Express Entry

The first step begins when you submit your initial interest through an online portal designed for the Express Entry program. The initial submission is known as Expression of Interest (EOI).

Applicants who can fulfill the predefined requirements of Express Entry depending on age, academic and professional qualifications, and language qualifications can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to enter the Express Entry pool. The profile submission is completely free.

After submission, your profile enters into a pool of candidates known as the Express Entry Pool.The pool then ranks all candidates based on their total score on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) – a 1200-points scoring system to allocate specific scores to candidates. The point allocation criteria include age, education, proficiency in English and French, professional experience, qualification of spouse or partner, and having close relatives in Canada.

Upon submission, the pool will keep your profile in active status for a year. IRCC holds general or category-specific draws by defining cut-off points, and profiles with scores above the cut-off points are invited to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.You will move to the second stage of application if you receive an ITA (Invitation to Apply). However, if you do not get an ITA within 12 months your Expression of Interest (EOI) will expire and you will need to enter the EOI pool again for another year with a new Express Entry profile.

However, you will receive an ITA from IRCC only if your CRS score is higher than the cut-off score of the particular draw. For the majority of the instances, draws take place every two weeks.

Once you receive an ITA through one of the draws, the second step of your application begins. In this step, you have to complete the application form, upload all the supporting documentation, pay the government fees, and submit your application for Permanent Resident Visa to IRCC.