Express Entry is an immigration program stream that is focused on attracting skilled talent that can contribute to Canada’s economy. As a result the eligibility and evaluation criteria’s hover around assessing the applicant’s capabilities towards the same. Express Entry has three sub-programs under it as the following:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
You must be eligible for one of the programs above to be able to get into the Express Entry pool. Your eligibility is assessed on a points based ranking system. For example, in order to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must score 67 points or higher. In case your points are lower than 67, you won’t be eligible to apply for Express Entry till you improve your score.
These core selection factors are based around your age, education, experience, language skills, arranged employment in Canada and adaptability. Let us go over these factors and scoring methodology in more detail one by one.
1. Language
Language can get you a maximum of 28 points. Being able to communicate well is considered a key skill to be able to contribute in Canada. You must take an approved language test to demonstrate your competency in the selected language. The two languages that Canadian government recognizes are English and French. In case you know both the languages, the first official language can get you a maximum of 24 points and the second one get you a maximum of 4 points.
Language is assessed on the basis of Canadian Language Benchmarks or CLB’s. You will get a CLB in each of the areas of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.
| First Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB level 9 or higher | 6 points | 6 points | 6 points | 6 points |
| CLB level 8 | 5 points | 5 points | 5 points | 5 points |
| CLB level 7 | 4 points | 4 points | 4 points | 4 points |
| Below CLB level 7 | Not eligible to apply | Not eligible to apply | Not eligible to apply | Not eligible to apply |
You can get a maximum of 4 additional points if your proficiency is at least CLB Level 5 in each of the four areas. That means CLB 4 or less in any of the four abilities will get you 0 additional points.
2. Education
Education is also an important attribute that quickly increases your score. Education in Canada or foreign education, both are considered while evaluating your score and eligibility. In case your education is from outside Canada, you must have an Educational Credential Assessment report from designated third party organizations to complete your application.
You can score a maximum of 25 points for your education. Please see the table below.
| Education level | Points |
|---|---|
| University degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level | 25 |
| Master’s degree OR professional degree | 23 |
| Two or more post-secondary credentials (one must be for a program of at least three years) | 22 |
| Post-secondary credential of at least three years | 21 |
| Post-secondary credential of two years | 19 |
| Post-secondary credential of one year | 15 |
| Secondary (high school) diploma | 5 |
3. Age
Age is another important factor that determines your eligibility and score in the Express Entry pool of applicants. Canada seeks young qualified talent and as a result, your points start decreasing with increase in age. Your age can get you a maximum of 12 points if you fall under 18 to 35 years of age bracket.
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 0 |
| 18-35 | 12 |
| 36 | 11 |
| 37 | 10 |
| 38 | 9 |
| 39 | 8 |
| 40 | 7 |
| 41 | 6 |
| 42 | 5 |
| 43 | 4 |
| 44 | 3 |
| 45 | 2 |
| 46 | 1 |
| 47 or older | 0 |
4. Experience
You can get a maximum of 15 points for any full-time paid work experience that you have. It should be at National Occupation Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill level A or B. The work can be performed either at least 30 hours per week or an equal amount of part time i.e. 15 hours per week for 24 months. You will need an NOC code to identify your area of work experience.
| Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 9 |
| 2-3 years | 11 |
| 4-5 years | 13 |
| 6 or more years | 15 |
5. Arranged employment in Canada
You can also get a maximum of 10 points if you have a job offer of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer. You must have this job offer before you apply under Federal Skilled Worker class.
A valid job offer has to fulfill the following conditions:
- It should be continuous, paid, full time work with a minimum of 30 hours per week and not seasonal and be offered for at least 1 year.
- It should be in an occupation listed as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of NOC.
6. Adaptability
You and your spouse can get a maximum of 10 points based on a variety of factors that assess how well you can settle in Canada.
| Adaptability | Points |
|---|---|
| Your spouse or common-law partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB 4 level or higher in all 4 language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing). | 5 |
| You completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada. | 5 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada. | 5 |
| You did at least 1 year of full time work in Canada in an occupation listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B having a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada | 10 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner did at least 1 year of full time work in Canada in an occupation listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B having a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada | 5 |
| Arranged employment in Canada | 5 |
| You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative who is living in Canada, 18 years or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. This relative must be a parent or grandparent or child or grandchild, your or your spouse’s sibling (child of your or your spouse’s parent), your or your spouse’s aunt or uncle (by blood or marriage), your or your spouse’s niece or nephew (grandchild of your or your spouse’s parent). | 5 |
Eligibility Cutoff score
If you score a total of 67 points or higher from the above six factors, you may qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and be eligible to submit a profile to the Express Entry Pool.
Please note that once you are a part of the Express Entry pool, a different system is used to rank your profile. That is called the Comprehensive Ranking System.
