Express Entry in Canada

Express Entry · Canada visa route

skilled · last reviewed 2026-06 · all Canada routes

An employer-led or qualification-based work route.

Important notes

• Be eligible for at least one of the three Express Entry programs: Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Trades.
• Create an Express Entry profile with approved language results, education evidence or an Educational Credential Assessment, skilled work history, and accurate NOC/TEER information.
• Meet the program-specific minimums and compete in the Comprehensive Ranking System; a provincial nomination can add a major advantage, while job-offer CRS points were removed in 2025.
• Prepare proof of funds where required, police certificates, passport, admissibility documents, and any provincial nomination or trade certificate evidence.
• Express Entry is a pool and invitation system, not one visa: eligibility gets an applicant into the pool, but the CRS score and invitation round determine whether they can apply for permanent residence.
• The Federal Skilled Worker route can accept foreign skilled experience, while Canadian Experience Class and some provincial routes depend on Canadian work or nomination conditions.

Preparation checklist

• Save submitted files and track the next application, reporting, or renewal date.

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 year continuous in the last 10 years	2 years in the last 5 years
Job offer	Not required	Not required (but adds CRS points if you have one)	Required — 1-year full-time job offer, or a Canadian certificate of qualification
Education	Not required	Secondary education required; more points for post-secondary	Not required

If you qualify for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) linked to Express Entry and get nominated, you receive an extra 600 CRS points, which effectively guarantees an invitation.

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): full points table

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).

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
Certificate of qualification (trades) + strong official language ability (CLB 5+)	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, with CLB 4 or lower / 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 (renew it first if it expires within 6 months)
• Language test results from an approved test (for example IELTS General or CELPIP for English)
• 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 province or territory, if applying under FST without a job offer
• Proof of funds showing you can support yourself and your family after arriving (unless you have qualifying Canadian work authorization or are being sponsored)
• Police certificates from every country you have lived in for 6+ months since age 18
• Confirmation of provincial nomination, if applying through a linked Provincial Nominee Program stream

Venezuelan passport holders with a printed expiry date that has already passed may need to add 5 years to that date and include a letter of explanation — check the official source for the current process.

Official source

Official source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

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Visa rules change frequently. This page is a research guide, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the official source before applying.