification gives a higher score. For example, a secondary school certificate holder would have fewer points for education than an applicant that has a Ph.D. So, just possessing a secondary school diploma, though meets the minimum educational qualification, your comprehensive ranking score would be low.
Again, the dynamics of the Express Entry system is that an applicant who has fewer points for education but has a job offer and achieves a high band score in the language proficiency test stands a chance to achieve a high comprehensive ranking score. So, if your profile is deficient in one aspect, you may make up for it with other aspects.
Express Entry Eligibility Requirements for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The eligibility requirements for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) as stated by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Citizenship, the requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are:
1. Work Experience
You must have at least 1 year of work experience in the last 3 years prior to your application.
The 1-year work experience means working 30 hours a week, which is equivalent to 1,560 hours in 12 months and this amount can be achieved either working full-time or part-time as long as the part-time hours equal 1,560 hours.
This work experience must have been attained through proper work authorization in Canada. If you are working illegally in Canada, this is against IRCC immigration law and will not count.
The work experience must be in one of the National Occupation Classifications (NOC) in Teer 0,1,2,3.
2. Education Requirement
The Express Entry system requirement for Canadian Experience Class does not make having education compulsory like the Federal Skilled Worker Program. There are no requirements for education. However, it is advisable to include your education credentials to gain points for the comprehensive ranking score.
To earn points you would need to include your education credentials for a secondary or post-secondary education obtained in Canada. If you obtained the credential in a foreign country you need to get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) report to show that your foreign credential matches its Canadian equivalent.
3. Language Proficiency Requirement
The Express Entry language requirement for Canadian Experience Class is to take the approved English or French test and the components to be examined are reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
The minimum band score for National Occupation Classification (NOC) under Teer 0 and 1 is CLB 7 while the minimum band score for National Occupation Classification (NOC) under Teer 2 and 3 is CLB 5.
Applying under the Canadian Experience Class in the Express Entry system is less challenging than the Federal Skilled Worker Program because the minimum requirements for Canadian Experience Class do not include education requirement (though it is advisable to include education to gain more points), the band score for the language proficiency test is less for NOC Teer 2 and 3.
Furthermore, Express Entry under the Canadian Experience Class does require you to show proof of funds (but we suggest that you include your source of income and Notice of Assessment [tax filings] in Canada to show your earnings) since these Canadian Experience Class applicants are already in Canada working and have a financial foundation; but Express Entry applicants under the Federal Skilled Worker Program are required to show proof of funds.
Arguably, the reason for making the requirements less demanding for the Express Entry applicants under the Canadian Experience Class is that they are already here in Canada and most of them have already been absorbed into the workforce in Canada so it would make sense to keep them by making the requirements less challenging.
Based on each applicant’s unique profile, you would have to ascertain if simply meeting the minimum requirements for Express Entry under the Canadian Experience Class would be sufficient to earn you competitive points in the comprehensive ranking score calculation. If not, you may need to go the extra step such as including your education credentials and endeavoring to score more than the minimum language proficiency test score.
Express Entry Eligibility Requirements for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is meant for individuals with experience in specific trades who desire to immigrate to Canada.
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada enumerate the skilled trades the minimum requirements for the Federal Skilled Trades Program under the Express Entry to include:
1. Work Experience Requirement
An applicant must have at least 2 years of work experience in the last 5 years prior to their application in specific skilled trades under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) and for the avoidance of doubt, IRCC enumerates these skilled trades on its website and are:
- Major Group 72, technical trades and transportation officers and controllers
- excluding Sub-Major Group 726, transportation officers, and controllers
- Major Group 73, general trades
- Major Group 82, supervisors in natural resources, agriculture, and related production
- Major Group 83, occupations in natural resources and related production
- Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing, and utility supervisors, and utility operators and controllers
- Major Group 93, central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, excluding Sub-Major Group 932, aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
- Minor Group 6320, cooks, butchers, and bakers
- Unit Group 62200, chefs
An additional requirement is that an applicant must have a valid job offer in a relevant skilled trade in Canada for full-time employment for at least 1 year, OR have a certificate of qualification in your skilled trades issued by the federal, provincial, or territorial authority in Canada
2. Education Requirement
In the Federal Skilled Trades Program under the Express Entry system, there is a requirement for education. However, to improve your score, you have the option of including your education credentials (this could be secondary or post-secondary education) and recall that if your education was obtained in a foreign country, you would need an ECA report.
3. Language Proficiency Requirement
The minimum score is CLB 5 for speaking and listening; and CLB 4 for reading and writing. The language proficiency test could be English or French.
Again in the Federal Skilled Trades under the Express Entry, you have to assess whether meeting the minimum requirements would be sufficient for you to earn an invitation to apply for permanent residence. If not, then you may need to go beyond the minimum requirements.
In summary, when determining your eligibility requirements for the Express Entry system under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), below are some points to note:
1. Just meeting the minimum requirements stated on the IRCC website may not be sufficient to give you competitive points in the comprehensive ranking score system.
2. For some applicants, meeting the minimum may be sufficient and that’s great; but for other applicants, it may not be sufficient.
3. You may meet the minimum requirements but your score may not be high enough to give you a chance to receive an invitation to apply for Canada PR.
Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking Score Calculation
After you have determined that you meet the Express Entry eligibility requirements for any of the 3 programs (Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Program), the next thing is to get an idea of what your comprehensive ranking score is likely going to be. This will enable you to gauge your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for Canada permanent residence.
The Express Entry is a points-based system; points are awarded to you based on your age, education, language proficiency score, years of work experience, and adaptability to Canada. Therefore, it is important to know your score and compare it with recent draw scores.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have developed a tool to aid prospective Express Entry applicants to calculate their score to get a sense of how high their comprehensive ranking score would be. This tool is free; it requires that you answer a set of questions accurately. You will also be required to enter your language proficiency test result in order for the system to calculate your comprehensive ranking score. Well, you do not need to spend money to take the IELTS (English test) or French test before you can use the comprehensive ranking system tool.
What if you do not even meet the requirements or your score is low? Then you would have wasted the funds for the language proficiency test. All you need to do is make up the scores and input them into the tool. This will even give you a sense of what language proficiency score to aim for so you have a target in your mind.
This part of the Express Entry eligibility determination (that is, the comprehensive ranking system calculation) is fairly easy, just respond to the questions accurately in order to get a true picture of your comprehensive ranking score.
From our experience at Canadex, some applicants make mistakes in responding to the questions and so get a wrong score and when we reassess them, we discover that they made a mistake in the comprehensive ranking system calculation.
So, once you use the comprehensive ranking system and get a sense of what your score is, you can judge whether you stand a chance with the Express Entry. If your score is high and you meet the Express Entry requirement discussed above for the 3 programs, then you can proceed to take the relevant language test and obtain the ECA report.
If on the other hand, your score is low, you may consider other options. One of them is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
The Provincial Nominee Program allows provinces in Canada to nominate and select skilled workers that meet their specific needs. If your Express Entry comprehensive ranking score is low, you may still stand a chance to immigrate to Canada through a provincial nominee program managed by each province.
Provinces have access to the Express Entry system portal, they can identify Express Entry candidates whose profile matches their needs but do not have a high comprehensive ranking score to receive an invitation to apply. In this case, provinces will send an Expression of Interest (EOI) letter inviting you to apply to their province for nomination.
The nomination from a province in Canada is worth 600 points and this is in addition to the points you already have from the comprehensive ranking score. Therefore, this dramatically increases your comprehensive ranking score points and makes it possible to receive an invitation to apply for Canada PR. For example, if your comprehensive ranking score was 390 and then you receive a provincial nominee program nomination which is worth 600 points. Your total comprehensive ranking score becomes 990, which guarantees you an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
The provincial nominee program is however a 50/50 chance. There is no guarantee a province will send you an expression of interest letter to apply for nomination. If your personal profile (age, occupation, education, years of work experience, etc) does not meet their need, you may not receive an expression of interest letter from a province.
We suggest that if you already have all the documents (language proficiency test result and ECA evaluation report) needed to create an Express Entry profile, proceed to create the profile even if your comprehensive ranking score is low. You never know, a province may find your profile attractive and send you an expression of interest to apply for a provincial nominee program.
In summary, we hope you find this blog post useful in terms of determining your eligibility for Canada Express Entry under the three programs – Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Relying on the minimum requirements for these programs as stated on the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may not be sufficient for you to earn a competitive score on the comprehensive ranking score system.
Additionally, if your comprehensive ranking score is not competitive enough for you to receive an invitation to apply, it may be good enough to receive an expression of interest letter for a provincial nominee program.
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