Express Entry (EE)
When I started my research on permanent residence in Canada, I only knew two things:
- I had the education.
- I had the work experience.
However, I did not know how this applied to my own application. So my next concern was how to understand the process. At that point, hiring an immigration consultant was the farthest from my mind. I only wanted to learn about the program as much as I could.
After days of browsing the web, I landed on the IRCC website. (First of all, I would go ahead and say that anyone thinking of DIY application should make this their best friend! I highly recommend it after using this website as my main guide.)
And then, I found the immigration pathway suited for me. That was the Express Entry program.
I do hope that this post helps you understand the program a little more.
The Express Entry Program
To start, Express Entry is one of Canada’s main immigration streams. It is an Economic class program. And this means that applicants have to prove that they can contribute to Canada’s economy.
The Express Entry Streams
Further, the Express Entry program branches out into three immigration streams:
- the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)
- the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST)
- the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Many forums refer to these streams as FSW, FST, or CEC. So don’t be confused!
The main difference between FSW and FST is their scope of occupations. Specifically, FST is a pathway for professionals in certain skilled trades. In addition, these applicants have to be qualified for these trades or they must have a job offer. For example, certified chefs and cooks, butchers and bakers, and construction professionals would apply through this stream.
On the other hand, applicants with work experience in occupations at Skill Level B to 0 would apply through FSW.
Lastly, CEC is a stream for applicants with work experience in Canada.
In summary, IRCC describes these streams in these boxes:
The Express Entry Eligibility Requirements
To detail, this table lists the minimum requirements for each stream:
Terms Related to Express Entry
Looking at the table above, I would also note two other related terms: NOC and CLB.
NOC
NOC refers to the National Occupation Classification code. Statistics Canada uses this system to refer to occupations in the labour force. Practically, NOCs are relevant to applicants in different ways.
Firstly, if candidates knew their NOC, they could search for immigration pathways where they have higher chances of getting PR status. Provinces do have priority occupations. And they have immigration programs for professionals in these fields. This can lead to a provincial nomination, and therefore an approved PR application in less than six months!
Also, choosing the correct NOC can impact how IRCC decides on an application. Declaring the wrong NOC can mean misrepresentation. And it can mean a five-year ban from entering Canada! So be very careful in choosing your NOC! Make sure you meet 50% or more of the tasks in the NOC description.
CLB refers to the Canadian Language Benchmark. It is a scale that describes levels of language ability. However, do note that if you were taking the IELTS, your IELTS band is not equal to your CLB level. To know how your CLB level affects your ranking in Express Entry, please click here.
Express Entry in Summary
The Express Entry program is just one of Canada’s immigration programs. It branches out to three streams. And each stream has its own requirements. To succeed in this program, candidates have to prove their ability to contribute to Canada’s economy. Mainly, candidates need to provide proof of their work experience and language ability.
Thank you for reading to the end of this post. If you would like to understand Express Entry’s scoring system, please start here.
At this stage, Express Entry candidates should aim to get an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence, or ITA. To read about how I got my ITA within one day of submitting my profile, please visit this post.
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