Skilled immigrants who want to settle in Canada and boost Canada’s economy can immigrate to Canada through Express Entry. This is the fastest and most efficient way for skilled professionals and their families to migrate to Canada.

This is great for skilled workers with foreign work experiences or specific trades. The processing time for express entry applications is around six months; however, the program is in high demand, and candidates get a CRC score ranking based on personal & professional factors.

If you're eligible for one or more of the Express Entry programs and submit your profile, you’ll be ranked in the Express Entry pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

What is Express Entry to Canada?

I AM INTERESTED IN AN EXPRESS ENTRY TO CANADA

There are 3 immigration programs managed through Express Entry:

1. Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers with Canadian work experience who want to become permanent residents. Work experience must have been gained in the 3 years before you apply.

  • You must:

    • Have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in the 3 years before you apply

    • Have gained your work experience by working in Canada while authorized to work under temporary resident status

    • Show that you performed:

    • Take approved language tests for writing, reading, listening, and speaking

    • Meet the minimum score required

    • Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result

    • Must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence

2. Federal Skilled Worker Program

This is for skilled workers with foreign or Canadian work experience who must meet the criteria for education and other factors.

  • To be eligible, you must meet all the minimum requirements for:

    • Your skilled work experience must be in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as your primary occupation

    • Have been obtained within the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad

    • Be paid work (you must have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)

    • Be at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)

    • Your skilled work experience must be paid work, including paid wages or earned commission. We don’t count volunteer work or unpaid internships

    • For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply

    • We don’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week

    • Student work experience, work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work was paid by wages or commissions, was continuous (no gaps in employment), and meets all the other requirements of the Program

    • Take approved language tests in English or French for writing, reading, listening, and speaking

    • meet the minimum score required in all 4 abilities

    • Enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

    • Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence

    If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution

    If you have foreign education, you must have a completed educational credential and an Educational Credential Assessment for immigration purposes that is from a designated organization and shows your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution.

3. Federal Skilled Trades Program

This is for skilled workers who are qualified in a skilled trade and must have a valid job offer or a certificate of qualification.

  • You must

    • Have at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply

    • Valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year or certificate of qualification in your skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority

    • Passed a certification exam and meet all the requirements to practice your trade in the province or territory that issued your certificate

    • Get assessed by the province or territory. Each province and territory has its own certificate of qualification requirements and certification process

    • Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)

    • Show that you performed the actions in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC and most of the main duties listed.

    Your work experience only counts if you were qualified to practice that trade where you got your work experience. If you were qualified in one country but worked in another country with different rules for practicing your trade, you must have also met the requirements to practice there independently

    Your work experience should be in one of the following NOC groups:

    • Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers

    • General trades

    • Supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production

    • Occupations in natural resources and related production

    • Manufacturing and utilities supervisors, and utilities operators and controllers

    • Central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, cooks, butchers, bakers, and chefs

We can guide you on how to achieve a high CRC score and obtain permanent residency through Express Entry.