Canada’s Express Entry System Highlights Profile Expiry Concerns for Immigration Applicants

Canada‘s Express Entry system, the innovative platform for skilled workers seeking permanent residency, has seen a surge in profile expirations, leaving many immigration applicants concerned. The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has noted over 200,000 profiles within the federal candidate pool as of April 2024, raising questions about the expiration process and its implications.

One of the pressing concerns faced by newcomers in the Express Entry pool is the validity period of profiles. Each profile expires after a year, a detail that IRCC has found challenging to manage due to the inability to save profile information in the system. When a profile expires, all candidate details are lost, prompting applicants to create new profiles to remain in the pool.

IRCC advises individuals facing profile expiration to save their information independently in case they opt to re-enter the pool. Creating a new profile is a straightforward process, but candidates must adhere to the rule of holding only one active profile at a time.

Applicants must withdraw their expiring profile before submitting a new one to prevent multiple, invalid entries. Once the new profile is created, a new profile number and job seeker validation code for the Job Bank are issued, ensuring smooth re-entry into the Express Entry pool.

In the competitive environment of Express Entry, boosting one’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is crucial to increase the chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Candidates are advised to enhance their CRS scores by improving human capital factors, upgrading education credentials, and gaining relevant work experience.

Additional strategies, such as improving language proficiency and seeking eligibility for category-based selections, can further enhance an applicant’s chance to receive an ITA. These nuanced approaches can provide candidates with a competitive edge in the Express Entry pool.