What do you need before you create an Express Entry profile?
You need an approved language test result and, if you studied outside Canada, an educational credential assessment (ECA). Both expire. IRCC says language results must be less than 2 years old, and your ECA less than 5 years old, both when you complete your profile and when you submit your application.
The tests IRCC accepts for Express Entry are:
- English: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core.
- French: TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
IELTS Academic is not on that list. Your results are converted to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels, and the CLB level is what counts for eligibility and points. Use our IELTS, CELPIP and TEF to CLB converter to see where your scores land before you book a retest.
An ECA must come from an organization IRCC has designated, such as World Education Services, the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, IQAS, the University of Toronto's Comparative Education Service or BCIT's International Credential Evaluation Service. Doctors and pharmacists use their profession's own assessor. You do not need an ECA for a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate.
Plan the timing. If a test result or ECA will expire before you are likely to be invited and apply, you may have to redo it partway through the process.
How is the CRS score calculated?
Your CRS score is the sum of four parts: core human capital factors, spouse or partner factors, skill transferability, and additional points. The first three add up to a maximum of 600. Additional points can add up to 600 more, for a total of 1,200.
The core factors carry different maximums depending on whether a spouse or partner comes with you:
- Age: 110 points without a spouse, 100 with one.
- Education: 150 without, 140 with.
- Official language ability: 160 without, 150 with.
- Canadian work experience: 80 without, 70 with.
When you bring a spouse, their education, language and Canadian experience can earn up to 40 points to make up the difference. Skill transferability rewards combinations, such as strong language plus a degree, and is capped at 100 points in total.
Enter your own details in our free CRS score calculator for a line by line breakdown, including what changes if you add a spouse.
How does IRCC decide who gets invited in a draw?
IRCC picks a type of round, decides how many people to invite, then invites the highest ranked eligible candidates. The score of the lowest ranked person invited becomes that round's cutoff. If several people share that score, IRCC uses the date and time each profile was submitted to break the tie.
There are three kinds of rounds:
- General: open to top candidates eligible for any of the three programs.
- Program-specific: limited to one program, for example the Provincial Nominee Program.
- Category-based: limited to candidates who meet a category the Minister sets for an economic goal.
As of September 2026, IRCC lists categories for French-language proficiency; healthcare and social services, STEM, trade, education and transport occupations; physicians, senior managers and researchers with Canadian work experience; and skilled military recruits. For the occupation categories, IRCC says you need at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equal amount part-time) in an eligible occupation within the past 3 years. It does not have to be continuous. For the physician, senior manager and researcher categories, that experience must be in Canada.
Cutoffs move from round to round, so a past score is not a promise. Compare your score with recent rounds on our Express Entry draw history and CRS cutoffs page.
Do you need proof of funds for Express Entry?
Yes if you apply under the Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades program. No if you apply under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you are authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer. The amount depends on your family size and must be money you can legally access when you arrive.
As of September 2026, IRCC's table (updated July 7, 2025) asks for $15,263 CAD for one person and $19,001 CAD for a family of two, rising with each added family member. IRCC updates these amounts, so check the official table before you apply.
IRCC expects official letters from each bank or financial institution where you hold funds. The letters should show the institution's contact details, your name, your outstanding debts, and each account's number, opening date, current balance and average balance over the past 6 months. Equity in real estate does not count, and neither does borrowed money.
What happens after you get an Invitation to Apply?
You have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application. If you do nothing, the invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool, so you would need a new profile. If you decline, you go back into the pool, but there is no guarantee you will be invited again.
Your application usually needs:
- The documents behind the claims in your profile, such as test results, your ECA and work references.
- Police certificates.
- Proof of funds, if your program requires it.
- Civil documents, such as birth, marriage or divorce certificates.
- Medical exam results, valid when you apply and when you become a permanent resident.
- Certified translations of anything not in English or French.
You pay the processing fee, the right of permanent residence fee and the biometrics fee. IRCC requires at least the processing fee at submission. As of September 2026, IRCC's fee list shows $1,590 CAD per adult for the application including the right of permanent residence fee ($990 CAD without it), $270 CAD for each dependent child, and biometrics of $85 CAD per person or $170 CAD for a family of two or more.
How long does Express Entry take after you apply?
IRCC publishes a live processing time for each program instead of a fixed promise. For permanent residence applications, it calculates the figure from how long it took to finish 80% of similar applications in the past. Check IRCC's processing times tool for the current number on the day you apply.
After you submit, the usual sequence is:
- IRCC checks that your forms are complete, your fees are paid and your documents are included.
- If you are between 14 and 79, you get a biometrics letter and have 30 days from the date on it to give your fingerprints and photo.
- IRCC may ask for more documents or set up an interview through your online account.
- A decision is made on whether you meet the program rules and are admissible, based on your medical exam, police certificates and background checks.
If your application is incomplete, IRCC says it will tell you and refund the processing and right of permanent residence fees. Once processing starts, fees are not refunded.
How can you raise a CRS score that is below recent cutoffs?
Start with the factors you can change this year: your English results, your French, your Canadian experience and a provincial nomination. A nomination adds 600 points, the largest single boost in the system. A better language result can raise both your core points and your skill transferability points at the same time.
Other additional points IRCC lists:
- French language skills: 25 points for NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills, or 50 points if you also have CLB 5 or higher in all four English skills.
- Post-secondary education completed in Canada: 15 to 30 points, depending on the credential.
- A brother or sister in Canada who is 18 or older and a citizen or permanent resident: 15 points.
Update your profile whenever something changes, such as a new test result, a new job, a marriage or a new child. IRCC requires it, and some changes raise your score. Provincial streams have their own rules and intake windows, so read our guide to Provincial Nominee Programs before you count on a nomination.
Age works against you over time. Age points peak between 20 and 29, drop every year from 30, and reach zero at 45. Run your numbers in the CRS calculator with your next birthday to see what you stand to lose, and use the program eligibility checker to confirm which programs you qualify for today.