Are you allowed to have more than one Express Entry profile?

Sanjay Yadav
[Published 10 Jan, 2024 | 11:04 AM]
About Author - 7 min read
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Launched back in 2015, the Express Entry system is Canada’s key source of economic immigration to Canada. It uses a point-based system that assigns scores and ranks potential candidates to apply for a Canada PR visa. The scores are based on factors including Age, Language Proficiency, Work Experience, Adaptability, and more. The higher the score, the more the chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency.

Creating an Express Entry profile is the first step to immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker. But are you allowed to have multiple profiles?

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), candidates are only allowed to have one Express Entry profile at a time. This is set out in Canada’s immigration law.

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Duplicate profiles in the Express Entry pool

According to a recent report, the number of duplicate profiles in the Express Entry pool was only in the hundreds before 2022. With such low numbers, IRCC deemed removing these profiles as unnecessary. However, the numbers grew substantially from 2022 onwards.

In January 2023, there were approximately 30,000 duplicate Express Entry profiles in the pool - with only 10,000 unique candidates. The report identifies unique candidates by matching elements such as name and date of birth. The report states that:

In 70% of the duplicate cases, there was no change in the CRS scores between any two profiles of a candidate.
Whereas, 53% of the duplicate profiles have been inactive for over 100 days, suggesting that many of these profiles have been abandoned.
Also, the number of duplicate profiles increased by 57% from October to November 2023, which strongly indicates a result of the November 16 deadline issued by IRCC to update Express Entry profiles with the NOC 2021 information.

The report doesn’t identify why candidates are creating multiple profiles. There is no clear indication of integrity concerns with the Express Entry system - but considering the high number of duplicate profiles, IRCC may put an effort to “clean up” the Express Entry pool in the coming years.

Although candidates are not allowed to have more than one profile in the Express Entry pool - they may create a new GCKey to submit a new profile. The GCKey is a standards-based authentication service provided by the Government of Canada, which can be used by candidates to access online government services.

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Who is eligible for Express Entry?

To be eligible to apply under the Express Entry system, you are required to meet the eligibility criteria of at least one of the three federal immigration programs managed by Express Entry:

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is Canada’s primary immigration pathway for skilled workers. To be eligible, you must:

Have at least 1 year of continuous skilled work experience in National Occupation Classification (NOC) TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3 within the last 10 years.
Have a minimum Canadian Benchmark Level (CLB) of 7 in all four language abilities, i.e., writing, reading, listening, and speaking.
Have an education credential that is verified by the Education Credential Assessment (ECA).

In addition to this, candidates must also achieve a score of 67/100 in the Express Entry points calculator.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is designed for candidates who want to apply for a Canada PR visa, based on an in-demand skilled trade. To be eligible, you must:

Have at least 2 years of work experience in a skilled trade within the last 5 years.
Meet job requirements of the preferred skilled trade as set out in the National Occupation Classification (NOC).
Have a valid job offer of at least 1 year, from a Canadian employer.
Have a minimum Canadian Benchmark Level (CLB) of 5 in all four language abilities, i.e., writing, reading, listening, and speaking.

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is a direct pathway to apply for Canada PR for international students and foreign skilled workers with Canadian work experience. To be eligible, you must:

Have at least 1 year of skilled work experience (or equivalent part-time experience) in National Occupation Classification (NOC) TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3 within the last 3 years.
Have a minimum Canadian Benchmark Level (CLB) of 7 (TEER 0, 1) or 5 (TEER 2, 3) in all four language abilities, i.e., writing, reading, listening, and speaking.

If you are eligible, you will be placed in the Express Entry pool with other eligible candidates.

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Applying through Express Entry in 2024

Once in the pool, you will be assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on factors categorized under the CRS score calculator. If you meet the minimum CRS score cut-off and other perquisites, you will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a subsequent Express Entry draw. Express Entry draws are held every two weeks (typically on a Wednesday), where candidates with the highest CRS scores are invited to apply for Canada PR. Express Entry currently operates three types of invitation rounds:

Type 1: General Draws: In general Express Entry draws, IRCC invites candidates from all three Express Entry streams i.e., FSWP, FSTP, and CEC.

Type 2: Program-specific Draws: In program-specific Express Entry draws, IRCC invites candidates from Express Entry linked Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

Type 3: Category-based Draws: In category-based Express Entry draws, IRCC invites candidates from one of the six new categories for Express Entry draws finalized by IRCC to meet an identified economic goal.

If you receive an ITA, you will have 60 days to submit a complete profile to apply for Canada PR. If successful, you will receive your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR).

Express Entry is known for its quick processing times. Most applications are processed between 6 and 8 months. In 2023, IRCC conducted 42 Express Entry draws and issued 110,266 ITAs in total. According to the Canada Immigration Levels Plans 2024-2026, IRCC will target to welcome 110,000 new permanent residents in 2024 under the Express Entry system alone. Overall, 1.5 million new immigrants will be targeted between 2024 and 2026.

With back-to-back invitation rounds, low CRS scores, and the upcoming record-breaking targets, now is indeed the best time to immigrate to Canada.

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