• Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Class
• Canadian Experience Class
• Parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

Different provinces, as well as, territories throughout Canada, can select applicants from the Express Entry pool. This is for meeting the labor needs of the local markets as part of the PNPs.

If an applicant is unsure about their assessment, they may seek advice from an immigration lawyer before they start preparing to enter the Express Entry pool.

• Skillset and work experience
• Educational qualifications
• English or French language proficiency
• Educational qualifications and language proficiency of an applicant’s spouse (if available)
• job offers from Canadian employers
• Nomination from a provincial government for permanent residence

The CRS score is based on a total of 1200 points wherein each category contributes the following points:

• Nomination: 600
• Senior managerial jobs backed by LMIA: 200
• Other listed jobs backed by LMIA: 50
• Post-secondary, Master’s, or Doctoral education in Canada: 30
• One or Two-year Post-secondary Canadian Education: 15
• Other skills, educational qualifications, or work experience: 500
• Transferable or a combination of skills: 100
• Siblings in Canada: 15

• Keeping a broad perspective: Instead of focusing on one factor such as the educational qualifications, an applicant should try to cover all their aspects and credentials to boost their score.
• Getting a Nomination: A provincial nomination is worth 600 points and having one can seriously boost the CSR score of an applicant.
• Getting a Job Offer from a Canadian Employer: This works similar to the provincial nomination and is worth 200 points. If an applicant already has a job offer from a Canadian employer, then they are likely to score much higher than the remaining applicants.
• Boosting Education: An applicant with higher educational qualifications is likely to score higher than another candidate with lesser qualifications. If the higher education is from an institute in Canada, then it will further add to the CSR score of that applicant.
• Applying with your spouse.
• Higher Work Experience: Non-Canadian work experience is not worth as much as experience in Canada. However, when combined with other criteria such as language proficiency, it falls under combination factors which is worth 100 points. Experience of working within Canada will earn an applicant bonus points.
• Improving language skills: Proficiency in English and French languages can earn a candidate an additional 100 points over the 260 points from combination factors.

If an applicant is already working in Canada with a valid LMIA work permit, they need not reapply. In case, the applicant applies for a job, the employer will proceed with the required assessment procedure. Besides, if the applicant meets the employer’s demands for the role, they can send them an offer letter for the job. The applicant may then attach this letter to their Express Entry profile which would add to their CSR score.

Provinces and territories must set their criteria to conduct nominations. Depending upon the province or territory, a candidate may either be nominated first followed by completing an online Express Entry Profile, or enter the pool and be nominated afterward. Provinces and territories hold the right to make nominations based on their regular PNPs held outside the Express Entry system.

However, Canadian employers have direct involvement with the immigration process under the Express Entry system. This implies that an applicant has a chance of increasing their CSR score. But they must have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer thus elevating their chances of getting an ITA. Applicants can advertise themselves to potential employers through the Express Entry pool by registering on Canada Job Bank.

Once an applicant has received an ITA, he or she has 60 days to submit a complete electronic application with attached documents. It must prove the authenticity of their claims and credentials on their application.

Only a part of the PNPs is under the Express Entry system. The Canada Visa immigration assessment form will assess the eligibility of an applicant. This is for checking the eligibility for immigration over a range of programs including the available PNPs.

The spouse, in this case, has to pass a language proficiency test and undergo background checks.

Any children of the individual under the age of 19 at the time of application also get a permanent resident visa automatically.

• Most PNPs will process outside the Express Entry program.
• Some candidates may arrive in Canada as temporary foreign workers. They would, however, require LMIA to work in Canada.
• In case a country has set up some kind of international exchange program with Canada, a candidate, mostly under the age of 35 or 30 can receive a temporary open work visa in Canada.
• Candidates could come to Canada to study in many of the renowned colleges and universities. Once they have completed their studies, a Province might facilitate the option to apply for permanent residence under a PNP for the graduate. The candidate may also apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit after completing their studies and finally apply for a permanent residence later on.