Express Entry is Canada’s application management system for three immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP); the Canadian Experience Class (CEC); and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

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Candidates who have determined that they are eligible for Express Entry must first express their interest in obtaining Canadian permanent resident status to the Canadian government.

Once a candidate submits an online profile, the federal government determines if he or she is eligible for a program managed by Express Entry.

Eligible candidates are accepted into the Express Entry pool and are ranked according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS is a point-based system used by the government to evaluate and rank candidates in a pool of applications and is calculated based on a candidate’s age, education, work experience, language skills, as well as other factors.

Once an applicant has determined that he or she is eligible for Express Entry, meets the program requirements, and has entered the pool of candidates, he or she will need to provide a variety of supporting documentation.

What are the mandatory documents for all applicants?

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in most cases, the main applicant, their spouse or common-law partner, and their dependent children, including unaccompanied children, must submit the following documents.

medical examination

Confirmation of medical examination to assess the health of the applicant and their family members.

Starting October 1, 2023, you will no longer need to take an immigration medical in advance when applying for Express Entry. Applicants will be asked to wait until they receive instructions from IRCC for further information on when they will need to take the test.

Police Certificate

Police certificates are provided to prove that the applicant has no criminal record. Police certificates are required from all countries where the applicant has lived for 6 months or more continuously in the last 10 years. It is not required for any time period before the age of 18.

IRCC has indicated that the police certificate must be a scan of the original police certificate (coloured). Certified true copies and unauthorised copies are unacceptable.

proof of identity

The applicant must submit a copy of the biographical data page of the passport or travel document to confirm his/her identity.

Proof of work experience

Proof of work experience is required to substantiate each work experience claim and to prove that the applicant meets the program requirements.

The individual document checklist in the applicants’ online account prompts the applicant with upload fields for each work experience declared. IRCC specifies that the following documents are mandatory for each work experience declared:

• A reference or experience letter from the employer, which should be an official document printed on the company letterhead (must include the applicant’s name, company contact information) [address, telephone number and email address]and the name, position and signature of the immediate supervisor or personnel officer in the company),
• All positions held while employed with the company must be mentioned and include the following details: job title, duties and responsibilities, job position (if current job), dates worked for the company, number of hours worked per week, and annual salary and benefits; and
• If the applicant is self-employed, articles of incorporation or other evidence of business ownership, evidence of self-employment income and documents from third party individuals showing service rendered along with payment details (self-declared main duties or affidavits are not acceptable proof of self-employed work experience).

What other documents may be required?

According to IRCC, the following documents are mandatory if applicable, i.e. depending on the individual circumstances of the applicant and their dependents:

• Copy of birth certificate or other equivalent document proving the relationship of dependent children to their parents. This is only required if the applicant identifies dependent children
• Proof of study to verify education claims and to certify that the applicant meets program requirements
• Provincial or Territorial Certificate of Qualification to validate the applicant’s claim to have a Provincial or Territorial Certificate of Qualification
• Offer letter from the employer to certify the qualified offer for the applicant’s arranged employment and to ensure that the applicant meets the program requirements and to investigate concerns of fraud
• Proof of funds to confirm whether the applicant meets the Low Income Limit (LICO)
• Use of the representative form [IMM 5476] When appointing a representative to transact business on behalf of the applicant and his family members
• Marriage certificate or evidence of common-law union and cohabitation to validate marital status claims
• Divorce Certificate and Legal Separation Agreement
• Death certificate to validate the claim of death of spouse or common-law partner
• Adoption Certificate to validate the claim of adoption of a dependent child
• If you need any of these documents based on your personal circumstances and you do not provide them, the application will be considered incomplete.

Supporting Documentation Tips

Supporting documentation should be gathered as early as possible, as once an applicant is invited to apply, he or she will only have 60 days to submit a full application for permanent residence.

In addition, applicants must ensure that the documents are of high quality, easy to read, and have their name spelled properly. According to IRCC, all documents that are not in English or French must be accompanied by an official translation or a certified copy of the original document in English or French.

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