Express Entry Program Implementation Details Released

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released the operational details of the Express Entry program, which will become effective January 1, 2015 at 12 noon EST. The program will electronically manage applications for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, the Canadian Experience Class and members of the Provincial Nominee Class. 

To be eligible for the Express Entry program, foreign nationals must first submit an application to an application pool, after which they are ranked based on a comprehensive points system. Based on their ranking, they may be selected to apply for permanent residence by way of an Invitation to Apply. 

Points System 

Applicants must complete an Express Entry profile once the system is online. Applicants in the Express Entry pool will be ranked based on a comprehensive points system that considers the following key factors, among others:

• Core human capital factors (age, level of education, official language and Canadian work experience). Similar factors are considered for accompanying spouse or common-law partners;
• Skill transferability factors (level of education, foreign work experience and certificate of qualification in a trade occupation); and
• Factors relating to a provincial nominee or a qualifying offer of employment.

The ranking system allows for up to 1,200 points to be awarded in the following manner:

• A maximum of 500 points for the core human capital factors if the applicant is single.
• If the applicant has an accompanying spouse or common law partner, 460 points are awarded for core human capital factors, and 40 points for accompanying spouse or common-law partner factors;
• A maximum of 100 points for skill transferability factors; and
• A maximum of 600 points for a nomination certificate or qualifying offer of arranged employment.

Eligibility to Receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence 

To be eligible to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence, foreign nationals selected from the Express Entry pool must meet the minimum requirements of one of the economic classes above and must have a qualifying offer of employment based on the opinion of the Department of Employment and Social Development or have received a nomination certificate from a provincial government. Those foreign nationals who do not have a qualifying offer of arranged employment or who are not named in a nomination certificate issued by a provincial government must register with the Department’s Job Bank within 30 days of the submission of their expression of interest application. 

Foreign nationals invited to apply for permanent residence will have 60 days to submit their application online. Applications are expected to be processed in six months or less. 

Selections of top-ranking candidates are expected to take place at regular intervals over the course of each year. 

Applications submitted under the current economic streams and received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada before January 1, 2015 will continue to be processed under the rules in effect at the time of filing and will not be processed under the Express Entry program. 

Federal Immigrant Investor & Entrepreneur Class – Suspension Continued 

The Department also announced the continued suspension of new applications under the Federal Immigrant Investor Class and the Federal Entrepreneur Class until further notice. 

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals 

To prepare for the Express Entry program, employers and applicants should contact their Fragomen professional for guidance on the new requirements and to determine how to improve the chances of applicants being invited to apply for permanent residence. We will work with employers and applicants on such critical matters as completing the required language tests, obtaining an assessment of applicants’ educational credentials, obtaining qualifying arranged employment and/or obtaining a certificate of nomination to support applications for permanent residence in light of the new rules. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected]. 

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