Express Entry and Citizenship
Program Status:
Program Description:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently. Candidates for this program are selected based on their ability to become economically established in Canada through a point-based system. The current pass mark is 67 points out of 100 points. Candidates are ranked based on their profile and put in the express entry pool with other candidates. Draws are held on a regular basis and candidates who meet the minimum cut-off score are issued Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Permanent Residence. If you receive an ITA, you have 60 days to submit your PR application.
Key Program highlights
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) was developed as part of Canada’s Immigration Strategy for permanent residents to become economically established in Canada. The FSWP falls under the Economic Immigration Class; this is the largest source of admitting Permanent Residents to Canada. Skilled Worker contributes significantly to the economic growth of Canada. In 2018, the government made history by accepting the largest number of permanent residents in Canada in one year since 1913. Under the Immigration plan for the next couple of years, the government plans to increase this number. The FSWP is a good immigration route for foreign nationals looking to immigrate permanently to Canada. The Government of Canada’s permanent resident immigration levels plan for federal economic and provincial nominees is about 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022.
Eligibility Checklist
Other Selection Factors the Program:
Program Specific Data Analysis
Data Source: Express Entry Year-End Report 2019 – Canada.ca
Processing time for Federal Skilled Worker Program based on the final decision in 2016 and 2017.
Data Source: Express Entry Year-End Report 2017
Key Candidates for the Program
An educated foreign nation with a minimum of 1-year of skilled work experience in any of the National Occupational Classification Group with skill type 0, A & B. Top candidates for this program includes Software engineers, Computer programmers and developers, Financial auditors and accountants, Information systems analysts, professional occupations, administrative assistants, university professors, etc
Data Source: Express Entry Year-End Report 2019.Express Entry Year-End Report 2019 – Canada.ca
Documents Checklist
Documents required for the different stages in the FSW express entry application process differs. These are documents required to submit your profile for the express entry pool and documents needed to submit your application for permanent residence after you have received an invitation to apply for PR.
Documents required to create express entry profile:
You will need certain information from some or all these documents when creating and submitting your profile. However, you are not required to upload any documents at this stage to submit your profile.
- Language Test Result
- Valid passport or travel document
- Proof of Canadian education or an educational credential assessment report if you want to get points for the education you got outside Canada.
- You will need your NOC Code and job title.
- Work experience
- Provincial nomination (if applicable)
Documents required to create express entry profile:
After an Individual has received an ITA, the following documents must be submitted when applying for a PR Visa.
FORMS REQUIRED
- Generic Application form to Canada – IMM 0008
- Schedule A Background/Declaration -IMM 5669
- Additional Family Information- IMM 5406
- Use of Representative – IMM 5476
- Additional dependants/declaration – IMM0008DEP (if applicable)
ESSENTIAL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- Language Test Result: This is usually valid for two years.
- Credential Evaluation Report
- Valid Passport: You must hold a valid regular passport that is not expired or about to expire.
- Police Certificate: Applicants must obtain and submit Police certificates for each country they have lived in for more than six months since 18 years of age.
- Medical Examination: a panel physician must conduct a medical examination before issuing a PR visa. Whether or not they are coming with you to Canada, all your family members must also undergo a medical exam. The result of the medical examination must be valid when you apply for PR, and when you arrive in Canada. You must be medically admissible to Canada. The panel physicians will issue an information printout sheet and IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report form after completing the medical examination. Follow this link to view the list of panel physicians for each country. Panel Physicians (cic.gc.ca).
- Work Reference Letter: You must obtain and submit with your application reference letters from your present or previous employer to prove your Canadian work experience.
- Passport photos: Include two passport photos of each family member. The photo must be taken within the last six months of applying. Write the name and date of birth of each family member in one of the photos.
- Proof of Funds: Every applicant needs to provide evidence of funds except those authorized to work in Canada or have a valid job offer. The number of funds you need will depend on the size of your family. This minimum amount is updated yearly. The Federal government recently updated the funds required for the Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker Program for the Year 2020. Proof of funds is the evidence that shows candidates have enough funds to settle in Canada if invited to apply for PR. Follow this link to view the most up to date funds required. Find below a breakdown of the minimum funds you must have to immigrate to Canada.
| Number of family members | Funds required in Canadian dollars |
| 1 | $12,960 |
| 2 | $16,135 |
| 3 | $19,836 |
| 4 | $24,083 |
| 5 | $27,315 |
| 6 | $30,806 |
| 7 | $34,299 |
| For each additional family member | $3,492 |
Examples of acceptable proof of funds include official Bank statements, investment certificates, gift deeds, etc. The money must be readily available to you when you submit your application and receive your PR Visa.
- SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- Birth certificate: required if you have dependent children
- Marriage Certificate: This is required if you are married.
- Provincial Nomination certificate (If applicable)
- Divorce certificate, adoption certificate, death certificate:
You will need to submit these documents If it is applicable in your situation.
Step by Step Process
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How to Apply
There are two steps to apply for the FSW program: Creating your profile and submitting your PR application. Both steps are done online.
Step 1: Submit your Express Entry profile:
Submitting an express entry profile is done by filling an online form. To create your profile, you need to answer some eligibility questions, which takes about 15 minutes to complete through this link. After you completed the eligibility questions, you will be issued a number as your reference code. You will need this number to move your information from the eligibility tool to your Express Entry profile.
If you are eligible, you will receive instruction to create an online account to fill out an Express Entry profile. Enter your reference number (if you have one) and enter your personal information, language test details, and National Occupation Classification (NOC Code).
After you submit your Express Entry profile, you will know your score to determine your place in the Express Entry Pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System. Visit this link to see how you are ranked in the express entry pool.
You have 60 days to complete and submit your express entry profile. Your profile is valid for one year, but you can submit another profile if you did not receive an ITA within one year.
Note: Submitting an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that you will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
While in the express entry pool, you can create a Job Match account with Job Bank and start your job search in Canada. Follow this link to register on job bank.
Step 2: Apply for Permanent Residence
Applying for a Permanent Resident Visa after receiving an invitation to apply is done through the express entry online system. You will need to fill out the online forms through the account you created while submitting your express entry profile. Scan and upload all your supporting documents, as listed above. Pay your application fees and submit your completed application.
Pay your application fees:
Estimated cost per Adult $1,325 and per child $225. See the breakdown of the fees below. How to make payment & Fees table
Fees | Canadian dollar |
Application Processing fee ($825) and right of permanent residence fee ($500) | $1,325 |
Application without right of permanent residence fee | $825 |
Spouse or partner Processing fee ($825) and right of permanent residence fee ($500) | $1,325 |
Spouse or partner without right of permanent residence fee | $825 |
Include a dependant child | $225 (per child) |
Biometrics:
Applicants may be required to give their biometrics for permanent residence applications. Fingerprints and photos will be taken. Visit this link to learn more about how to give your Biometrics. Estimated Cost – $85 Individual, $170 Family.
Processing time:
The processing time for a complete PR application is six months. You have 90 days to submit your application.
- If your application is successful, you will be required to submit your passport and Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), and a Visa will be issued
Latest Program Updates
15000 Express Entry Candidates have been invited in the last three rounds of Express Entry Draws with the lowest CRS score of 469. See below the details.
Express Entry Draw Number | Date | Number of invitations | Lowest CRS score |
#169 | Dec. 9, 2020 | 5,000 | 469 |
#168 | Nov. 25, 2020 | 5,000 | 469 |
#167 | Nov. 18, 2020 | 5,000 | 472 |
Data Source: Express Entry Result – Round of Invitation
Historical Program Data
See the chart below for the number of admissions made between 2013 when the program started and 2016.
Data Source: Canada- Permanent Resident Immigration Category 2000-2016 Open Data.IRCC_AdhocSR_PR_0007_E
References
- IRCC Website for Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Express Entry Year-End Report 2019.Express Entry Year-End Report 2019 – Canada.ca
- Canada- Permanent Resident Immigration Category 2000-2016 Specialized Research Datasets: Permanent Residents – Ad Hoc IRCC (Specialized Datasets) – Open Government Portal (canada.ca) IRCC_AdhocSR_PR_0007_E
