The Canada Express Entry program is an immigration program for professionals awaiting to settle in Canada. It is one of the fastest and easy paths for immigrants searching for a new life in Canada. The Express Entry immigration program grants points to professionals based on:
- Skills
- Experience
- Canadian employment status
The higher your points, the greater the chances of receiving an invitation to apply for your permanent residency (PR).

Learning how to create your Express Entry profile goes a long way in helping you structure and process your Canadian immigration and help you acquire Canadian permanent residence.
How to Create Express Entry Profile for Canada PR Application
To create an Express Entry profile, follow the steps listed below:
Step #1: Take a language test
Applicants must prove their knowledge in at least one of the two Canadian official languages-English or French. Skilled applicants must complete a government-approved language test and include the test results in their profile.
Step #2: Assessments of Foreign Education Credentials (if necessary)
The next step to learning how to create your Canada Express Entry profile is to have your education credentials and certificates gotten outside of Canada evaluated.
This is simply to ensure that your foreign education standards are comparable to a similar Canadian standard of education. Obtainment of a credential assessment is mandatory for anyone who wants to migrate under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
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Although this is not a mandatory step for all Express Entry programs, it can greatly enhance your chances of success, regardless of the express entry program that you apply to.
Step #3: National Occupation Classification (NOC)
The National Occupation Classification (NOC) is a standardized system developed by the government of Canada to use in the proper classification jobs in the country.
To migrate to Canada using the Express Entry system, you must depict that your level of work experience fits the definition of the occupation included in the Canada National Occupation Classification database.
Only applicants with the following work experience may apply for immigration under the Express Entry System:
- Skill Type 0 (Management Jobs)
- Skill Level A (Professional Jobs)
- Skill Level B (Technical Jobs and Skilled trades)
Step #4: Get eligible for your Express Entry Immigration
The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s) website contains an online tool used by applicants to ascertain whether they are eligible to use the Express Entry system or not.
Note that this tool must be used before the creation of the Express Entry profile.
To use this tool, you must have already taken a language test and identified the NOC skill type or level that you are currently applying for; and upon being successful with the use of the tool, you will receive your personal reference code.
Step #5: Build your Express Entry Profile
If the online tool ascertains that you are qualified to apply for the Express Entry immigration program, you are now able to begin building your Express Entry profile. The following information must be provided for your Express Entry profile:
- Identity and age
- Contact information
- A detailed account of your educational history and work experience
- Language proficiency
- Family composition
- Factors that would help their adaptability to life in Canada
- Information on your spouse and common-law partner, if applicable
To complete a profile for your Express Entry, you must also have the following in hand:
- Passport or travel documents
- Language test results
- The title and code that describes you work experience as stated in the NOC database
- Foreign Educational Credential assessment results (if necessary)
- A copy of a written job offer from a Canadian employer (if you already been offered a job)
- Proof of provincial nomination for permanent residence (if you have received a provincial nomination)
- Personal reference code from the use of the IRCC online eligibility verification tool (see eligibility for your Express Entry Immigration below)
Step #6: Submission of your Express Entry profile
On provision of all necessary information and completion, your profile can now be submitted. Upon submission of your Express Entry profile, you will receive the following:
- A job seeker validation code
- An Express Entry profile number
You will need these numbers if you’ve received nominations for permanent residence from a provincial or territorial government.
Your Express Entry remains valid for a total period of one year which during this period, updates can be made at any time – updates based on a change in work experience, new educational diploma, new language test results, and maybe even a change in family composition like birth, death, marriage or divorce, etc. Nevertheless, an Express Entry profile could become invalid even before the one year passes, that’s if you no longer meet all the relevant requirements for the program or have received an invitation to apply for your permanent residence.
If a year passes without you receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence, your profile would be deleted from the pool.
Canada Express Entry Eligibility Requirements
In general, to be qualified to apply for Express Entry are candidates with university or college degrees with professional work experience and average proficiency in English or French. Persons who qualify for the following programs are also qualified to apply for the Express Entry program;
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSL)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian experience Class (CEC)
The Canada Express Entry program relies on a point-based system to assess applicants, though meeting these requirements does not necessarily mean that you will get an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Candidates with a stronger profile would be chosen over candidates who meet the minimum requirements. The points will evaluate you based on:
- Age (You must be under 30 years of age)
- Have at least three (3) years of professional work experience
- Language test with a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 either in English or French
- Your completed post-secondary education is evaluated against Canadian standards with an Educational Credential Assessment
Other factors that would influence or boost your points include:
- Bilingualism in French and English
- Higher language proficiency in English or French
- Canadian work or educational experience
- A family member is currently residing in Canada
- A Master’s Degree or Ph.D. education level
- An arranged employment offer from a Canadian company
- A nomination from a provincial nominee program
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