Immigration Canada: Express Entry: What employers need to know

English: Supreme Court of Canada Français : Cour suprême du Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Helping employers connect with skilled immigrants

Canada is changing its economic immigration system to provide more recruitment possibilities for employers and more opportunities for prospective skilled immigrants.

Moving from…

First applicant in, first to be processed
Recruitment of global talent at employer time and expense
Difficult to navigate systems with multiple players
12–14 months to process permanent residence applications

Moving toward…

Canadian employers will have a direct role in recruiting economic immigrants
Express Entry candidates with a valid job offer or provincial/territorial nomination will quickly receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence
Access to a pool of candidates who fit current labour market needs
New and improved Job Bank with coordinated Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process
Job Bank will connect Canadian employers and Express Entry candidates at no cost
No LMIA fee for permanent residence applications
Six months or less to process permanent residence applications in 80% of cases from receipt of complete application to final decision

How employers can access Express Entry pool candidates

Employers can hire skilled foreign workers to meet their labour needs when they are unable to find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies. Employers will have the flexibility and choice to use current recruiting and hiring practices. They will also have access to candidates through: Job Bank, private sector job boards and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) where applicable.

Invitation to Apply

Candidates will be assessed against others within the pool, and be ranked based on criteria that are known to contribute to a newcomer's economic success once in Canada. Only the highest-ranked candidates, and those with valid job offers or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for permanent residence.

Candidates will have 60 days to apply for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class or a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete permanent residence applications received (i.e. those including all the necessary supporting documents) in six months or less.