Canada’s immigration programs are vital for the nation’s labor market growth, accounting for close to 100% of all increases in the national workforce in recent years. Here’s how to be considered for jobs when still in the Express Entry pool.  

Well, because of the significant role that immigration plays in Canada’s economy, employment initiatives are often connected to immigration programs to help Canada’s employers fill vacant positions that they might not be able to hire for within the country. One key example of this is the ability to hire applicants within the Express Entry applicant pool. 

When Do Employers Recruit Through The Express Entry System? 

In order to be considered for jobs when still in the Express Entry pool, employers must be within certain contexts & meet IRCC standards before they can hire a foreign national in the pool. 

Employers must: 

  • Ensure they are hiring for a position that qualifies as skilled work. Skilled work includes jobs classified under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC. 
  • Show that they cannot fill the job domestically, including proof that they have advertised the job posting on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank website & in ‘two other places.’

Note that Canada’s NOC system describes and categorizes professions within the country. It includes the TEER system, which distinguishes job levels based on training, experience, education, and the requirements needed to perform the job’s roles.   

How Do Employers Hire Via Express Entry? 

To seek applicants & make job offers via Express Entry, employers in Canada use the ‘Job Match’ feature of the national Job Bank. The Job Bank is the federal platform for job postings in addition to a host of other employment-related services & resources like career planning tools, labor market information, hiring help, etc. 

With this feature, the Job Bank’s system will pair an employer’s job posting with profiles within the system that match the job description within the posting. Once these applicants are identified, an employer can choose whether to consider them for the position. Note that the Job Match feature considers all individuals within the Job Bank System—not just those in the Express Entry Pool.  

If an employer decides that they would like to make an employment offer to a foreign national within the Express Entry pool, they might first require an LMIA. LMIAs are government assessments to determine what the impact of hiring a foreign national will be on the Canadian labor market. The document must return a positive or neutral result to support the hiring of foreign nationals by a Canadian employer. There are also certain conditions under which an LMIA is not needed.  

Once an LMIA has been procured, the employer must make a valid job offer to the candidate under Express Entry standards. 

How Can Newcomers Be Considered For Jobs While In The Express Entry Pool? 

In order to be considered for jobs when still in the Express Entry pool, newcomers can use the ‘Job Match’ feature. Well, for this, newcomers must: 

  • Have a valid Express Entry profile with a profile number & job seeker validation code.
  • Create a Job Match account. The Job Match platform will prompt users to enter their Express Entry information when creating a profile.

IRCC provides job seeker validation codes that allow eligible profiles to begin looking for work in Canada. These codes are generated once a valid profile is submitted to an Express Entry pool. Applicants who do not obtain a job seeker validation code are advised to contact IRCC. 

Once both accounts are set up & connected, newcomers will be matched with job postings within the Job Bank. Express Entry applicants will only be shown job postings advertised on the Job Bank for over 30 days.