Requirements For Express Entry

Canada immigration news: Covered below are the basic requirements for Canada Express Entry immigration programs, namely the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class.

Canada’s Express Entry system is the main route for skilled workers to immigrate to Canada.

It is not an immigration program in its own right but manages the intake of applications for three federal programs, plus parts of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Those three federal programs are:

Basic requirements differ for each of the three programs. However, meeting basic requirements does not guarantee an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Instead, the Express Entry system is designed to select the highest scoring candidates based on a number of factors, including language ability, age, job offer, work experience and education.

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Federal Skilled Worker Minimum Requirements

The Federal Skilled Worker Program has minimum requirements for:

Work Experience

Candidates must have at least one year of paid full-time work experience (or equivalent part-time experience) in the last 10 years in skill type 0 or skill level A or B under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

Language Ability

Candidates must have a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in English or French in writing, reading, speaking and listening, assessed by an approved language test.

Education

Candidates must have a certificate, diploma or degree from or equivalent to a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution. Foreign education is subject to an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).

Once applicants meet the minimum requirements, they are assessed and scored on the following factors:

Age.
Education.
Work experience.
Job offer.
Language ability.
Adaptability.

Watch: Applying Under Canada Express Entry Immigration Programs

Federal Skilled Trades Minimum Requirements

The Federal Skilled Trades Program has minimum requirements for:

Work Experience

Candidates must have at least two years of paid full-time work experience (or equivalent part-time experience) in the last five years in a skilled trade.

NOC

Candidates must meet requirements for the skilled trade as per the National Occupational Classification.

Job Offer

Candidates must have:

A full-time job offer lasting at least one year, OR
A qualification certificate for the skilled trade issued by a Canadian authority.

Language Ability

Candidates must meet the following Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or French:

Listening (level 5).
Speaking (level 5).
Writing (level 4).
Reading (level 4).

Canadian Experience Class Minimum Requirements

The Canadian Experience Class has minimum requirements for:

Canadian Work Experience

Candidates must have at least one year of paid full-time skilled work experience in Canada (or equivalent part-time experience) in the last three years in skill type 0 or skill level A or B under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

The work experience must have been gained while in Canada as a temporary resident with authorization to work.

Language Ability

Candidates must have Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in English or French in reading, writing, speaking and listening for NOC 0 or A jobs.

Candidates must have Canadian Language Benchmark 5 in English or French in reading, writing, speaking and listening for NOC B jobs.

Proof of Funds

Candidates applying under Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades are required to show proof of funds unless they have a valid job offer and are authorized to work in Canada.

Candidates for the Canadian Experience Class are not required to show proof of funds.

Proof of funds show that a candidate has enough money to settle in Canada.

It is important to note that the above are only the minimum requirements for the federal programs that come under Express Entry.

The system is such that only the highest scoring Express Entry profiles will be selected and issued with Invitations to Apply to one of the above programs.

It is therefore advisable for candidates to include all the information they can in the following areas in their Express Entry profile.

Skills and work experience.
Education.
Language ability in English and/or French.
Language ability and education of the applicant’s spouse or common-law partner.
Possession of a job offer supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Possession of a provincial government nomination.
Certain combinations of language skills, education and work experience that result in a higher chance of the applicant becoming employed.
Having a sibling in Canada.

More Information

Canada Express Entry: How Can I Increase My CRS Score?

Colin Singer

Colin Singer is an international acclaimed Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca featured on Wikipedia. Colin Singer is also founding director of the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration Resource Center (CCIRC) Inc. He served as an Associate Editor of ‘Immigration Law Reporter’, the pre-eminent immigration law publication in Canada. He previously served as an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Quebec and National Immigration Law Sections and is currently a member of the Canadian Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Colin has twice appeared as an expert witness before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He is frequently recognized as a recommended authority at national conferences sponsored by government and non-government organizations on matters affecting Canada’s immigration and human resource industries. Since 2009, Colin has been a Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of the profession, and became a lifetime member in 2018.