Eligibility

Though there are 90+ Immigration Programs, Express Entry has been the main Focus and the fastest.

This program has minimum requirements for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education

You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Selection factors

Meeting the basic requirements is just the first step in assessing your eligibility:

• education
• work experience
• whether you have a valid job offer
• English and/or French language skills
• adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle here)

These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. You earn points for how well you do in each of the 6 factors.

The current pass mark is 67 points.

Skilled work experience

Your skilled work experience must be

• in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
• within the last 10 years
• paid work (have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
• at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)

Student work experience

Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:

• was paid by wages or commissions
• was continuous (no gaps in employment)

Language ability

You must:

• take approved language tests in English or French for:
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Education

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have:

• a completed credential, and
• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution