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What is Express Entry? How do I know if I’m eligible? – Part 1. Federal Skilled Worker

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Launched in 2015, Express Entry is one of the fastest Permanent Residency (PR) paths to Canada, with the standard processing time of only 6 months from application to decision. The submission process, which is done entirely online, is also cost-efficient and accessible to many. It can be a particularly attractive option for young professionals aged 18-32, with post-secondary degrees, high proficiency in English, French, or both, and with at least 1 year of full-time, skilled work experience (either in a foreign country or within Canada).

These posts are part of a series. Click on the below links to find out about the other categories:

Part 2. Express Entry – Canadian Experience Class

Part 3. Express Entry – Federal Skilled Trades

Part 4. Express Entry – Provincial Nomination

Each applicant must qualify under at least one of the three Express Entry “streams” to enter the pool, and each stream has a different set of minimum requirements. This post will focus on the minimum requirements to enter the Express Entry pool of candidates through the Federal Skilled Worker stream.

Minimum Requirements for Federal Skilled Worker Stream

Work experience. Within the past 10 years from the date you apply for permanent residency, you must have worked in a paid, full-time, professional job, anywhere in the world, for at least 1 continuous year, at least 1,560 hours total (30 hours a week). This job must be the same occupation you are using in your immigration application (your “primary occupation”), and must be classified as a skilled position classified as TEER 0, TEER 1, TEER 2, or TEER 3 in Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC) database.

  • You can meet this requirement through continuous part-time work for a longer period of time that adds up to the required 1,560 hours total (for example, 15 hours a week for 2 years).
  • It is permissible to meet this requirement through self-employment, but extensive documentation is expected to prove you actually performed 1,560 total hours of paid work.
  • You may be able to count work experience accumulated while you were a student, provided you meet the other requirements outlined above, including continuity, 1,560 hours requirement, and TEER classification.

Education. You must possess a secondary or post-secondary degree that is equivalent to a Canadian degree at those levels.

Language ability. In either English or French, you must have taken one of the four officially recognized tests (CELPIP-G, IELTS-G, TEF Canada or TCF Canada) and have scored at or above CLB 7 in each of the four abilities – writing, reading, listening, and speaking.

  • These tests are only valid for 2 years since the date of the test results, and they must not have expired the day you submit your permanent residence (PR) application.

Proof of Funds. Unless the applicant has a job offer or already has Canadian work authorization, the applicant must show sufficient settlement funds, the amount of which differs by size of household. In 2022, a family of two was expected to show $16,570 Canadian dollars worth of cash assets.

In addition to the above minimum requirements, each applicant is evaluated through a more detailed point-based eligibility grid that takes into account one’s age, work experience, education, language skills, adaptability (family in Canada, etc.), and whether there are any job offers. The applicant must score 67 points or higher on this grid to be eligible to enter the Express Entry pool.

If I meet the minimum requirements, does it mean I can apply for permanent residence now?

No, unfortunately, meeting the minimum eligibility requirements for one of the Express Entry is just the first step, it only allows you to enter the Express Entry pool. This does not guarantee that you will move onto the second step, which is to receive an invitation to apply (ITA).

Only if and when you receive an ITA, you gain permission to submit a permanent residency (PR) application, which will then be adjudicated within the 6 months that the system promises. However, it is common for applicants to be waiting in the pool for a whole year without being selected.

How does this happen? This is because each applicant is assigned a different score – called the “CRS score” – which can range from 0 to 1200, based on each applicant’s level of meeting certain factors that the government finds desirable – for example, a normal job offer can give 50 extra points, whereas a managerial job offer can give 200 extra points; French proficiency can give 50 extra points; provincial nomination gives 600 extra points. Applicants are ranked strictly by their scores, and for each Express Entry biweekly “draw,” where the government distributes a set number of ITAs, the highest-ranking applicants are selected first. This creates a CRS score “cut-off” for each draw, which means only applicants scoring above the threshold will receive an invitation.

For this reason, working with an experienced lawyer who has a detailed understanding of the various factors that affect one’s CRS score can greatly help you strategize on which areas to focus on to maximize the possibility of scoring above the threshold.

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