Canada Immigration – Express Entry (Step-by-Step-Guide)

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Immigration Jul 13, 2022 0

WHAT IS EXPRESS ENTRY?

Express Entry (EE) is an online immigration application system. It allows people to submit a profile and be considered as skilled immigrants. Candidates with the highest rankings are invited to apply for permanent residency.

HOW DOES EE WORK?

• If you fill out a profile for Express Entry, your application will be ranked according to a points system.
• If you are highly ranked, you will be invited to apply for permanent residence as a skilled immigrant.
• Once you have applied, your PR application will then be processed within the next 6 months.



HOW TO APPLY WITH EXPRESS ENTRY?

Express Entry is an online system that we use to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.

STEP 1: FIND OUT IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE

There are two ways to find out if you’re eligible for a program that is part of Express Entry:

STEP 2: GET YOUR DOCUMENTS READY

You need documents, such as language test results, to show that you’re eligible for Express Entry. Some documents take a long time to get, so you should get them ready now.

 



STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR PROFILE

Your Express Entry profile is where you give us information about yourself.

If you’re eligible, we’ll accept you into our pool of candidates.

You’ll be ranked in the Express Entry pool using a points-based system. Your score is based on the information in your profile.

STEP 4: RECEIVE AN INVITATION AND APPLY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE

We send invitations to apply to the candidates with the highest scores in the pool. If we invite you to apply, you’ll have 60 days to submit your application for permanent residence.

We’ll process most complete applications that have all the supporting documents in 6 months or less.



DOCUMENTS FOR EXPRESS ENTRY

DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR PROFILE

You don’t need to upload documents to submit a profile, but you may need information from some or all of these documents:



DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR APPLICATION FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE

If we invite you to apply, you’ll need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile (see list above). Most applicants will also need to upload the following:

  • police certificates
  • medical exams
  • proof of funds
  • birth certificate
    • required if you’re declaring dependent children
  • use of a representative form (PDF, 137 KB)
    • required if you’ve hired a representative
  • common-law union form (PDF, 2.22 MB)
    • required if you’ve declared your marital status as “common-law”
  • marriage certificate
    • required if you’ve declared your marital status as “married”
  • divorce certificate and legal separation agreement
    • required if you’ve declared your marital status as “divorced”
  • death certificate
    • required if you’ve declared your marital status as “widowed”
  • adoption certificate
    • required when a dependent child is listed as “adopted”

OTHER DOCUMENTS

You only need to submit these if we included them in your personalized document checklist. Your application may not be refused or rejected if you don’t submit these documents. They’re only used to check if you meet the requirements of the program you’re applying for.



SUBMIT AN EXPRESS ENTRY PROFILE: ONLINE FORM



FILL OUT THE ONLINE FORM

If you want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant, your first step is to submit your profile to the Express Entry pool.

If you’re eligible, we will:

  • place you in a pool with others who are also eligible
  • give you a score and rank you using several factors
  • invite you to apply to be a permanent resident of Canada (if you’re one of the top candidates)

You can only apply online if we send you an invitation to apply.

Completing an online Express Entry profile or entering the pool doesn’t guarantee that we’ll invite you to apply for permanent residence.

ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS

Answer a few questions to see if you’re eligible for Express Entry. It’ll take you about 15 minutes.

If you’re married or have a common-law partner, one of you must be the main or principal applicant. This person will submit a profile and list the spouse or partner in it.

Your principal applicant should be the one of you most likely to:

This tool gives you a number at the end (a personal reference code). The code looks like: JM1234567890. Use this number to move your information from the tool to your Express Entry profile.

Find out if you’re eligible



CREATE YOUR EXPRESS ENTRY PROFILE

If you’re eligible, the tool will send you to your online account to fill out an Express Entry profile.

  1. Follow the instructions to create an account (if you don’t already have one).
  2. Enter your personal reference code when it prompts you to (only if you have one).
  3. Enter your personal details.

To complete your profile, you’ll need:

You may exit the profile at any time. Your information will be saved in your account.

You have 60 days to complete and submit your Express Entry profile. Otherwise, you’ll have to start again.

Once you’ve filled out your profile, you can submit it online. We’ll figure out which immigration program you’re eligible for under Express Entry.



APPLY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE:  EXPRESS ENTRY

NEW APPLICATION DEADLINE

If you receive an invitation to apply on or after June 29, 2021, you must submit your application for permanent residence within 60 days.

BEFORE YOU APPLY FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE

You can only apply for permanent residence through Express Entry if you’ve received an invitation to apply.

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR INVITATION TO APPLY

Your Express Entry invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only. You should start filling out the online form right away so that you can get all the information and documents you need before your invitation expires.

Follow these steps to fill out the online form:

When filling out the form:

  • Make sure you submit all of the required documents.
  • All of your answers must be complete and true.
  • Make sure all the mandatory fields are completed, or you won’t be able to submit your application.
  • You can save your information on the form and go back as often as you need to.



FEES

For your application: $1,325

Include your spouse: $1,325

Include a dependent child: $225

PROCESSING TIME

6 months

Due to COVID-19

  • we can’t provide accurate processing times
    • The 6-month processing time is how long it usually took us to process a complete application before COVID-19.
    • Check your application status for more information.

You may need to give biometrics with your application. This processing time includes the time you need to give your biometrics.



IF YOUR EXPRESS ENTRY APPLICATION IS APPROVED

If we approve your application, we’ll mail you a:

  • Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR)
  • a permanent resident visa (if you’re from a country that requires a visa)

Your COPR will have information about who you are, as well as your photograph.

Check to make sure your information is correct. It should be the same as the information on your passport. If there is a mistake on your COPR, contact us through your account.

We can’t extend your COPR, so you should make sure to use it before it expires.

IF YOU’RE ALREADY IN CANADA

We’ll contact you and let you know what to do next.

You’ll need to have a short interview with an officer. You have two options for your interview:

  • make an appointment at one of our offices in Canada (best option)
  • go to a Canadian “port of entry” (border crossing), and present:
    • proof that you have the funds to support yourself and your family
    • your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and your permanent resident visa (if we gave you one)

During the interview the officer will:

  • make sure all your documents are valid
  • ask you a few questions to make sure you still meet the terms to immigrate to Canada
  • confirm your Canadian mailing address, so we can mail your permanent resident card (PR card)

If you change your address within 180 days of getting your status, you must tell us using the web form.



IF YOU’RE OUTSIDE CANADA

There are things you can do to prepare for life in Canada:

WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN CANADA

YOU NEED TO USE ARRIVECAN

Use ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information required for entry into Canada.

Make sure you’re using the newest version of ArriveCAN. If you previously submitted your information using an older version of ArriveCan, you must download the latest version and resubmit your information.

You must have:

  • your valid passport and/or travel documents
    • your passport must be a regular, private citizen passport
    • you can’t immigrate to Canada with a diplomatic, government service or public affairs passport
  • your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and your permanent resident visa (if we gave you one)
  • proof that you have the funds to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada

When you arrive in Canada, you’ll meet an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The officer will:

  • make sure you’re entering Canada before or on the expiry date shown on your COPR
  • make sure that you are the same person who was approved to travel to Canada (we may use your biometrics to do this)
  • ask to see your passport and other travel documents
  • ask you a few questions to make sure you still meet the terms to immigrate to Canada
    • the questions will be similar to the ones you answered when you applied

To help speed up your entry to Canada, keep your passport and other documents with you at all times. Don’t pack them in your luggage.

We won’t allow you into Canada if you:

  • give false or incomplete information
  • don’t convince the officer that you meet the conditions to enter Canada

If you’re admissible and there are no problems when you arrive, the officer will:

  • allow you to enter Canada as a permanent resident
  • confirm your Canadian mailing address where we’ll mail your permanent resident card

If you change your address within 180 days of arriving in Canada, you must tell us using the web form.



DISCLOSURE OF FUNDS

If you arrive in Canada with more than CAN$10,000, you must tell this to the CBSA officer. If you don’t tell them, you could be fined, and your funds could be seized.

WHAT YOU CAN BRING INTO CANADA

Before you travel to Canada, see the CBSA website to find out what you can and cannot bring into the country.

AFTER YOU ARRIVE IN CANADA



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