Permanent Resident Programs

Yes. Depending on the information in your profile, you may be eligible for more than one program through Express Entry. In that case, you will be invited to apply for one program based on this order:

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

For example:

• If you met the criteria for all three programs, the system would send you an invitation to apply for the CEC.
• If you met the criteria for CEC and FSWP, you would also get an invitation to apply under the CEC.
• If you met the criteria for FSWP and FSTP, you would get an invitation to apply under FSWP.

You can’t choose which program you are invited to apply for. The system will sort profiles based on the information you enter.

To get points for your education under the Comprehensive Ranking System, you must either:

• have been educated in Canada, or
• have a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes for your completed foreign education.

No. Getting an ECA to meet the requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program does not mean that your work experience and professional credentials are automatically recognized in Canada. You must still go through the process of getting your license. Each province or territory in Canada has the power to regulate and license professions. Licensing is generally done through provincial or territorial regulatory bodies.If you plan to work in a regulated profession, you should contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to work to find out more about how to get a license.

IRCC accepts ECA reports for five years from the date they are issued, so long as they were issued on or after April 17, 2013.

Usually, you should choose the highest level degree, diploma or certificate (or combination) that will award you the most points. For example, you would get more points for an ECA report that shows you have a Canadian equivalent of a master’s degree than for one that shows you have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. But, if you have more than one degree or diploma (if the highest is at least at a bachelor’s level), you will get more points than a single bachelor’s degree. For example, you hold

• a Bachelor’s degree and a diploma or certificate or
• two Bachelor’s degrees

In this case, you need to get an ECA for each credential to get the maximum points.

Canadian Immigration assesses everyone using the same standards, no matter their language of origin, nationality or ethnicity. Every candidate must take a standard test by an objective third party. This is to make sure your language skills are assessed in a fair and unbiased way. Even someone from an English-speaking country, who speaks English as a first language, needs to take an approved English test like IELTS or CELPIP. Likewise, someone from a French-speaking country, who speaks French as a first language, needs to take an approved French test like TEF Canada.

For English CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program – CELPIP-General IELTS: International English Language Testing System – General Training For French TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français TCF Canada : Test de connaissance du français

To be selected as a federal skilled worker, you need a minimum skill level of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in each of the four abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). In the case that you have a proven medical disability preventing you from being able to obtain a score in one or more of the four skill areas, you are required to include the average score based on your assessed abilities.

No, in most cases you don’t need a job offer. But, you will need one if you:

• are eligible for either the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
• do not have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada.

Even if you don’t need one, you may want to try and find a valid job offer. It will give you a much higher point score, and so a better chance of being invited to apply.

No. As of November 19, 2016, a valid job offer for Express Entry only needs to be for one year or more.Job offers must be:

• at the NOC 0, A or B level
• from one employer for the FSW or CEC, or up to two employers for the FST
• supported by an LMIA (if you need one) or be for a candidate who is exempt from needing an LMIA.

Generally, a valid offer is for a job that is:

• full-time and non-seasonal,
• for at least one year,
• in a skilled job listed as Skill

Type 0, or Skill Level A or B in the 2016 National Occupational Classification. A job offer must be in writing, and must set out details of the job they are offering you, such as:

• your pay and deductions
• your job duties
• conditions of employment, like your hours of work.

In most cases, a valid job offer must be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The employer has to apply for one from Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada. If they get a positive LMIA, they must give you a copy and a written job offer.

No, a work permit is not a job offer. A job offer is valid if your current or future employer:

• has made a written offer to give you a full-time, non-seasonal job for one year or more if you are accepted as a permanent resident and
• has a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (or the job is LMIA-exempt)

This is true whether you are working in Canada or not. There are only two reasons that an employer making you a job offer does not need to get a new LMIA: if you are already working for them with a work permit based on that LMIA if you work in a job that does not need an LMIA.

It depends on where you were working and studying. To be eligible for Express Entry, you must meet the minimum requirements for 1 or more Express Entry programs. This includes the work experience requirement. For Federal Skilled Worker Program Student work experience gained while you were studying in Canada or abroad counts towards the minimum requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program if the work:

• was paid by wages or commissions
• was continuous (no gaps in employment), and
• meets all the other requirements of the Program

This includes co-op terms and apprenticeships. For Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program Student work experience doesn’t count towards the minimum requirements for the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), to be awarded points for skilled work experience, you must have been:

• legally allowed to work in Canada in one or more jobs listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification;
• working full-time (or an equal amount in part-time), meaning 30 hours of work per week, and
• working for at least one year in the 10-year period before the day we assign you points.
IRCC does not count work experience if you were:
• studying full-time while you were working,
• self-employed, or
• not legally allowed to work in Canada.
Please note: Work experience does not need to be continuous to get points under the CRS. But, to qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience, either in Canada or abroad.

To qualify for the broadest range of programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you should include work experience from the last 10 years. We also need this information for an application for permanent residence, no matter which program you are applying under.

Express Entry allows you to include your spouse (or common-law partner, or conjugal partner) and your dependent children on your application. If you are successful with your application, you and all of your accompanying family members will receive permanent resident status. For Canadian immigration, a dependent child is defined as the following:

• under 22 years of age and not a spouse or common-law partner, or
• 22 years of age or older and unable to support themselves financially due to a physical or mental condition.

Yes. You may choose to immigrate without your spouse and/or children and then sponsor them through a family sponsorship immigration program later on. But having said that, you must include your spouse and dependents in your application, even if they don't plan to come with you. Once you become a permanent resident and meet the desired income and other qualifying obligations, you may sponsor your parents and grandparents to Canada. It should be noted that this is an extremely high-demand program and is frequently undergoing changes to the eligibility requirements and application procedure.

There is no simple answer to this question. Most PNPs require an applicant to have an Express Entry profile. Since an Express Entry profile is free to submit, it is advisable to create one. A majority of PNP programs require an applicant to have a specific connection to the region, like an education from the province or a relative residing in that province. If you do not have any specific connections to a province in Canada, the general Express Entry pathway to Canadian permanent residence will probably be your best option.

It is impossible to predict how the CRS score will fluctuate in the future. No lawyer or consultant can guarantee that an applicant will successfully receive permanent residence through the Express Entry system. The application process is lengthy, complex, and constantly changing, and approval is at the discretion of IRCC so there is always a risk that an applicant may not receive permanent residence.

You will be asked to enter in your Express Entry profile the amount of money you will have to help you settle in Canada. This is to show that you can support yourself and any family who come with you to Canada, and help us assess which programs you may be eligible for. You will only need to meet the settlement fund requirement if it applies to the program you are invited to apply under. If you are invited to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Federal Skilled Trades Program, you will need to show that you meet the settlement funds requirement unless you:

• are currently authorized to work in Canada, and
• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.

For proof, you must get official letters from any banks or financial institutions where you are keeping money. Letter(s) must list:

• all current bank and investment accounts
• outstanding debts such as credit card debts and loans
Note: You do not have to meet the funds requirement if you were invited to apply under the Canadian Experience Class.