Firstly, candidates have to fill out an online application form which shows an interest of the candidate in immigrating to Canada. By completing the profile, the Candidate will outline his/her skills, work experience, language ability, education, and any other important skills available.

If the candidate successfully meets the requirements of Express Entry, then the candidate will enter the Express Entry Pool. This pool is filled with other potential candidates as well.

If the candidate does not have a job offer from a Canadian employer or a nomination from a province or territory, then the candidate must create an account with Job Bank Canada.

Once the candidate creates an account with Job Bank, then he/she has an opportunity to view posted positions on Job Bank. It is very important for candidates to promote themselves to prospective employers.

To qualify for the Express Entry Pool, a candidate has to meet the criteria of the federal economic immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Canadian Experience Class

All provinces and territories are also able to choose candidates from the Express Entry pool through their Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to fulfil their local labour market requirements.

Every candidate in this Pool will obtain a score according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The candidate’s score will change frequently as other candidates will be added or removed from the Express Entry Pool. Meaning the candidate’s score ranking is subject to other scores of other candidates in the pool.

The candidates, who have the highest score, will obtain an invitation to apply (ITA). The candidates can obtain points by securing a job offer, receiving a provincial or territorial nomination, and on skills and experience factors which will demonstrate the candidate’s success in Canada.

Once the candidate receives an ITA, he or she has 60 days to submit the online application for permanent residence in one of the immigration programs. The candidate’s ITA will state that for which program the candidate is eligible to apply for.

If applicants submitted a complete application with all supporting documents, Citizenship and Immigration will process their application within six months.

Express Entry offers a lot of benefits to potential candidates, such as:

• The first benefit is that it is faster. The application processing time is only six months from the day CIC gets the complete application for permanent residence to a final decision. But the application has to be completed and submitted with all the supported documents.
• The second benefit is that Express Entry is an easier way to obtain a job offer from a potential employer before coming to Canada. The government of Canada has created a Job Bank that connects Canadian employers and skilled foreign national workers with one another.

No, there is no fee for submitting an Express Entry profile.

Once candidates receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence, then candidates have to pay application processing fee. The candidates also have to pay Permanent Residence Fee for himself/herself and also for any dependents when selected for permanent residence.

Express Entry profile expires after one year or 12 months from the date applicant submits. It is good for one year. If applicant does not receive an invitation to Apply (ITA) within 12 months and he or she is still interested, the candidate needs to fill out new application and submit a new profile.