To qualify for applying to permanent residence under Express Entry for one of the three programs, there are minimum eligibility requirements that need to be met. Below is the list of requirements of each program:


To be eligible under the Federal Skilled Workers program, you will need to have at least 67 points out of 100 in the following grid used to assess candidates. Do not try to calculate your CRS score before getting at least the minimum 67 points needed to be able to apply.

If you haven’t done your Education Credential Assessment (ECA), and/or passed your language tests, you can try and guess your points. You can try the free Degree Equivalency Tool from WES to have an idea of your Canadian equivalency. The free Equivalency tool is not a replacement for ECA and is only there to give you an indication of what your Canadian Equivalency “maybe” in your official ECA results.

Keep in mind that you cannot enter the pool without having your ECA and language results in hand.

Your work experience must be within the last 10 years, paid work (volunteer work, internships don’t count), at NOC skill type/level 0, A or B, continuous, and at least 1 year (30 h/week), or an equal amount of part-time work experience (at least 15 h/week, so a maximum of 2 years).

You can cumulate work experience from two employers as long as your work was in the same NOC. 


​If you take a test for the second language, you can get 4 additional points if you have a score of at least CLB5 in each of the four language abilities. 
You can only earn a maximum of 10 points in this adaptability factor.
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You can get 10 points if you have a full-time job offer of at least one year from a Canadian employer. The valid job offer has to be for continuous, paid, full-time work that is not seasonal and in an occupation listed as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the NOC.

To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades program, you must:

  1. plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
  2. have the required levels in English or French, meaning CLB5 for listening and speaking, and CLB4 for writing and reading,
  3. have experience in a skilled trade of minimum two years, full-time (30 h/week, or an equivalent amount part-time), in the last 5 years,
  4. prove that your skilled trade experience meets the essential duties set out in the NOC,
  5. have a valid full-time job offer of at least one year in duration, or have a certificate of qualification (see below for more information).

​If you want a certificate of qualification, you will most likely need to be assessed by the regulatory body of the province or territory you are planning to work at. You may also have to gain training and work experience in Canada in order to obtain a certificate of qualification. Each province/territory has its own regulatory bodies, and we advise you to use the CICIC website for more information. Type in your NOC code, and it will tell you if the occupation is regulated in each province/territory, and if so, which body regulated it.

You do not need to have a minimum education level for the FST Program. However, if you have a degree, diploma, or certificate, you can earn extra CRS points. You will have to request an ECA if your diploma is not from Canada

To qualify for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) through Express Entry, you must:
  • have, within the past three years, minimum one year of NOC skill type/level 0, A or B work experience in Canada (either full-time, 30 h/week, or an equivalent amount part-time, at least 15 h/week), 
  • not plan to live in the Quebec province,
  • have legally gained your job experience in Canada (with a work permit), and
  • have the minimum language levels needed for your job in each of the four language abilities (writing, speaking, listening, reading):
    • CLB7 for NOC skill level/type 0 or A jobs, or 
    • CLB5 for NOC skill type B jobs.
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Self-employment and internships do not count under this program.

You do not need to have a minimum education level for the CEC. However, if you have a degree, diploma or certificate, you can earn extra CRS points. You will have to request an ECA if your diploma is not from Canada.

An important thing to know is that, in order to prove your work experience, you will need to provide a signed letter from your current or previous supervisor/HR officer, containing, amongst other basic information, the duties and responsibilities as set out in your 2016 NOC. There are some options you can take if you cannot obtain that document, you can find more information on the supporting documents to provide here.

For candidates invited under the Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) and the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) programs, you need to prove that you have enough liquid assets to support your family and yourself during the first few months after arrival in Canada, unless:

Candidates invited under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) do not need to provide proof of funds.
To see what are the minimum funds required and how to provide proof of settlement funds,