Last Updated on July 3, 2022 by Visa Journal
Looking to immigrate to Canada and wish to create express entry profile? You are the right spot, in this article we will guide you on how to create your express entry profile on your own. Express entry is the quickest and most well know method for immigrants looking to start a new life in Canada. Express Entry arranges and organizes submissions for those who want to come to Canada and get permanent residence in Canada.
What is Express Entry
So what is express entry and how it works. It is an application management system that IRCC ( Canadian immigration department) uses to list, rank, select and process applications for various Canadian immigration steams. Skilled migration aspirants can easily create an expression of interest, or what is called Express Entry Profile on their own and be part of the express entry pool.
Obtain documents required for profile creation
To create express entry profile you will need following documents.
- Test result from an IRCC approved language test.
- Educational credential assessment for non-Canadian education. Canadian education transcript if you completed your education in Canada.
Under express entry applicants are granted points for experience, age and adaptability as well but no documentation related to these are needed at the stage of creation of express entry profile. The above listed documents are mandatory as details are to be provided from the the actual certificates/transcripts. So, if you are still planning to sit for IELTS or have your non-Canadian education assessed then get done with that quickly as you will only be able to create your profile after that.
Though they are not needed at this stage but it is a good idea to start obtaining other documents as well, such as experience letters for express entry, proof of funds. It benefits having all of your paperwork ready because you will have 60 days to submit the required documents once you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Create your IRCC online account
Fist step is creating the online account with IRCC. Click on the “Online Account” and it will open the webpage in a new tab. It will look something like this
Most likely you still haven’t created your account till now, so you can proceed with clicking on “Dont have an account?” On the next page you will get two options for creating your account. Option 1 (GCKey), pick this if you are outside of Canada. Option 2 is Sign- In Partner. If you are residing in Canada then you may opt for Option 1 or Option 2. Our recommendation is still Option 1, as you can easily share your login credentials with others as well if you pick this option. Option 2: Sign-In Partner requires you to login using your banking/financial institution or other Canadian service provider login details.
Click on ” Register with GCKey” blue colored button to proceed to next page. On the next page you will see the option of signing in and signing up. Click on “Sign Up” button on the right hand side of the page
Once you create your GCKey account sign in to the IRCC account. While you are in your account you will need to look for the “Start an application” section and click on “Apply to come to Canada“. On the next page titled as “personal checklist” scroll down and look for “Determine your eligibility and apply online” and click on “Express Entry(EE)” blue colored button.
Check eligibility for Express Entry
From here onwards you have to answer few questions to ascertain your basic eligibility for express entry.
- Province or territory you plan to live in: You may pick any, other than Quebec.
- Language Test Result: Choose the language test that you have taken and enter the score you have in each of the modules.
- Work Experience: This section will ask details on Canadian and foreign experience. By foreign experience they mean experience outside of Canada.
- Money to bring in Canada: This is also called as proof of funds for express entry . You need to pick the funds slab that corresponds to the minimum amount of funds required based on your family size. Just select it for now even if you dont have these funds available for now.
- Job offer in Canada: Provide details if you have already been offered a job by an employer in Canada and if that job offer has been approved for an LMIA(if needed).
- Date of birth: This is to calculate your age and allocate points for that.
- Education details: For those who have Canadian education you need to add those details and for those who have non-canadian education this is where you will need details from your ECA.
- Adaptability points: Click all that apply, study in Canada, work experience, or a sibling of yours who is Canadian PR or citizen. Pick your sibling, only if they are currently living in Canada as well.
- Marital Status: Pick your marital status and based on this it may ask few more questions. For those who are married you will be asked about your spouse’s education, Canadian immigration status, language tests, etc.
With this you will move onto the page where it will tell you if you are eligible for express entry or not. For now we assume your are eligible for express entry, in that case click continue button at the bottom right hand corner of the page.
Once you proceed you will be asked to add details on the following
- Name, gender, date of birth
- Marital status, and details about your spouse for those who are married
Express entry profile creation
Now you will be taken to a webpage where you will be asked further details. This step is the actual online express entry profile creation. See below the screenshot for the details that you will be asked.
Fill in all details as accurately as possible. Do keep in mind that you must not enter any incorrect information deliberately as that can lead to your application refusal on the basis of misrepresentation. You can always make edits to the details you add. You can save the details and always come back later to fill in more details.
For each section when you fill in all details it will show a green tick mark and completed status. If any of the sections hasnt been started then it will show a red mark and not started. Sections that have been started but still some details are required will show orange progress bar and incomplete/in progress.
Once you add all the details profile will be complete and all the sections for applicant and spouse/dependents (if applicable) will turn green. You will have the option to click “continue” on the blue colored button at the bottom of the page. Once you proceed, you will be asked to sign a declaration. On proceeding through this step you now have created your online express entry profile. Within next few hours, usually an hour but may take upto 24 hours, you will receive message in your IRCC account and an email on the associated email that your express entry profile has been created. Now when you log into your IRCC online account you can see your profile and you will be able to see the detailed Comprehensive Ranking Score(CRS) that is allocated to your profile based on the details you provided during creation of your express entry profile.
This means your profile is now live and you are part of the express entry pool of applicants. IRCC conducts draws round the year on various intervals and if you meet the minimum CRS cut-off score in one of the express entry round of invitations you will be issued an Invitation to apply (ITA).
Updating Your Express Entry Profile
If any of the data used during your express entry profile creation changes, please remember to update your profile. By not doing so you run the the risk of your express entry profile being removed from the pool of applicants, or having a chance of refusal if you receive and ITA and have to proceed with the same details.
- Changes to your marital status and family composition
- Changes in current employment
- Changes in proof funds requirement
- Validity of ECA and IELTS
- Change of address ( moving to a different country or province/state within the country)
Validity of profile
After you create your profile it will be valid for a period of 12 months from the date of creation, provided your eligibility requirements remain same. If your IELTS or ECA expire before the 12 months time period, your profile will expire before the 12 months period, on the date that any of these expires. You will get a notification in your IRCC account, and in your associated email, about your profile’s expiration. If profile expires on 12 months mark, but ECA and IELTS are still valid, you may create the profile right away.
Cost of creating profile
We did not mention the fee for creation of express entry profile. Reason being, there is no fee or charge to create the online express entry profile itself. But as you need to have a valid language test result and ECA for creation of profile so there is a cost to that. This can vary slightly on which test and ECA body you choose, but roughly it will be about 200 – 300 $ for the test, and 200 – 400 $ for the ECA.
Related Articles: How to prove work experience for Canada Express Entry?