Who is eligible to apply under Express Entry

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements under one of the programs listed above are eligible to apply under Express Entry. Those who meet the requirements of at-least one of the programs managed under Express Entry i.e. FSWP, FSTP or CEC must create their profile using IRCC’s online system and should receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

All applicants who meet the criteria of one or more of the above listed program(s) and meet other applicable requirements to create their profile under Express Entry using IRCC online web platform are placed in a pool of candidates and are assigned a score under Comprehensive Ranking System of Express Entry. IRCC periodically conducts a draw and selects the highest-ranking applicants to make an application for Permanent Residence. Once an applicant receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA), they are required to submit a complete Application for Permanent Residence within 60 days and must provide all required documents to substantiate the information provided online at the time of their profile creation. If they do not submit their complete Application for Permanent Residence within the required time-frame i.e. 60 days, their ITA will expire and they will be required to submit a fresh profile starting the whole process again.

Once an applicant submits their complete application for Permanent Residence within the required time and pays the required application fees, their application is usually processed by IRCC within six months or less. If successful, they may land in Canada as Permanent Resident(s) along with their dependents (if any, like spouse and children).

Applicants who create their profile under Express Entry and did not receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), will stay in the pool of Express Entry candidates for 12 months (1 year) from the date of their profile creation. If their CRS score in enough and they fall under the program (stream) for which the draw is conducted in future, they may receive an ITA later. If an ITA is not received in 12 months, their Express Entry profile will expire and they will be required to create a new Express Entry profile, if they are still interested in immigrating to Canada.