How to Create an Express Entry Profile and Get a CRS Score for Canadian Permanent Residence

What is an Express Entry profile?

An Express Entry profile is an online expression of interest used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to identify skilled immigration candidates who qualify for one or more federal economic immigration programs.

Express Entry manages applications for:

• the Canadian Experience Class;
• the Federal Skilled Worker Program;
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Some Provincial Nominee Program streams are also connected to Express Entry, but you must still be eligible for at least one of the three federal Express Entry programs to enter the pool through an Express Entry nomination.

Creating a profile is only the first stage. It is not an application for permanent residence and does not guarantee that IRCC will invite you to apply.

Who can create an Express Entry profile?

You can create a profile if you meet the minimum requirements of at least one Express Entry program. The requirements differ depending on your work history, education, language ability and other circumstances.

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers with qualifying Canadian work experience.

Your qualifying work experience must generally:

• be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3;
• have been obtained while you were authorized to work in Canada under temporary resident status;
• be paid work;
• total at least 1 year or 1,560 hours during the 3 years before you apply;
• include the lead statement and most of the main duties for the applicable NOC.

Self-employment and work performed while you were a full-time student generally do not count toward the minimum Canadian Experience Class work requirement, subject to specific IRCC exceptions.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is primarily for candidates with eligible foreign or Canadian skilled work experience.

Your qualifying skilled work experience must generally:

• be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3;
• match your primary occupation;
• include at least 1 year of continuous paid work or 1,560 hours;
• have been obtained within the previous 10 years;
• include the lead statement and most of the main duties in the NOC description.

You must also meet the language and education requirements and score at least 67 points out of 100 on the Federal Skilled Worker selection grid.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for eligible workers qualified in specified skilled trades.

You generally need:

• at least 2 years or 3,120 hours of qualifying paid skilled trade work experience during the 5 years before you apply;
• experience in an eligible skilled trade NOC group;
• to meet the applicable trade requirements for the occupation;
• either a valid full-time job offer for at least 1 year or a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal certificate of qualification in the trade;
• the required English or French language scores.

What language test do you need for Express Entry?

Every Express Entry candidate must prove English or French ability using a test approved by IRCC, even if English or French is your first language.

IRCC currently accepts:

• CELPIP-General for English;
• IELTS General Training for English;
• PTE Core for English;
• TEF Canada for French;
• TCF Canada for French.

IELTS Academic is not the Express Entry language test. IRCC also states that IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted for Express Entry.

How long are language test results valid?

Your language test results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you later submit a permanent residence application.

If your test expires while you are in the pool, your profile can become ineligible. You should take another approved test before the old results expire and update your profile with the new results.

What language score is required?

The minimum depends on the Express Entry program and, for the Canadian Experience Class, the TEER level of your qualifying job.

Canadian Experience Class

• TEER 0 or 1: minimum CLB 7 or NCLC 7 in all four abilities.
• TEER 2 or 3: minimum CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in all four abilities.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The minimum for the first official language is CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

The minimum is CLB or NCLC 5 for speaking and listening and CLB or NCLC 4 for reading and writing.

Do you need an Educational Credential Assessment?

An Educational Credential Assessment, commonly called an ECA, verifies the Canadian equivalency of a foreign degree, diploma, certificate or other educational credential.

You need an ECA if you are applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program using foreign education.

You also need an ECA if you want to receive Express Entry education points for a foreign credential, including under the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades Program.

If you completed qualifying education in Canada, an ECA is not required for the Canadian credential.

How long is an ECA valid?

An Express Entry ECA must be less than 5 years old when you complete the profile and when you submit the permanent residence application.

If the ECA expires while your profile is in the pool, you can lose eligibility or education points. IRCC advises candidates to make sure the ECA will remain valid for the period they expect to remain in the pool.

What documents and information should you prepare before creating the profile?

IRCC recommends getting your information ready before starting because the online profile must be completed within 60 days.

You may need information from:

• your passport or travel document;
• approved language test results;
• Canadian education records;
• your ECA report for foreign education, if applicable;
• work reference or experience letters;
• a written Canadian job offer, if you have one;
• a Canadian certificate of qualification in a trade, if applicable;
• settlement fund information;
• police certificates;
• a provincial or territorial nomination, if applicable.

Some of these documents are used mainly at the permanent residence application stage, but having the correct information early can prevent errors in your profile.

How to check if you are eligible for Express Entry

IRCC provides two official ways to complete the initial eligibility questionnaire.

Option 1: Come to Canada tool

You can answer the eligibility questions in IRCC's Come to Canada tool. If the result indicates that you may qualify, the tool provides a personal reference code that you can use to transfer information into your Express Entry profile.

Option 2: IRCC secure account

You can also check eligibility directly through your IRCC secure account:

1. sign in to your account;
2. choose Apply to come to Canada;
3. under the option stating that you do not have a personal reference code, choose Express Entry;
4. answer the eligibility questions.

How to create your Express Entry profile online

Once you are ready to proceed:

1. Sign in to your IRCC secure account.
2. Enter your personal reference code if you used the Come to Canada tool, or start the Express Entry questionnaire directly.
3. Enter your personal details.
4. Provide your language test information.
5. Enter your education and ECA information where applicable.
6. Enter your work experience and correct NOC information.
7. Provide information about your spouse or common-law partner if applicable.
8. Enter details of any provincial nomination, certificate of qualification or Canadian job offer.
9. Provide settlement fund information where applicable.
10. Review the profile carefully.
11. Submit it electronically.

How long do you have to finish an Express Entry profile?

You have 60 days to complete and submit the profile after starting it.

You can leave the application and return to it during that period because the information is saved in your IRCC account. If you do not submit the profile within the 60-day period, IRCC requires you to start again.

What happens after you submit an Express Entry profile?

IRCC uses the information you provided to determine whether you meet the requirements of one or more Express Entry programs.

If you qualify, IRCC:

• places your profile in the Express Entry pool;
• calculates a Comprehensive Ranking System score;
• ranks your profile against other eligible candidates.

If you are eligible for more than one federal program, the system uses this order when issuing an invitation:

1. Canadian Experience Class;
2. Federal Skilled Worker Program;
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program.

You cannot choose which of these programs an Invitation to Apply will be issued under.

What is the Comprehensive Ranking System score?

The Comprehensive Ranking System, or CRS, is the points system IRCC uses to rank eligible profiles in the Express Entry pool.

A CRS score can be as high as 1,200 points. Factors can include:

• age;
• education;
• English and French ability;
• Canadian work experience;
• spouse or common-law partner factors;
• skill-transferability combinations;
• additional factors such as a provincial nomination and qualifying Canadian education.

Your CRS score is different from the Federal Skilled Worker Program's separate 67-point eligibility grid.

Do Canadian job offers still give CRS points?

No. As of March 25, 2025, IRCC removed CRS points for Canadian job offers.

This means a qualifying job offer no longer automatically gives the former 50 or 200 CRS points.

However, job offers still matter for certain immigration program eligibility rules. For example, a valid job offer can be required for the Federal Skilled Trades Program if you do not have a Canadian certificate of qualification, and it can still affect Federal Skilled Worker selection criteria or some provincial nominee streams.

You should therefore continue to declare valid job offer information accurately in your Express Entry profile.

Do you need proof of settlement funds to create an Express Entry profile?

Proof of funds requirements depend on the program.

You normally need settlement funds if you are eligible under:

• the Federal Skilled Worker Program; or
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

You do not need settlement funds if:

• you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class; or
• you are authorized to work in Canada and have a valid Canadian job offer, even if applying through the Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades Program.

IRCC updates settlement fund amounts periodically. Keep the amount declared in your profile current because insufficient funds can make the profile ineligible.

Who counts in your family size for settlement funds?

When calculating the required settlement funds, you must include:

• yourself;
• your spouse or common-law partner;
• your dependent children;
• your spouse or common-law partner's dependent children.

IRCC requires these family members to be counted even if they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents or are not accompanying you to Canada.

Can borrowed money be used as Express Entry settlement funds?

No. IRCC states that settlement funds must be legally available to you and cannot be borrowed from another person.

You also cannot use equity in real property as proof of settlement funds.

If you later receive an Invitation to Apply and need proof of funds, IRCC requires official financial institution letters containing specified account and balance information.

Can you create an Express Entry profile without a job offer?

Yes. A job offer is not required for the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Federal Skilled Trades candidates need either a qualifying full-time job offer for at least 1 year or a Canadian certificate of qualification in the skilled trade.

Do you need a Provincial Nominee Program nomination?

No. A provincial nomination is not required to create a regular Express Entry profile.

However, an Express Entry-linked provincial nomination can significantly increase your CRS ranking. If you already have a nomination, declare it in the profile and follow the province's instructions for electronically confirming it.

Can provinces find your Express Entry profile?

Provincial and territorial immigration programs can search the Express Entry pool for candidates who may meet their nomination criteria.

If you are interested in provincial nomination, make sure the province or territory information and other profile details accurately reflect your immigration plans.

How long does an Express Entry profile stay active?

If you are not invited to apply within 12 months after submitting the profile, it automatically expires and is removed from the system.

IRCC sends a message to your account when this happens.

If you still want to remain in Express Entry, you must complete and submit a new profile. The system does not automatically transfer the information from the expired profile, so IRCC recommends saving screenshots of your old profile before expiry.

Can you have two Express Entry profiles at once?

You should not submit a second profile while an existing one remains active. If you want to create and submit a replacement before the current profile expires, IRCC instructs you to withdraw the existing profile first.

What information must you update while in the pool?

Your profile must remain accurate while it is active.

Update it if, for example, you:

• start a new job or occupation;
• gain or lose a job offer;
• receive new language test results;
• complete additional education;
• receive or lose a provincial nomination;
• marry, divorce or change common-law status;
• have or adopt a child;
• need to update your settlement funds;
• receive a new passport.

Updating your profile with changed circumstances does not change the original profile submission date for tie-breaking purposes.

What can make an Express Entry profile ineligible after submission?

A profile can become ineligible while it is in the pool if information or circumstances change.

Examples identified by IRCC include:

• qualifying work experience falling outside the required time period;
• language test results expiring;
• an ECA expiring;
• settlement funds dropping below the required amount;
• a change in primary occupation that means program requirements are no longer met.

Does entering the Express Entry pool guarantee permanent residence?

No. Entering the pool only means that you meet the minimum requirements of an Express Entry program at that time.

IRCC invites candidates through rounds of invitations. Depending on the round, invitations can be based on CRS ranking, program eligibility or eligibility for a category established by the Minister.

There is no universal CRS score that guarantees an invitation because cut-off scores and invitation criteria change from one round to another.

How do category-based Express Entry draws affect your profile?

You do not create a separate profile for a category-based round. IRCC identifies eligible category candidates using information already provided in their Express Entry profiles.

In a category-based round, you must first qualify for one of the federal Express Entry programs and also meet the criteria for the selected category. Eligible candidates are then ranked by CRS score within that round.

IRCC announced Express Entry categories for 2026 that include French-language proficiency and selected occupational and Canadian-experience priorities. Category criteria can change, so keep your NOC, language and work history accurate.

What happens if you receive an Invitation to Apply?

If IRCC invites you to apply for permanent residence, the invitation appears in your IRCC secure account and identifies the immigration program under which you were invited.

You have 60 days to submit the complete electronic permanent residence application.

Information and documents submitted with the permanent residence application must support the information used to obtain your CRS score and program eligibility.

What if your CRS score changes after you receive an invitation?

Your Express Entry information must remain truthful and accurate. If your circumstances change after an invitation, recalculate your CRS score and confirm that you still meet the requirements of the invitation and the immigration program.

Providing false information or omitting important facts can result in refusal, inadmissibility and a 5-year bar from applying to come to Canada.

Express Entry profile checklist

• Confirm that you qualify for CEC, FSWP or FSTP.
• Identify the correct NOC and TEER category for your skilled work.
• Take an approved English or French language test.
• Make sure your language results are less than 2 years old.
• Get an ECA for foreign education if required.
• Make sure the ECA is less than 5 years old.
• Prepare your passport information.
• Gather accurate education and work history.
• Check settlement fund requirements if applicable.
• Gather information about any job offer, trade certificate or provincial nomination.
• Complete the IRCC eligibility questionnaire.
• Create the Express Entry profile in your secure account.
• Submit the profile within 60 days.
• Check your CRS score after entering the pool.
• Keep your profile updated while it is active.
• Monitor Express Entry rounds of invitations.
• Create a new profile if the existing profile expires after 12 months and you still want to remain in the pool.
• If invited, submit the permanent residence application within 60 days.