Immigration Consultants..
Express Entry is Canada’s main route to permanent residence for skilled workers, and it is competitive. Meeting the minimum requirements gets you into the pool; a high enough ranking gets you an invitation. White Swan Immigration Consultants, based in Richmond, BC, helps you work out whether you qualify, build an accurate profile, improve your ranking where that is realistic, and file the application if you are invited. We work with clients in BC, across Canada and overseas, including people applying from Pakistan.
Express Entry is an online system IRCC uses to manage applications for three permanent residence programs. You submit a profile, IRCC scores it with the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS, out of 1,200) and, in regular rounds, invites the highest-ranking candidates to apply. If you get an invitation to apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit your application. Being in the pool does not guarantee an ITA.
| Program | Who it is for | Work experience | Language minimum |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | Skilled workers with Canadian experience | 1 year in Canada within the last 3 years | CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs; CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | Skilled workers with foreign or Canadian experience | 1 year continuous in your primary occupation within the last 10 years; at least 67 of 100 on the FSWP grid | CLB 7 |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | Qualified tradespeople | 2 years within the last 5 years; a full-time job offer of at least 1 year or a certificate of qualification | CLB 5 speaking and listening; CLB 4 reading and writing |
If you qualify for more than one, you do not choose. IRCC invites you under the first that applies, in this order: CEC, FSWP, FSTP.
Before anything else, we look at:
Not sure where you stand? Our assessment answers that before you spend money on tests or credential reports. Start your free profile assessment
Points come from age, education, English or French ability, Canadian work experience, spouse factors and a few add-ons such as a Canadian credential, French skills or a provincial nomination, which adds 600 points. For many candidates, language results are the quickest score to improve.
Job-offer points no longer exist. IRCC removed them on 25 March 2025 (they were worth 50 or 200 points). If a guide tells you a job offer will lift your CRS score, it is out of date. Job offers still matter in two places: the FSTP requires one (or a certificate of qualification), and a valid job offer plus work authorization exempts FSWP and FSTP candidates from proof of funds.
IRCC has consulted on larger CRS changes, including points for high-wage occupations and changes to French, spousal, study and sibling points. These are proposals, and none was confirmed in force as of 12 October 2026. We watch official announcements and adjust your plan if the rules change.
Want a rough number first? Try our CRS calculator.
In a category-based round, IRCC invites the top-ranked candidates who also meet a specific category. You must meet the Express Entry minimums and the category rules. IRCC’s current categories are:
| Category | Core requirement |
| French-language proficiency | NCLC 7 in all four abilities |
| Healthcare and social services; STEM; trades; education; transport | At least 12 months of full-time work (or part-time equivalent) within the past 3 years in one listed occupation, in Canada or abroad. It need not be continuous. |
| Physicians; senior managers; researchers | The same 12 months, in a listed occupation, in Canada |
| Skilled military recruits | Foreign skilled military applicant with a Canadian Armed Forces job offer and a 2-year post-secondary credential |
Occupations are defined by NOC code, so the label on your business card matters less than the duties you performed. IRCC does not hold every category every year, and cut-offs differ from general rounds. For example, on 1 October 2026 IRCC invited 3,500 trades candidates at a CRS of 476. See each round on IRCC’s rounds page. We confirm that your NOC and hours genuinely fit before we count on a category.
You complete our assessment form. We review your education, language results, work history and family situation and tell you which program, if any, fits.
We go through your estimated CRS score, what could realistically raise it, and whether a category round or a provincial nomination is worth pursuing. Sometimes the honest answer is ‘not yet’.
We plan the ECA and language-test timing, settle your NOC, collect reference letters and funds evidence, then build and submit your profile.
You have 60 days. We prepare the application, forms, police certificates, medical exam, proof of funds and biometrics.
IRCC may ask for more documents. We follow your IRCC account messages and respond. If your work permit is about to expire, we check whether a bridging open work permit applies.
What we will not do. We cannot promise an ITA or an approval, because IRCC decides. We also will not stretch your duties or experience. Misrepresentation can lead to refusal and a five-year ban.
Express Entry is not limited by nationality, but the paperwork has its own pitfalls. Start these early.
Pakistani degrees need an ECA before you can claim points for them. Each designated organization has its own document rules, so we confirm them before you order anything.
IRCC accepts a Police Character Certificate or Police Clearance Certificate from Pakistan. Procedures differ by province, and the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad cannot get one for you. From abroad, the route is a Pakistani embassy or consulate or, in some cases, a relative applying on your behalf. See IRCC’s Pakistan instructions.
The money must be yours, available to you, and shown through bank letters with the details IRCC lists. Borrowed money and property equity do not count.
Book IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core early; results expire after two years.
Before you pay any agent, check that they appear on the CICC register.
A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points, but each province sets its own criteria and not every stream connects to Express Entry. We compare both routes in the same assessment. Read about our Provincial Nominee Program services.
If a Canadian job offer is part of your plan, we also advise on work permits and LMIA.
| Government fee (from 30 April 2026) | Amount (CAD) |
| Processing fee, principal applicant | $990 |
| Processing fee, spouse or partner | $990 |
| Processing fee, each dependent child | $270 |
| Right of permanent residence fee (principal and spouse) | $600 each |
| Biometrics | $85 per person; $170 family maximum |
A single applicant therefore pays $1,675 to IRCC. Language tests, the ECA, medical exam and police certificates cost extra, and our own fees are separate. Ask for the full breakdown at your consultation. Source: IRCC fee changes.
Settlement funds (FSWP and FSTP only), per IRCC’s table updated 7 July 2025: 1 person $15,263; 2 people $19,001; 3 people $23,360; 4 people $28,362. IRCC revises these yearly, so confirm on IRCC’s proof-of-funds page before you file.
IRCC’s stated standard is to process most Express Entry applications within six months of a complete application. Your total timeline is longer: getting an ECA, language results and police certificates, waiting for an invitation, then the 60-day filing window. Incomplete files are the most common avoidable delay, which is why we build the document package before you are invited.
It is IRCC’s online system for managing three skilled-worker PR programs: CEC, FSWP and FSTP. You submit a profile, receive a CRS score out of 1,200, and IRCC invites top-ranked candidates in regular rounds. An invitation gives you 60 days to apply.
There is no minimum CRS score to enter the pool (FSWP candidates must reach 67 points on the separate selection grid), and no fixed score guarantees an invitation. IRCC sets a cut-off for each round and you must score above it. Cut-offs differ a lot between round types, so check the latest round on IRCC’s site.
Yes, if you meet a program’s requirements. Applicants abroad usually apply through the FSWP, or the FSTP for trades. You will need approved language results, an ECA for your education, funds evidence and police certificates.
FSWP and FSTP applicants need $15,263 for one person, $19,001 for two, $23,360 for three and $28,362 for four (IRCC table of 7 July 2025). CEC applicants are exempt, as are people authorized to work in Canada who hold a valid job offer. Confirm the current table before you file.
IRCC charges $990 per adult for processing, $270 per child, a $600 right of PR fee for the principal applicant and spouse, and 85biometricsperperson(170 per family). A single applicant pays $1,675 to IRCC before test, ECA, medical and police-certificate costs.
IRCC’s standard is six months for most complete applications. Add the time to gather documents, wait for an invitation and file within 60 days.
Book a PR eligibility assessment | Schedule a consultation | Call +1 778 772 7865 | info@wsic.ca
White Swan Immigration Consultants, Richmond, British Columbia.