How to Create Your Personal EE (Express Entry) Profile for Canada in 2025: A Complete Guide for Applicants
Everyone has an immigration pathway that suits them best. Among all the options, Canada’s Express Entry (EE) program particularly the Federal Skilled Worker stream remains the most widely applicable. Moreover, 2025 is expected to present a golden opportunity for applicants through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Canada Shaws has assisted many clients in successfully completing their immigration process including the EE pathway and is thoroughly familiar with every step of the process. This article is packed with valuable insights and provides a step-by-step guide to help you create your EE profile independently.
To keep things simple, some answers provided here have been shortened and may not reflect actual circumstances. It is important to fill out your EE profile with complete honesty.
Preparation Phase: Canada Express Entry
Before creating your EE profile, you need to complete the registration for a GC Key and IRCC account. During registration, you will need to provide a username, password, security questions, email, and some basic personal details. The system will prompt you to complete six sections required to enter the EE pool. Starting with the personal information section.
Source: Express Entry Login
Personal Information: Canada Express Entry Details
When you open this section, you will see that some personal information has already been entered and locked. Start by checking if the previously entered details are correct. If there’s a mistake, you will need to exit and start over, so it is important to be careful from the beginning to avoid any challenges later.
The next step asks about your personal identification documents. Most readers planning to immigrate to Canada likely have a passport. If not, you can provide a National ID card instead. Either way, you must provide the document number. If any details from your documents change later, remember to update this application. You can update your information at any time while your application is being processed. If you are not sure about any question, click the small question mark next to it for more details.
Next you will answer whether you have applied for Canadian immigration, refugee status, or citizenship before. For example, if you have previously applied for a study permit, work permit, or tourist visa, you should answer ‘yes’ here. This will bring up new questions, such as whether you have applied for EE before. Most of you likely have not, so you can select “no.”
Next, if you have been to Canada, you will have a UCI number (Unique Client Identifier). What is a UCI number? More detailed information can be found by clicking the small question mark.
It explains that it is in the top-right corner of official IRCC documents, like study or work permits. If you have applied online, you can also find your UCI number after logging into your account.
The following question asks about your nationality. If you have dual citizenship, you need to list both. For example, you can’t mention it if you are in Canada on a tourist visa (up to six months), it doesn’t count as residence because you don’t live here permanently or pay taxes. But if you are on a work or study permit allows temporary long-term residence, you can list Canada.
The next step is to fill in basic details about your family. The first question asks how many family members are in your household. Including yourself, your spouse or partner, and any children you have, even if they are not coming to Canada. It doesn’t include parents or grandparents since they are considered separate families. If you are single, write “1.” If you have a spouse, write “2,” and add more for each child, up to “7 or more.”
The next question asks how much money you have, to support yourself and your family. For example, if you are on a work permit and applying through the CEC, you don’t need proof of funds if you meet other requirements like Canadian work experience. However, for other programs like Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades in the Express Entry system requires the proof of funds.
You can click the small question mark for the link to the financial proof requirements.
Source: Express Entry Proof of Funds
Enter the amount of money you have in your account, such as $30,000. If you are applying to programs than the CEC and don’t meet the funds requirement, you can’t enter the pool. Lastly, it is recommended that you enter your actual financial situation.
Moving to the next step.
The question is: Do you have any relatives in Canada? Relatives must be 18 or older, living in Canada, and be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.If you do, answer “yes” and select their relationship to you, like aunt, child, parent, or spouse, and add the city where they live.
Contact Information: Canada Express Entry Details
The next section is about entering your contact details. You won’t spend so much time here because these are very simple questions. The first question asks you to choose the language for correspondence with the options being English or French.
The second is to provide the email address where you will receive correspondence.
Once completed, this section is finished.
Education and Language Proficiency: Canada Express Entry Details
The third part concerns your education and language skills. In this section, you need to provide all information related to your education and language test scores.
First, regarding your educational background. You must add all educational experiences relevant to your application points. No matter how many there are, you need to include them.
The first question asks whether you have completed high school or higher education.
High school graduation is the minimum requirement; otherwise, you won’t meet the criteria for any immigration program under the Express Entry system. Therefore, your answer here should be “yes.”
The next question asks you to select your field of study. If unsure, choose a general field related to your studies. Then, provide details such as when you started and finished your studies, how many years it took to complete, and whether it was full-time or part-time. Full-time is defined as at least 15 hours of classes per week; otherwise, it’s considered part-time. You will also need to provide the country and city where you studied, the name of the school, and the level of education.
Fill in all details as required, starting with your most recent educational experience and working backwards.
If your degree was obtained in Canada, select “Yes,” and no further information is needed. If not, you will need to have your educational credentials assessed by the World Education Services (WES) or another recognized organization within the past five years. You must also provide the date of assessment, the assessment certificate number, and the educational level indicated on the certificate. They will verify the certificates provide. Currently, you only need to include the results of the institutional assessment.
For example, if you graduated with a bachelor’s degree and it is confirmed as such in the verification, your education level will be successfully recognized. However, some degrees may be converted to a two-year or longer program after verification in Canada. Ensure that the information you provide matches the final verification results.
If you select “Yes” to having a Canadian degree, additional questions will appear.
These include whether your degree was from a public or private post-secondary institution, or if it was a Quebec Vocational Diploma (DEP) or Specialized Vocational Certificate (ASP); or a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a private school in Canada. If so, you need to enter the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) number. If your school does not have a DLI number, that means it is not eligible. How to find a DLI number? Click the “YOU CAN FIND IT ON OUR SITE” link in the previous photo, where all eligible schools are listed.
Source: Express Entry Designated Learning Institutions
Find your school’s DLI number, copy it, and paste it into the form.
The next question asks if more than half of your courses were English or French as a second language (ESL/FSL) course. If your major wasn’t English or French but at least half of your courses were language based, those courses won’t count toward your points. For example, if your major is accounting or business administration, the courses would count, but if half of the program consisted of ESL/FSL courses, they wouldn’t. Generally, the answer to this question is “no.”
Another question asks if you came to Canada on a scholarship or funding that requires you to return to your home country after graduation. If your scholarship includes such conditions, you won’t qualify for education points.
The following question asks if at least 50% of your courses were delivered in person. This is particularly relevant for students during or after the pandemic.
For PR eligibility, at least half of your courses must typically be in-person.
The next question asks if you studied in Canada for at least eight months, as “studying in Canada” requires residing in Canada as a temporary resident during that time. Lastly, confirm whether you studied full-time for at least eight months (the minimum requirement) before earning your diploma. Once completed, the educational background section is finished.
The next part is to fill in information about your language skills.
This is based on your language test results, not just your ability to speak a few sentences in both languages. If you’ve taken an English test like IELTS, PTE, or TOEFL, choose “English.” If you have also taken a French test like TEF or TCF, select “both.”
Next, you need to provide the date of your language test, your scores, and the certificate number.
For example, on an IELTS score sheet, the certificate number is located below the listed scores. Similarly, the exam date is also shown on the score sheet.
Once saved, you’ll be redirected to the main page, where you can see that the first three sections are complete. If you miss any required fields, the section will show as “in progress” rather than displaying a green check mark.
Return to any incomplete sections, fill them out, and click save and exit. Pay attention to these details to ensure everything is completed correctly.
Application Information: Canada Express Entry Details
This part is relatively simple to fill out, but it is also very important. The first question asks which city you plan to reside in.
If you don’t plan to live in your current province, or if you are flexible about where to live, you can choose “All Provinces and Territories.” However, if you have already decided on a specific province to live in, select that province. This way, other provinces won’t send you invitations for their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
The next question is “Have you already received a certificate from any province?”.
This question is for those who have already obtained a provincial nomination certificate. If you are just in the pool and have not yet received a certificate, you cannot select “Yes.” For many provinces, such as British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta, candidates must first submit an expression of interest, receive a nomination, get an invitation, upload all documents, and, after review, finally receive a certificate.
You can choose “Yes” here only after obtaining the certificate. If you have merely submitted an expression of interest and registered, you should not select “Yes.”
Representative Section: Canada Express Entry Details
This question asks if you would like to designate someone to interact with IRCC on your behalf, such as an immigration consultant, lawyer, friend, or family member. If you choose to allow IRCC to share your information with the designated person enabling them to contact IRCC and obtain detailed information about your case file, such as submission or application status you can select whether this person is an individual or a formal representative and fill in the relevant details.
Work History: Canada Express Entry Details
When you first enter this section.
You need to provide a five-digit NOC (National Occupational Classification) code for your main occupation. You can click “FIND NOC” to be redirected to their webpage and search for your NOC code.
For example, if we search for “nurse,” you’ll see different categories of nurses, such as registered nurses, psychiatric nurses, etc.
Source: Express Entry NOC
Choose the NOC code that matches your position and make sure the responsibilities associated with this NOC code match your job duties. Sometimes, the title of your position might differ slightly from theirs, but if the duties match exactly, it’s fine.
After entering the NOC, you need to provide the date you started working in this profession. For some industries, you may need to study first, pass a qualification exam, and obtain a license before you can begin working. In such cases, provide the date you obtained your license. For professions like software engineering, if you have completed your studies and meet the conditions to start working, you can enter your graduation date.
The next question asks if you have a qualification certificate issued by a Canadian province.
This certificate is a requirement for some skilled trades in Canada, like electricians. If you plan to make such trades your main profession, you need this qualification certificate to work. Additionally, if you have such a certificate, you are eligible to apply for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. If you have a certificate, select “Yes” here and provide the related information.
The next question is whether you have received a job offer in Canada.
If you have a job offer, there are specific requirements, such as whether it is full-time and lasts for at least a year.
Additionally, it must meet various criteria, depending on the requirements specified in your job offer. For example, some jobs might require apprenticeship experience, which will be noted. Moreover, it must be non-seasonal, especially for the Federal Skilled Trades immigration stream.
Next explains what an employment offers letter entails. This includes questions about whether it is full-time and lasts at least a year. You must answer “Yes” if your offer letter meets these criteria. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t qualify. You also need to fill in the NOC code.
A helpful link is provided with a question mark to guide you in finding the correct NOC code. This step is important. There are applicants choose an NOC code which does not match their actual work experience, which could lead to a rejection even if you have received a job offer.
Then, you will also be asked how many employers have given you a job offer letter. There are only two types of job offer letters considered: one with an LMIA and one exempt from LMIA. If you are an applicant with a post-graduate work permit, you should answer “No” here. Post-graduate work permit holders already have a work permit and may be working for an employer or have received a job offer letter, but these do not qualify under LMIA conditions. If your employer has applied for an LMIA for you, or your job offer letter is LMIA-exempt, you can select “Yes.”
The next question asks if the job offer letter is from a consulate or government agency or if your employer is on the list of ineligible employers. You can check this information on the government website. Here, you need to fill in your employer’s details: name, contact information, and the province they are located in. Finally, the system asks whether the employment letter is LMIA-approved. If it is, select “Yes.” You’ll need to provide the LMIA number, the date it was approved, and its expiry date.
It also asks if you are currently working in Canada. If you have received an LMIA-approved job offer from abroad and haven’t yet obtained a work permit or started working for the employer, select “No.” However, if you are already working for the employer with an LMIA work permit, select “Yes.”
Now, let’s move on to the general work experience section. This part is important because it is a mandatory requirement for Canada’s Express Entry applications. Most importantly, only work experience from the past ten years will be considered. If you have more than ten years of experience, it may not count toward scoring. You will be asked if you have any work experience; you must select “Yes”. Lacking at least one year of work experience does not meet Express Entry requirements.
Then you will need to provide details, including start and end dates.
The system will also ask if this is your current job. If it is, check the box. You’ll need to enter the number of hours worked per week. If you work 30 hours per week, you meet the full-time work experience criteria. If less than 30 hours, calculate your total accumulated work experience. For example, if you work 30 hours per week for a year, you meet the one-year work experience requirement. If you work 15 hours per week, you will need two years to meet this requirement.
Here, confirm your NOC code, job title, and employer’s name. If this is self-employed work experience, note that it is not recognized as Canadian work experience unless it falls under specific categories like trades or Federal Skilled immigration programs where self-employed work is recognised. Also, the country where you worked if in Canada, select Canada; if in another country, select that country. Keep this information. If you worked for multiple employers or in different countries, use the “save and add” option to input additional work experiences.
Additionally, make sure your employer or former employer can provide proof of your work experience. Without such proof, the experience will not count toward your score, even if you fill it in. Failing to provide this proof could result in a visa refusal, so double-check this information very carefully.
Lastly, you will complete the survey section which asks if you agree to answer optional questions.
Generally, we select “No.” Save and exit.
Now, all parts of the application are complete.
Review each section carefully to ensure all information is accurate and matches your personal situation. Once you finish the application, the system will calculate your score based on the information provided. If you receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency, immigration authorities will require supporting documents to verify your claims. Failing to provide these documents could result in ineligibility or visa refusal. Ensure that all the information you submit is supported by proper documentation.
Declaration and Submission: Canada Express Entry Details
Finally, on the declaration page after filling in your name as it appears on your passport and submitting, you will have officially submitted your registration application to IRCC.
Once the application is complete, you will receive a message informing you whether you meet the minimum standards. If you meet the minimum pool standards, you will be assigned a file number and a UCI (Unique Client Identifier), which will appear on all IRCC official documents. The file is valid for one year; if it expires, you will need to create a new one.
If you do not know your CRS score, you can use the calculator provided on the official website. You should also keep an eye on the current CRS score to ensure you meet the minimum eligibility criteria.
Source: Express Entry CRS Calculator
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