Key facts
- What it manages
- Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades
- Ranking
- Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
- Profile validity
- Twelve months in the pool, unless invited
- Invitation
- Issued in rounds; cut-offs vary by round
- After an invitation
- A full application is submitted within the deadline given
Last verified against official sources: 2026-09-21
The fifteen steps
Determine eligibility
Check which of the three programmes you could be eligible for.
Express Entry overviewPrepare your information
Work history, dates, addresses, family details and travel history.
What experience countsCreate your profile
Submitted online, with the evidence held ready rather than uploaded at this stage.
Enter the pool
Your profile is ranked against everyone else currently in it.
Monitor the rounds
General, programme-specific and category-based rounds each have their own cut-off.
Draw historyReceive an invitation, if invited
An invitation to apply is issued in a round where your score is within the cut-off.
Prepare supporting documents
Police certificates, medical, employment evidence, civil status documents and proof of funds where applicable.
After an ITASubmit the application
The electronic application for permanent residence, within the deadline.
Biometrics, medical and any further requests
Respond to anything requested during processing, within the time given.
Decision
The application is approved or refused on its merits.
COPR and landing
An approved applicant completes the landing process to become a permanent resident.
What the steps do not promise
Completing every step carefully is what you control. Whether a round is held at a cut-off that reaches your score is not. Treat the sequence as preparation, not as a timetable.
Common mistakes
- Creating a profile before the language result or ECA exists, then entering figures that later change.
- Choosing a NOC by job title rather than by the duties actually performed.
- Claiming work experience that cannot be evidenced with a reference letter.
- Letting a profile sit unchanged after circumstances change — a new test result, a birthday, a new qualification.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an Express Entry profile stay in the pool?
A profile remains in the pool for twelve months. If no invitation is received, a new profile can be submitted, with updated information and test results that are still valid.
Do I upload documents when I create my profile?
No. At profile stage you declare your information. Documents are uploaded with the permanent residence application after an invitation, which is why having the evidence ready in advance matters.
What is the tie-breaking rule?
When several candidates share the cut-off score in a round, the time the profile was submitted decides who is invited. It only applies at the cut-off score itself.
What to do next
- Work out which programme you could be eligible for.
- Book the language test.
- Start the ECA if foreign education is being claimed.
- Estimate your CRS score with real numbers.
- Gather work evidence before you need it.
Your next steps
Continue in the order most people find useful, rather than a list of unrelated pages.