The Canadian government introduced Express Entry as a selection mechanism to speed up the application process for a Permanent Resident visa for a number of economic immigration programs. With online submissions and an automated process, processing times are comparatively faster, typically taking six months.​

Express Entry handles the processing of the following programs:

• ​Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

• Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)

• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)  

Are some programs

To qualify for an Express Entry application:

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You must fulfill the requirements in order to be eligible for one of the immigration programs handled by Express Entry. Every program has different requirements for eligibility. If you are qualified, you can show your interest in applying by completing a profile that includes your education, employment history, language proficiency (tested results), and Skills.

Every applicant who meets the requirements for eligibility will be added to a pool and ranked using a thorough ranking system. A specific percentage of the top-ranked candidates will be invited to apply for permanent residence on a regular basis. A candidate has ninety days from the moment they receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to file an application for permanent residency together with any required supporting documentation. If the necessary documents are not supplied within this time frame, they will be rejected. Successful applicants can enter Canada as Permanent Residents and work toward becoming Canadian citizens after finishing the process, along with their dependents (spouse and children).

Applicants in the Express Entry pool who have not yet received an invitation to apply, or ITA, will stay in the pool for a year and could be chosen at a later time. A new expression of interest can be made by creating a new profile if a candidate is not chosen after 12 months in the pool.