Express Entry manages the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class programs. A profile is free; an invited applicant pays CAD 1,590 including the right of permanent residence fee, shows CAD 15,263 in settlement funds as a single applicant, and files within 60 days of the invitation.
Who is eligible for Express Entry? Federal Skilled Worker: one year of continuous skilled work (TEER 0 to 3), CLB 7 in English or French, a Canadian credential or an educational credential assessment, and at least 67 of 100 selection points. Canadian Experience Class: one year of skilled work in Canada in the last three years, CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3. Federal Skilled Trades: two years in an eligible trade plus a job offer or certificate of qualification.
What does it cost? Nothing to create the profile. After an invitation: CAD 990 processing plus CAD 600 right of permanent residence fee, so CAD 1,590 for the principal applicant and the same for an accompanying spouse; CAD 270 per dependent child; CAD 85 biometrics per person. Add the language test (about INR 17,000), the ECA (about CAD 240 to 300), the medical exam and police certificates.
What score do I need in 2026? October 2026 rounds: Canadian Experience Class 519, Provincial Nominee Program 761 and 772 (including the 600-point nomination), trades 476, transport 477, French-language proficiency 407 and 435, healthcare and social services 475 in early September. General all-program draws have not run in 2026; every invitation came through a program or category round.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Programs | Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class (plus Express Entry-aligned provincial nominations) |
| Profile | Free; valid 12 months in the pool |
| Fees after invitation | CAD 1,590 principal applicant (990 processing + 600 RPRF); spouse CAD 1,590; child CAD 270 |
| Biometrics | CAD 85 per person |
| Proof of funds, 1 person | CAD 15,263 (FSW and FST; not needed for CEC or with a valid job offer and work authorisation) |
| Deadline after ITA | 60 days to submit the complete application |
| IRCC processing target | 6 months for most complete applications after submission |
| Job offer points from 3 Nov 2026 | 50, 70 or 100 CRS points at 1.3, 1.5 or 2 times the median wage; no LMIA required |
You first qualify for one of the three programs, then the Comprehensive Ranking System scores the profile out of 1,200: up to 500 core points for age, education, language and Canadian experience (460 with a spouse plus 40 for the spouse's factors), up to 100 for skill transferability, and up to 600 additional points for a provincial nomination, French ability, Canadian study or a sibling in Canada. Age points fall from 30; the CRS rewards a master's degree, CLB 9 in all four abilities and Canadian work experience most.
From 3 November 2026 a labour market integration factor replaces the old arranged-employment points. Twelve months of Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation adds 20, 40 or 70 points (occupations paying 1.3, 1.5 or 2 times the national median), and a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation earns 50, 70 or 100 points. No LMIA is needed for the offer to count, candidates get the higher of the two, and the factor is capped at 150 points without a spouse (140 with one).
Category-based rounds invite candidates who meet a category definition (French CLB 7, or six months of experience in healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, transport, agriculture and agri-food, or education occupations) at a lower cut-off than program rounds. In 2026 every category round has closed below the Canadian Experience Class range of 507 to 523.
| Item | CAD | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Principal applicant, processing plus RPRF | 1,590 | RPRF (600) can be paid upfront or when approved; refundable if refused or withdrawn |
| Principal applicant without RPRF | 990 | Pay the RPRF later before the visa is issued |
| Accompanying spouse or partner | 1,590 | 990 without RPRF |
| Dependent child | 270 per child | No RPRF for children |
| Biometrics | 85 per person | 170 per family |
| Permanent resident card | 50 | First card is included; this is the replacement fee |
| Family members | Funds required (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 15,263 |
| 2 | 19,001 |
| 3 | 23,360 |
| 4 | 28,362 |
| 5 | 32,168 |
| 6 | 36,280 |
| 7 | 40,392 |
| Each additional | 4,112 |
The funds table was last updated on 7 July 2025 and still applied at IRCC's 16 October 2026 revision of the page. Funds must be available when you apply and when the visa is issued, proved by bank letters on letterhead listing account numbers, opening dates, current and six-month average balances and outstanding debts. Property equity and borrowed money do not count. Canadian Experience Class applicants, and anyone with a valid job offer and authorisation to work in Canada, upload a letter instead.
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Language test booked to results | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Educational credential assessment | 6 to 8 weeks standard |
| Pool wait | Weeks to a year or more, depending on CRS and category |
| ITA to submission | Up to 60 days; police certificates are the long pole |
| Submission to decision | IRCC target 6 months |
| COPR to landing | Within the validity of the medical, usually 12 months from the exam |
Twelve to eighteen months from first test to landing is a common span for a Federal Skilled Worker applicant from India; shorter when a category round or a provincial nomination lifts the score early.
Permanent residents must be physically in Canada for 730 days in every five-year period to keep status. Citizenship needs 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before applying, filed tax returns for three of those years and, between 18 and 54, a language and knowledge test. The adult citizenship fee is CAD 653. India does not allow dual nationality, so Indian citizens who naturalise surrender the Indian passport and apply for an OCI card.
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Language test report | IELTS General, CELPIP General or PTE Core; TEF or TCF Canada for French points; valid two years from the test date |
| Educational credential assessment | WES or another designated body; the report must be under five years old at the ITA |
| Passport | Valid; number entered in the profile |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Reference letters for every job claimed | On letterhead, signed, with title, dates, hours per week, salary and duties matching the NOC lead statement and main duties |
| Pay slips, Form 16 and bank credits | Corroborate the letters; self-employed applicants add contracts, invoices and client letters |
| Canadian experience documents | T4 slips, notices of assessment, work permit copies and the Canadian employer's letter for CEC |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Police certificates | India: Passport Seva Kendra PCC; plus every other country lived in for six months or more since age 18 |
| Medical exam | With an IRCC panel physician; can be done upfront, valid 12 months |
| Proof of funds letter | Bank letter on letterhead with account numbers, opening dates, balances and six-month averages; not required for CEC or with a valid job offer and work authorisation |
| Marriage, birth and relationship documents | Marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, custody papers where relevant |
| Job offer evidence if claiming points | Offer letter with wage, NOC, hours and duration; from 3 November 2026 no LMIA is needed for a qualifying high-wage offer |
| Digital photos | For each applicant to IRCC specification |
Reference letters listed a title but not the duties, or the duties matched a different NOC, so the claimed points fell and the application was refused for not meeting the ITA score.
The fix. Draft letters that mirror the NOC lead statement and most main duties, include hours and pay, and keep corroborating pay slips; if an employer will not sign, use a colleague's affidavit plus payroll evidence and explain why.
Funds dipped under the required figure between the ITA and the decision, or the letter lacked six-month averages and debts.
The fix. Hold more than the figure throughout, use bank letters with every required field and avoid moving money between accounts during processing.
An ECA, letter or test result could not be verified, a previous refusal was not declared or a dependant was omitted. A section 40 finding brings a five-year ban from any application.
The fix. Declare every family member and refusal, use only documents the issuer will confirm, and answer procedural fairness letters with evidence within the deadline.
The test passed its two-year mark or the ECA its five-year mark before the ITA, so the points were recalculated downward.
The fix. Rebook the test early and keep the profile updated; a lapse makes the profile ineligible on the day of the round.
A police certificate or medical arrived after the deadline and the application was rejected as incomplete.
The fix. Start police certificates on the day of the ITA, request a document extension with proof only when IRCC's own instructions allow it, and upload a letter of explanation for anything pending.
It depends on the round. In October 2026 the Canadian Experience Class cut-off was 519, trades 476, transport 477, French-language proficiency 407 and 435 and provincial nominee rounds 761 and 772 including the nomination bonus. There have been no general all-program rounds in 2026.
Yes for Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades: CAD 15,263 for one person, CAD 19,001 for two, CAD 23,360 for three. Canadian Experience Class applicants and anyone with a valid job offer and authorisation to work in Canada upload an explanation letter instead.
CAD 1,590 for the principal applicant including the CAD 600 right of permanent residence fee, CAD 1,590 for a spouse, CAD 270 per child and CAD 85 biometrics per person, at the IRCC fee list dated 21 September 2026. Tests, assessments, medicals and police certificates are extra.
From 3 November 2026, yes: 50, 70 or 100 points for a qualifying offer in an occupation paying 1.3, 1.5 or 2 times the national median wage, with no LMIA required. Offers below 1.3 times the median earn no points.
Yes. The system is form-driven and many applicants self-file. A licensed consultant (CICC-registered) is worth the fee when duties do not map cleanly to a NOC, when there are refusals or gaps, or when a provincial nomination is in play. Vistolane's eligibility check estimates your CRS band and the rounds you would have cleared.