EXPRESS ENTRY OFFICIAL Q&A (1): BASIC QUESTIONS
What is Express Entry and how does it work?
Express Entry is a new way of managing applications in a number of existing economic immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program,
- Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
- Canadian Experience Class.
Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry pool for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in order to meet local labour market needs.
Through Express Entry, people who meet the criteria for one of these programs will be placed into a pool of candidates. The Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, and Canadian employers will be able to select people from this pool.
Employers in Canada must first make every effort to try and find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill vacant job opportunities. Eligible employers who cannot find a Canadian or permanent resident for a permanent job will be able to consider candidates from the pool who meet their needs.
Express Entry and the Government of Canada’s Job Bank will let eligible employers in Canada and skilled foreign nationals connect with one another more easily, making integration faster once immigrants arrive in Canada.
Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Candidates will be awarded points for:
- a job offer and/or
- a provincial/territorial nomination and/or
- skills and experience – factors that contribute to success in Canada.
Note: The Province of Quebec does not use Express Entry. They select their own skilled workers. See Quebec-selected skilled workers to find out more.
How will the Express Entry system benefit Canada?
The Government of Canada is reforming its economic immigration system to ensure that Canada’s economic and labour market needs are met.
Express Entry is a key part of this. Its goal is to make the system faster and more flexible. It will improve how Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) accepts and processes applications, which will mean:
- faster and more efficient processing; and
- a better ability to respond to Canada’s labour market.
Under Express Entry, we will only accept applications from people we have invited to immigrate to Canada under certain economic immigration programs. This will prevent the growth of backlogs by ensuring that only the candidates who are most likely to succeed—not simply the first to submit their application—are able to apply to immigrate to Canada.
Most applicants who are invited to apply under the Express Entry system will see their electronic permanent residence applications processed within six months or less. This reduction in wait times will make it possible for Canada to keep pace with peer countries, attract the best skilled immigrants, and get them working and contributing to the Canadian economy faster.
When will the Express Entry system be launched?
The Express Entry system will launch in January 2015.
Which immigration programs will be covered under the Express Entry system?
The Express Entry system will apply to the following Canadian economic immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program,
- Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
- Canadian Experience Class.
Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the PNPs in order to meet local labour market needs.
Will Express Entry change immigration program requirements?
No. Express Entry will not change immigration program requirements. Express Entry is not a new program. It is a new way for CIC to manage the intake of economic immigration applications online.
Will there be a cap on the number of candidates admitted to the Express Entry pool?
There is no limit to the number of people who may enter the Express Entry pool. We expect this to result in a range of candidates with a greater variety of skills and experience from which employers, provinces and territories can select to meet their needs. However, we will base the number of candidates who get an ITA for permanent residence on the Annual Immigration Levels Plan. The Levels Plan will still set out the broad admission ranges for the immigration programs that are part of Express Entry.
Express Entry will create an inventory of high-quality candidates who employers in Canada will be able to consider when they cannot find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.
Under Express Entry, labour market demand, in the form of a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or a nomination by a province or territory will provide candidates with enough additional points and be ranked high enough to be invited to apply at the next eligible draw of candidates. Draws will be made from the Express Entry pool on a regular basis, and instructions for each draw will be posted on our website. Note that all job offers will be subject to Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) LMIA requirements in place at that time.
Employers and potential candidates will also benefit from faster processing. CIC’s goal is a six-month or less processing time from the day we receive a complete application for permanent residence to the day a final decision is made.
What will happen to permanent residence applications you receive before the launch of Express Entry?
Applications received by CIC before the launch of Express Entry will be processed according to the rules in place at that time.