Last Updated on March 24, 2016

Introduction

Express Entry is Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC’s) system for managing the intake of economic immigration applications. It caters to applications submitted on or after January 01, 2015, for the programs listed below:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and,
• A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Foreign nationals would need to receive an invitation from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Only then would they be able to apply to the programs listed above. This directive is applicable effective January 01, 2015.

Express Entry nullifies the requirement of processing applicants for the above-mentioned programs, through a “first in first out” method. Rather, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) plans to process 80 percent of complete Express Entry applications in six months or less. It is worth noting however, that the authorities do not use Express Entry for managing Quebec’s economic immigration programs.

The Process for Foreign Nationals Expressing Interest in Coming to Canada

Situations will invariably arise where foreign nationals will be keen to come to Canada for various reasons. To set the ball rolling in Express Entry, these individuals will need to complete an online profile via their MyCIC account.

There might be certain individuals who apparently meet the criteria of one or more of the three federal immigration programs managed through Express Entry. These programs comprise:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and,
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The authorities would automatically enter these candidates into the Express Entry pool of candidates.

Situations could arise where certain candidates do not have the following when completing their profiles:

• A qualifying offer of arranged employment (refer to Appendix A) or,
• A provincial or territorial nomination (refer to Appendix B)

In this scenario, these candidates would need to register themselves with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) Job Bank.

Note:

• It is worth noting that there is no deadline for completing a profile
• Similarly, the authorities have placed no caps on the number of candidates they accept into the Express Entry pool of candidates

Comprehensive Ranking System
Creating an Express Entry Profile and the Requirements for Entering the Pool
Express Entry: Express Entry Via the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Express Entry: The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
Express Entry: Invitation to Apply

Source: Citizenship and Immigration