Yes. There are two ways to do this: apply to the PNP first, get a nomination and then fill out an Express Entry profile; or fill out the Express Entry profile first. Provinces and territories can then search the Express Entry pool and ask a candidate to apply for his or her provincial nomination. When the candidate gets a nomination certificate, he or she will update their Express Entry profile. In either case, once a person updates his or her Express Entry profile to show that he or she has an enhanced provincial or territorial nomination certificate, he or she will be given…

Canadian employers have a greater and more direct role in Canadian immigration under Express Entry than previously. Candidates in the Express Entry pool have the opportunity to increase their chances of being invited to apply by promoting themselves directly to employers through the Canada Job Bank. Once a candidate obtains a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) - which serves as proof that the employer made efforts to employ Canadian citizens and permanent residents for the position - he or she is invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry.

Not necessarily, though the fact that Canadian employers play a greater role in Canadian immigration under Express Entry than they did previously means that, for many candidates, obtaining a valid job offer from a Canadian employer significantly increases their chances of being invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Candidates in the Express Entry pool have the opportunity to increase their chances of being invited to apply by promoting themselves directly to employers through the Canada Visa Job Search tool.

From the moment a candidate is issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence, he or she has 60 days to submit a complete electronic application with all supporting documents. Because of this limited time period, candidates are encouraged to begin collecting these documents and ensuring they are in good order before an ITA is issued. If a candidate misses the 60-day deadline, the ITA that was issued to him or her is no longer valid and he or she will have to re-enter the Express Entry pool. If the information provided by the potential candidate turns out…

Candidates should bear in mind that the economic immigration programs that have been in place in recent years remain in place under the Express Entry selection system. Once an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence has been issued to a candidate, he or she must submit a range of supporting document with his or her application, as was the case previously. These documents include those pertaining to civil status such as marriage certificates (if applicable), birth certificates, language test results, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA; if applicable), work reference letters, security background checks, and other documents.

An ECA is required for candidates in the Express Entry pool who wish to be considered for draws related to the Federal Skilled Worker Class, unless they received their post-secondary education in Canada. For candidates who are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Class or Canadian Experience Class, an ECA is optional but may increase the points they receive on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and improve their chances of being drawn from the pool.

Yes, all candidates need to take a language test in order to determine their language abilities. There are a set number of points available for language ability for each of the economic immigration programs that come under Express Entry, and ability must be proven by candidates taking a standardized language test approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly known as CIC). The most popular are IELTS for English and TEF for French. As part of their Express Entry profile, candidates must submit valid language test results obtained in the past two years. Once a candidate enters the Express…

Candidates know their points total (or score), but do not know their rank within the pool. They will, however, know the minimum score that was required for the most recent draw from the Express Entry pool. Therefore, they have a target that they can aim to meet and surpass in order to increase their chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence.

Each profile remains in the Express Entry pool for a period of 12 months or until an invitation to apply for permanent residence is issued, whichever comes first. If after 12 months a candidate wishes to remain in the pool, he or she may create a fresh profile.

Candidates who receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence from a Canadian province or territory should have the intention to reside in that particular province or territory. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are set up to address local and regional labour market needs, and so it follows that candidates invited to apply through a PNP are deemed likely to succeed in that particular province or territory. Once a candidate has landed in Canada, however, he or she will have the right to freedom of movement within Canada, as well as the right to live and work anywhere in Canada…

It is possible that quotas for certain skill levels and/or occupations may be in place in the future. It is not known whether these will be transparent.

Yes, a portion of the PNPs, known as the "enhanced" portion, will be inside Express Entry, with the remainder operating external to Express Entry. If a candidate is eligible for a particular PNP and that PNP is receiving applications for assessment at the time, he or she may make an application to that particular province under the PNP without having to create an Express Entry profile. The Canada Visa immigration assessment form assesses your eligibility for immigration across more than 60 immigration programs, including the various PNPs.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly known as CIC) aims to process the majority of complete applications received within six months from the date of submission.

If after 12 months a candidate has not received an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for permanent residence from the federal government, a Canadian province, or a Canadian employer, but wishes to remain in the Express Entry pool, he or she can create a new Express Entry profile. If he or she is still eligible for one of the economic immigration programs, he or she will re-enter the Express Entry pool.

A successful applicant can bring his or her spouse (i.e. husband or wife) or common-law partner, as well as dependent children, to Canada. In the case of married couples and common-law partners, only one of the partners needs to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. The spouse or common-law partner of the principal applicant, as well as any children under the age of 19 (at the time the application is received), also receive a permanent resident visa. A spouse must submit language test results and security background checks. A spouse and all dependent children, as well as the…

Yes, candidates are able to promote themselves to Canadian employers online, as well as network, to increase their chances of obtaining a qualifying job offer. Candidates who are successful in obtaining a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) are awarded 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence at a subsequent draw from the pool.

No. Express Entry facilitates the processing of economic immigrants for Canadian permanent residence. There are, however, a number of other ways of moving to Canada, both permanent and temporary. Only a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) will be processed through Express Entry. Other PNP candidates will be able to apply to these programs directly if they are eligible under the requirements, which are based on local and regional labour market needs. Most PNP streams require the candidate to secure a valid job offer before immigrating to Canada, but there are some exceptions. Successful candidates will land in Canada as…

Quebec applications will not be triaged through Express Entry, except where the applicant will be working outside Quebec for a Quebec-based company.

Yes, Bridging Open Work Permits (BOWPs) will continue under Express Entry, though the candidate must obtain approval-in-principle of their application before he or she can apply for the work permit.

An applicant may have a birthday after he or she receives an invitation to apply (ITA) but before he or she submits an application for permanent residence. A change in age may lower his or her CRS score below the lowest score in the draw. It may also result in the applicant no longer meeting the minimum requirements. When a change in age results in the candidate no longer meeting the minimum entry criteria or lowering his or her CRS points score below the lowest points score in the draw, IRCC officers are asked to apply the public policy to…