Express Entry in Canada

Express Entry · Canada visa route

skilled · last reviewed 2026-10-14 · all Canada routes

Create an eligible profile, compete for an invitation and then apply for permanent residence. Express Entry is not an employer-specific or open work permit.

Route overview

Permanent-residence selection system: CEC, FSW and FST

Typical timeline / duration: Permanent residence if approved. A profile expires after 12 months without an invitation; it is not temporary work or visitor status.

Important notes

Meet the requirements of at least one federal programme: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades. FSW's 67-out-of-100 selection test is separate from the CRS ranking score; minimum eligibility is not an invitation.
Prepare approved language results, the required Canadian credential or immigration ECA for foreign education, and work records matching the actual NOC duties and programme rules. Language results must be less than two years old both at profile completion and at permanent-residence filing.
FSW/FST normally require settlement funds. CEC applicants are exempt; the other stated exemption requires both authorisation to work in Canada and a valid job offer. Work permission alone or generic sponsorship is not that exemption. An exempt applicant still uploads an explanation when requested.
Create and keep the IRCC profile accurate. After an invitation, submit the complete permanent-residence application within 60 days, with the personalised checklist, fees, police certificates, medical/biometrics and civil-status documents as required.
Job-offer CRS points were removed on 25 March 2025. A qualifying offer can still matter for FSW selection factors, FST eligibility or the work-authorisation-plus-offer funds exemption. These are different tests.
An accepted Express Entry-linked provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points, but the applicable round and continued eligibility still govern an invitation. Category-based rounds have additional criteria; nomination, a profile and an invitation are not final residence approval.
Police checks normally cover adult applicants/family members and countries with a continuous stay of at least six months in the last ten years, excluding time before age 18 and time in Canada. Officers can ask for further certificates.
The linked funds table carries a 7 July 2025 update label. Apply the latest IRCC amount for your family size and filing date, not a study-permit or Super Visa income figure. Funds must be available and accessible, not borrowed or represented by property equity.

Preparation checklist

Identify the federal programme and assess its minimum eligibility separately from CRS.
Obtain the correct language test and, where needed, a valid immigration ECA.
Document work duties, dates and hours, and calculate the actual CRS score.
Confirm settlement-funds eligibility or prepare the precise exemption explanation.
Submit the profile, update changes and monitor the criteria for relevant invitation rounds.
After invitation, assemble and submit the personalised application within the 60-day deadline.

Compare the 3 Express Entry programs

Express Entry is the online system Canada uses to manage permanent-residence applications for 3 federal economic programs. You only need to qualify for 1 of them.

Requirement	Canadian Experience Class (CEC)	Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)	Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
Language	CLB 7 for TEER 0/1 jobs, CLB 5 for TEER 2/3 jobs	CLB 7	CLB 5 speaking/listening, CLB 4 reading/writing
Type of work experience	Canadian work experience, TEER 0-3	Foreign or Canadian work experience, TEER 0-3	Experience in a listed skilled trade (TEER 2/3)
Amount of experience	1 year in Canada in the last 3 years	1 continuous year in the same primary occupation within the last 10 years	2 years in the last 5 years
Job offer	Not required	Not required; a valid offer may count toward FSW selection factors, not CRS points	Required — 1-year full-time job offer, or a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal trade certificate
Education	Not required	Secondary education required; more points for post-secondary	Not required

An accepted Express Entry-linked provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points. Invitation still depends on the applicable round and continued eligibility; nomination is not permanent-residence approval.

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): selected point tables

The CRS scores your profile out of 1,200 points. As of 25 March 2025, job offer points were removed from the CRS for all candidates — a job offer no longer adds CRS points, though it can still be required for eligibility under the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

A. Core / human capital factors (max 500 without a spouse, 460 with a spouse)

Age	With spouse (max 100)	Without spouse (max 110)
17 or younger	0	0
18	90	99
19	95	105
20-29	100	110
30	95	105
31	90	99
32	85	94
33	80	88
34	75	83
35	70	77
36	65	72
37	60	66
38	55	61
39	50	55
40	45	50
41	35	39
42	25	28
43	15	17
44	5	6
45 or older	0	0

Level of education	With spouse (max 140)	Without spouse (max 150)
Less than secondary school	0	0
Secondary diploma	28	30
One-year post-secondary credential	84	90
Two-year post-secondary program	91	98
Bachelor's degree (3+ year program)	112	120
Two or more credentials, one 3+ years	119	128
Master's degree, or entry-to-practice professional degree	126	135
Doctoral degree (PhD)	140	150

First official language — CLB per ability	With spouse (max 128)	Without spouse (max 136)
Less than CLB 4	0	0
CLB 4 or 5	6	6
CLB 6	8	9
CLB 7	16	17
CLB 8	22	23
CLB 9	29	31
CLB 10 or more	32	34

Second official language adds up to 6 points per ability (max 22 with a spouse / 24 without). These are summary tables, not a complete eligibility calculator. If your spouse is not accompanying you, or is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, IRCC uses the without-spouse grid. Professional-degree and education-credit rules also have conditions.

Canadian work experience	With spouse (max 70)	Without spouse (max 80)
None or less than 1 year	0	0
1 year	35	40
2 years	46	53
3 years	56	64
4 years	63	72
5 years or more	70	80

B. Spouse or common-law partner factors (max 40 points combined)

Factor	Maximum points
Spouse's level of education	10
Spouse's official language proficiency	20
Spouse's Canadian work experience	10

C. Skill transferability factors (max 100 points combined)

Combination	Maximum points
Education + strong official language ability (CLB 7+), or education + Canadian work experience	50
Foreign work experience + strong official language ability (CLB 7+), or foreign work experience + Canadian work experience	50
Trade certificate + language: all abilities at least CLB 5; all at least CLB 7 for the 50-point tier	25 or 50

D. Additional points (max 600)

Factor	Points
Provincial or territorial nomination	600
French skills (NCLC 7+ on all 4 abilities, with CLB 5+ English on all 4)	50
French skills (NCLC 7+ on all 4 abilities; English CLB 4 or lower, or no English test)	25
Post-secondary education in Canada — credential of 3+ years	30
Post-secondary education in Canada — credential of 1-2 years	15
Sibling (18+) living in Canada as a citizen or permanent resident	15

Job offer points were removed from the CRS on 25 March 2025 and no longer apply to any candidate, current or future.

Documents you need

A valid passport or travel document; check its expiry against the application and travel instructions
Valid approved language results: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training or PTE Core for English; TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French. IELTS Life Skills, Academic and One Skill Retake are not accepted options for Express Entry.
Proof of Canadian education, or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report if you are applying through FSW or want points for education earned outside Canada
A written job offer from a Canadian employer, if you have one
Proof of work experience — reference or experience letters from employers covering duties, hours, and dates
A certificate of qualification in a skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority, if applying under FST without a job offer
Settlement funds for FSW/FST unless exempt: CEC applicants are exempt; otherwise both Canadian work authorisation and a valid job offer are required for that exemption. Upload an explanation if exempt.
Police certificates for adults for countries with a continuous stay of six months or more in the last ten years, excluding time before age 18 and time in Canada. An officer can request additional certificates.
Confirmation of provincial nomination, if applying through a linked Provincial Nominee Program stream