In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC
) launched a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence under certain economic immigration programs.
There is no deadline to complete a profile and there is no caps on the number of candidates that will be accepted to the pool.
Anyone who is accepted into the Express Entry pool could get an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.
If you are invited to apply, you will have 60 days to submit a complete Application for Permanent Residence online.
The Express Entry system has two steps:
1) Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile outlining their :
Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool using a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System. Points are awarded using the information in their profile.
Candidates can stay in the pool for up to 12 months. If they
do not get an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence within 12 months of submitting an Express Entry profile, they may submit a new profile. If they still meet the criteria, they can re-enter the pool. This will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete applications (meaning those with all the necessary supporting documents) in six months or less.
There are a total of 1,200 points available under the Comprehensive Ranking System.
For candidates without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, there are:
Comprehensive Ranking System: Skill Transferability Factors
A maximum of 100 points are awarded for a candidate’s skill transferability factors. There are five combinations of such skill transferability, with a maximum of 50 points awarded for each combination. Even if a candidate scores more than 100 points in total, only 100 points will be awarded under the Comprehensive Ranking System. Candidates with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner are awarded points for skill transferability in exactly the same way. There are no points available for the skill transferability of a candidate’s spouse or common-law partner.
