Express Entry Program Canada

This is a type of permanent residence visa that allows migration to Canada together with the spouse or permanent partner and minor and economically dependent children.

The fact that it is a permanent residence visa means that you acquire almost all the rights of a Canadian citizen: you can work without a work permit, study without a work permit, obtain health care and housing, open a bank account, get a driver’s license, etc.

This program is divided into three possibilities: the “Canadian Experience Class”, the “Federal Skilled Worker Program” and the “Federal Skilled Trades Program”, and will operate as follows:

1. Application.
2. Review of compliance with basic requirements.
3. Assignment of the score corresponding to the applicant’s profile.
4. If you exceed 67/100 points, you will enter the “Express Entry Pool”.
5. New qualification to those admitted.
6. Prioritization of the highest scoring applicants.
7. Granting of permanent residences according to the assigned priority.

Canadian Experience Class

For those foreigners who have previously worked in Canada and meet the following requirements:

a. Work experience: By authorized practice in Canada of one or more qualified and paid jobs, must have practiced for at least 1 year, 1560 hours in total, on either a full-time or part-time basis, within the last 3 years.

What is skilled employment? It is understood as one that corresponds to a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 according to the NOC (National Occupational Classification) system, as follows:

• • TEER 0: Management or senior administrative occupations.

E.g.: Financial or marketing manager, public relations director, general manager, etc.

• • TEER 1: Occupations that generally require a college degree.

E.g.: Consultants, engineers, designers, etc.

• • TEER 2: Occupations that generally require a technical, technology or bachelor’s degree or experience of at least 2 years; supervisory occupations.

E.g.: Laboratory technicians, computer technician, mechanical technician, etc.

• • TEER 3: Occupations that generally require a technical, technology or bachelor’s degree or experience of at least 2 years or more than 6 months in that position.

E.g. Bakers, dental assistants, etc.

b. Language: Having completed work graded at TEER 0 or 1, obtain a score of at least 7 according to the “Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)” or the “Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)”, i.e., at least a B2; having completed work graded at TEER 2 or 3, obtain a CLB or NCLC of at least 5, i.e., at least a B1.

The score will be assigned according to the results obtained in the language test conducted by one of the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) authorized entities: CELPIP (English), IELTS (English), TEF Canada (French) and TCF Canada (French).

c.Education: Although some level of education is not mandatory to enter this program, you can obtain a higher score in the application if you can prove that you have had a high school or post-secondary education, either in a Canadian or foreign institution, with its respective homologation to a Canadian degree through the respective “…”.Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report”.

You will NOT be eligible for this program if you are in the refugee process or if you worked without authorization or without temporary resident status in Canada.

In addition, those seeking Canadian residency through this program will NOT be allowed to stay in the province of Quebec.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

This form of the program works by assigning a score depending on certain factors. Thus, the higher the applicant’s score, the greater the possibility of obtaining permanent residency.

If you want to know your score, you can calculate it using the following tool: Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) tool: skilled immigrants (Express Entry) (canada.ca)

Factors and their assigned score

a. Language: (Maximum 24 points + additional)

The points assigned for knowledge of Canada’s official languages, English and French, will depend on the score obtained according to the CLB or the NCLC, which will correspond to the result in each item (speaking, listening, reading and writing) of the authorized language test taken: CELPIP (English), IELTS (English), TEF Canada (French) or TCF Canada (French). However, in any case, a score of at least CLB 7 or NCLC 7 will be required.

Although the language requirement only requires advanced knowledge of one of the two official languages, knowledge of the other language will also score points. In addition, special scores awarded for knowledge of French must be taken into account.

Then, the score assigned per case will be as follows:

If your primary or only language is English:

• 6 points for each item in which it obtained a CLB level 9, i.e., approximately a C1.
• 5 points for each item in which he/she obtained a CLB level 8, i.e., approximately a B2.
• 4 points for each item in which he/she obtained a CLB level 7, i.e., approximately a B2.
• 4 additional points if you obtain at least an NCLC 5 (approximately B1) in the four items of the French exam.
• 50 additional points if at least an NCLC 7 (approximately B2) is obtained in the four items of the French exam.

If your main or only language is French:

• 6 points for each item in which it obtained an NCLC level 9, i.e., approximately a C1.
• 5 points for each item in which it obtained an NCLC level 8, i.e., approximately a B2.
• 4 points for each item in which it obtained an NCLC level 7, i.e., approximately a B2.
• 25 additional points if you obtain up to a CLB 4 in English (approximately A2) or if you did not take the English test.
• 50 additional points if at least a CLB 5 (approximately B1) is obtained in the four items of the English test.

b.Education: (Maximum 25 points)

Although some level of education is not mandatory to enter this program, you can obtain a higher score in your application if you can prove that you have had a high school or post-secondary education, either in a Canadian or foreign institution, with its respective homologation to a Canadian degree through the respective “…”.Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report”.

You can calculate your assigned points according to your degree using the following tool: Educational credential assessment (ECA) for Express Entry: What your report means – Canada.ca

c. Work experience (Maximum 15 points)

A score will be obtained according to the years of experience in the authorized exercise of one or several qualified and paid jobs, either on a full-time or part-time basis.

What is skilled employment? It is understood as one that corresponds to a TEER 0 according to the NOC system.

Your assigned points will depend on your years of experience as well:

• 9 points for 1 year of experience
• 11 points for 2 to 3 years of experience
• 13 points for 4 to 5 years of experience
• 15 points for 6 or more years of experience

d. Job offer (Maximum 10 points)

If you have an employment agreement with a Canadian employer, of duration equal to or greater than 1 year, paid, full-time, non-seasonal and in an occupation corresponding to TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC system and, in addition:

• Already working in Canada and complies with all of the following:

– Your work permit is valid upon application and when the residence permit is issued.

– You were issued a work permit based on a favorable Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), in an occupation classified under TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC.

– You work for the same employer named on your work permit.

– You have proven to be a qualified employee for the job opening.

• Already working in Canada in employment exempt from the LMIA requirement due to:

– An international agreement.

– A significant benefit to Canadian interests.

– A federal-provincial agreement.

And, in addition:

– Your work permit is valid upon application and when the residence permit is issued.

– You work for the same employer named on your work permit.

– You have proven to be a qualified employee for the job opening.

– You have been working for that employer, continuously, for at least 1 year on a full-time or equivalent part-time basis.

• You do not have a work permit or do not plan to work in Canada before obtaining your permanent residence visa, but:

– You have been offered employment by an employer with an LMIA.

– You have proven to be a qualified employee for that offer.

• You have a valid work permit or are allowed to work without one in Canada and:

– You are working in employment that is exempt from the LMIA, but not because of an international or federal-provincial agreement or because it is of special benefit to Canadian interests.

– You have been offered a job that has LMIA and for which you have been recognized as a qualified employee for that offer.

e. Age: (Maximum 12 points)

Depending on the applicant’s age on the day of application, the assigned score will be:

• 0 points if 18 years old or younger
• 12 points if between 18 and 35 years old
• 11 points if you are 36 years old
• 10 points if you are 37 years old
• 9 points if you are 38 years old
• 8 points if you are 39 years old
• 7 points if you are 40 years old
• 6 points if you are 41 years old
• 5 points if you are 42 years old
• 4 points if you are 43 years old
• 3 points if you are 44 years old
• 2 points if you are 45 years old
• 1 point if you are 46 years old
• 0 points if you are 47 years of age or older

f. Adaptability: (Maximum 10 points)

Combining any of the following options, the applicant’s spouse or permanent partner and the applicant himself/herself may obtain up to 10 points:

• 5 points if your spouse or permanent partner has a knowledge of English or French corresponding to CLB/NCLC 4 or higher.
• 5 points if you or your spouse or permanent partner have completed (with good grades) 2 years of full-time study (15 or more class hours per week) in a program of at least 2 years’ duration, in a Canadian secondary or post-secondary academic institution.
• 10 points if you have legally worked at least 1 year full time in a TEER 0 job in Canada.
• 5 points if your spouse or permanent partner has legally worked at least 1 year full time in Canada.
• 5 points if you have a job offer from a Canadian employer, of a duration of 1 year or more and in an occupation corresponding to TEER 0 of the NOC system.
• 5 points if you or your spouse or permanent partner have a family member – parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, uncle, niece or nephew – over the age of 18 and living in Canada as a citizen or permanent resident.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

For skilled workers with foreign work experience who wish to migrate to Canada, in compliance with certain requirements.

a. Work experience: Must have practiced for at least 2 years full time (30 hours per week) or its equivalent in part time within the 5 years prior to application. The job must have been paid and classified within one of the following NOC groups:

• “Major group 72”: Technical trades, officers and transport controllers, excluding “Sub-Major Group 726”, corresponding to air, rail and maritime transport.
• “Major Group 73: General trades.
• “Major Group 82”: Supervisors of agricultural production and natural resource exploitation.
• “Major Group 83”: jobs related to the production of natural resource derivatives.
• “Major Group 92”: Supervisors, operators, controllers and utility manufacturers.
• “Major Group 93: Trades related to the assembly, control and operation of aircraft, including Sub-Major Group 932, corresponding to aircraft assemblers and assembly inspectors.
• “Minor Group 6321:
• “Minor Group 6322:
• “Minor Group 6331:
• “Minor Group 6332:

In addition, it must:

• Have fulfilled during the performance of the position the primary responsibilities and requirements of the position according to the NOC, except for the qualification certificate, if applicable.
• Possess, at the time, an offer of full-time employment of at least 1 year in the same position or a certificate of qualification in that position issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.

b. Language: Obtain a score of at least CLB/NCLC 7, i.e. at least a B2 in either English or French.