Canada Immigration Specialists | Express Entry • PNP • Study & Work Permits | Free Profile Assessment
Plain answers on profiles, CRS scores, language tests, invitations and what happens after you are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Know the path before you read the details.
Express Entry is the online system Canada uses to manage applications from skilled workers who want to become permanent residents. It is not a visa program by itself. It collects profiles, ranks them, and decides who is invited to apply.
Three federal programs are managed through it:
Some Provincial Nominee Program streams are also linked to the system.
You check which program you qualify for, take a language test, get your education assessed if it was completed outside Canada, and create an online profile. Your profile enters a pool and receives a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
IRCC holds regular draws and invites the highest-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence. If you are invited, you have 60 days to submit a complete application.
It has three stages, and only one of them is predictable. Preparing documents, language tests and an ECA usually takes a few weeks to a few months. Waiting in the pool depends on your score and on the draws that happen. Once you submit a complete application after an invitation, IRCC's standard target for most applications is about six months.
Always check the IRCC website for current processing times, as they change.
Costs fall into two groups. Government fees include the application processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee, plus biometrics. Third-party costs include the language test, the ECA, the medical exam, police certificates, translations and any professional fees.
Government fees are updated from time to time, so confirm the current amounts on the IRCC fee page before budgeting. You also need to show proof of funds unless you are exempt (see the profile section).
No. You can apply on your own. If you choose to hire help, make sure the person is authorised: a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, a lawyer, or a Quebec notary.
Many applicants use a regulated consultant to review their profile, choose the right program and avoid errors that can lead to refusal.
No. Other routes include Provincial Nominee Programs, Quebec's own selection system, employer-supported work permits, International Experience Canada, study permits followed by a post-graduation work permit, family sponsorship, and business immigration. The best route depends on your age, education, experience, language level and goals.
It is an online record of your details: age, education, language results, work experience, and your spouse or partner's details if applicable. Creating a profile is free. It does not guarantee an invitation. It only places you in the pool to be ranked.
Keep these ready before you start:
Yes. You can edit your profile while it is in the pool, for example after a new language test, more work experience, or a change in your family. Your information must be accurate and supported by documents when you are invited and when you apply.
A profile stays valid for 12 months. If you are not invited in that time, you can submit a new one if you are still eligible.
Applicants under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs generally need to show enough funds to support themselves and their family. You are exempt if you are already authorised to work in Canada and have a valid job offer, and Canadian Experience Class applicants do not need to show funds. The required amount depends on family size and is updated by IRCC, so check the current table before you apply.
Eligibility is checked at the time you submit a profile. If your situation has improved, for example you have a better language score, more experience or an ECA, you can create a new profile and be assessed again. A short eligibility review will tell you which program now fits.
Yes. Your spouse or common-law partner and your dependent children can be included in your application and will receive permanent residence with you. Your partner's education and language results may add to your CRS score. Family members are also assessed for medical and security admissibility.
Book one of the tests approved by IRCC. For English these are IELTS General Training, CELPIP General and PTE Core. For French they are TEF Canada and TCF Canada. Results must be less than two years old when you are invited and when you apply, so time your test with your plan.
In general, no. IRCC uses the results of a single approved test for each language, so you should aim to reach your target in one sitting. If a score is short in one ability, retaking the whole test is usually the way forward. Even a small score gain can change your CRS points noticeably.
An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) confirms that your foreign degree, diploma or certificate is equal to a Canadian credential. It is issued by an IRCC-designated organisation. The report is valid for five years from the date it is issued and takes from several weeks to a few months, so apply early.
If your education was completed outside Canada, you need an ECA to claim education points and it is mandatory for the Federal Skilled Worker program. If all your education is from a Canadian institution, you do not need one.
The Comprehensive Ranking System scores every profile out of 1,200. Points come from age, education, language, Canadian experience, your partner's profile, skill combinations, and additional factors such as a provincial nomination, French ability, a sibling in Canada, or Canadian study.
Since March 2025, a job offer no longer adds CRS points.
There is no fixed pass mark. A score is only good compared with the minimum score of recent draws, and that changes with every draw and every draw type. A score that is too low for a general draw can still be competitive in a category-based or Canadian Experience Class draw.
Compare your score with the most recent results published by IRCC, and look at ways to raise it.
An ITA is an official invitation from IRCC to submit an application for permanent residence. It is sent to your Express Entry account. It is not an approval: you must still submit a complete application with documents and pass medical, security and background checks.
Yes. IRCC holds draws at its own schedule. Each draw states its type, the number of invitations, and the lowest CRS score invited. There is no fixed calendar, so keep your profile current and watch the results.
These draws invite candidates who meet a specific criterion, such as strong French ability or experience in an in-demand field. IRCC reviews and announces the categories, so check the latest list on its website. If you fit a category, your chances may be better than in a general draw at the same score.
No. You can see your own CRS score, but not your position in the pool. What you can do is compare your score with the minimum scores of recent draws.
Common ways to add points include improving language scores, getting French results, completing further education with an ECA, adding Canadian work experience, getting a provincial nomination, and improving your partner's language scores. A profile review can show which of these gives you the most points for the effort.
For the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs, no. For the Federal Skilled Trades program you need either a valid job offer of at least one year or a certificate of qualification from a Canadian authority. A job offer also helps with the proof-of-funds requirement for some applicants, but it no longer gives CRS points.
If a province nominates you through an Express Entry-linked stream, you receive an extra 600 CRS points. In practice this leads to an invitation in the next draw. Each province has its own streams and criteria, so your occupation and ties to the province matter.
Quebec selects its own skilled workers and runs its own programs. Express Entry does not select candidates who plan to settle in Quebec. If Quebec is your goal, you should look at Quebec's immigration programs instead, and it is worth getting advice before creating a profile.
Yes. Permanent residents are not tied to an employer. You can work for any employer, change jobs or be self-employed anywhere in Canada. Note that if you are using a job offer as part of your application, the offer needs to be valid when you are invited and when you apply.
Submit your complete permanent residence application within 60 days. You will upload your documents, pay the fees and give your biometrics. Start gathering documents while you are still in the pool, so the 60 days are enough.
These typically include your passport, language results, ECA report, police certificates, a medical exam, proof of funds, employer reference letters, a photo, and civil documents such as marriage or birth certificates. The exact list appears in your account after you are invited.
Your age points are locked on the date you receive the ITA, so a birthday afterwards does not lower your points. The age of your dependent children is also fixed on that date.
Everything you declare must be true and supported by documents. Differences that change your score or eligibility can lead to refusal. A false statement can be treated as misrepresentation, which can make you inadmissible to Canada for five years. Check every detail before you submit.
A bridging open work permit may be available to some applicants who are already in Canada and whose current work permit is about to expire while their PR application is processed. Eligibility depends on your permit and application stage, so confirm the current rules with IRCC or a regulated consultant.
This page gives general information, not legal advice. Fees, scores, draw rules and processing times are set by IRCC and change often, so confirm current details on the official IRCC website. Last reviewed October 2026.
A short review shows which program fits you, where your score can improve, and what to prepare first.
