Timeless
How To Apply For Permanent Residence In Canada With “Express Entry”
Do you want to settle permanently in Canada to work? Do you have work experience to your credit or did you study in Canada? You may be eligible for permanent residence. The first step: the “Express Entry” system.
What is the Express Entry System for?
“Express Entry” is an online immigration application management system in Canada. It allows the federal government to build a pool of candidates and to recruit those who meet the needs of the Canadian labour market. The system allows the recruitment of candidates for all provinces and territories in Canada, except for Quebec. This province has its own immigration system.
To register for Express Entry, you must meet the criteria for at least one of the following immigration programs
- Skilled workers,
- Skilled trades workers,
- Canadian experience.
IMPORTANT: Your Express Entry registration is not an application for permanent residence. Registering for Express Entry allows you to:
- create an online profile, similar to a resume, to be reviewed by the federal government,
- to be officially invited to submit your application for permanent residence, if the government withholds your application.
Steps to obtain a permanent residence with Express Entry
1. Check if you qualify and register
To find out if you qualify, you must complete a form available online at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. This form asks you for the following information:
- your nationality,
- your age,
- the members of your family,
- your income or net worth,
- your work experiences,
- your language skills,
- Your level of education.
Depending on the information provided, you are informed whether or not you can register on the Express Entry system.
If you qualify, you will receive a personalized reference number generated at the end of the form. This number is required to register for Express Entry. The custom reference number looks like this: JM1234567890.
You must then register with Express Entry to complete your profile.
2. Be ranked in the pool of candidates
Once you are registered for Express Entry, you are part of a pool of candidates. Your Express Entry profile is valid for one year.
In the pool, candidates are ranked according to a points system called the Global Ranking System. Candidates enrolled on Express Entry receive a maximum score of 1200 based on several criteria, including:
- age,
- the level of education,
- fluency in French or English,
- work experience.
Some items may give you additional points. For example :
- Have a valid job offer. That is when a Canadian employer offers a full-time job to a foreign worker. If you are unemployed or do not have a valid job offer, you must register for the Job Bank.
- Foreign work experience that has its equivalent in Canada.
- A degree of studies.
3. Being invited to apply for permanent residence
If you have enough points on your Express Entry profile, the government sends you an official invitation through your GCKey account. You can apply for permanent residence in one of the following programs:
- Skilled workers,
- Skilled trades workers,
- Canadian experience.
| WARNING :
After receiving the invitation, you have 60 days to complete and submit your application for permanent residence. If you received an invitation before June 26, 2018, you have 90 days to submit your application. |
The federal government will tell you which documents to provide in support of your application. For example, you will need to provide:
- the results of the language proficiency test,
- a police certificate confirming that you do not have a criminal record,
- proof of your medical examination.
Not all applicants in the pool are invited to apply for permanent residence. Without invitation, you can not apply for permanent residence with Express Entry. If you have not received an invitation after one year, your Express Entry profile will be removed from the pool and you will need to start the whole process again.
4. Processing the application for permanent residence
Make sure you pay the processing fee.
Throughout the processing of your application, the government may ask you to clarify certain information or provide other documents, such as your passport. Some people may even be invited to an interview.
When your application is complete, it is processed in six months.
5. Validate your status once your application for permanent residence has been approved
When the federal government approves your application, it gives you a permanent resident visa (if required) and a confirmation of permanent residence.
| WARNING :
You are not a permanent resident yet. There is one last step: you must validate your new status. |
The federal government tells you how to validate your status. There are two possible scenarios:
Scenario 1: You already live in Canada as a temporary resident
You must go to the nearest Canadian border, exit and re-enter Canada by presenting to a border services officer :
- your permanent resident visa (if required),
- your confirmation of permanent residence,
- proof that you have enough money to support yourself and your family.
That’s when you officially become a permanent resident of Canada. You have six months to do it.
You can also validate your status as a permanent resident of Canada at an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office located in Canada.
Scenario 2: You live outside Canada
When crossing the Canadian border, you must present these documents to a border services officer:
- your permanent resident visa (if required),
- your confirmation of permanent residence,
- proof that you have enough money to support yourself and your family.
You officially become a permanent resident of Canada.
You receive a permanent resident card by mail. Be sure to provide a valid residential address in Canada.
