Canada’s economic immigration programs are crucial to the nation’s labour market expansion, contributing nearly 100% of the recent increases in the workforce.

Given immigration’s pivotal role in Canada’s economy, employment initiatives are often tied to immigration programs to assist employers in filling vacancies that cannot be sourced domestically. A prime example of this is employers hiring candidates from the Express Entry candidate pool.

When Can Employers Hire Through Express Entry?

Employers must meet specific criteria set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before hiring a foreign national from the Express Entry pool.

Specifically, employers must:

1. Ensure the position qualifies as skilled work. Skilled work includes jobs classified under Canada’s TEER (Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility) system as category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupation Classification (NOC)*.
2. Prove that they cannot fill the job domestically, including evidence of advertising the job on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank website and in two other places.

*The NOC system categorizes professions in Canada, with the TEER system distinguishing job levels based on required training, experience, education, and responsibilities.

How Do Employers Hire Through Express Entry?

To find candidates and make job offers through Express Entry, Canadian employers use the “Job Match” feature of the national Job Bank. This federal platform hosts job postings and provides various employment-related services, including career planning tools, labour market information, and hiring assistance.

The Job Match feature pairs an employer’s job posting with profiles that match the job description. Employers can then consider these candidates for the position. Note that Job Match considers all individuals in the Job Bank system, not just those in the Express Entry pool.

If an employer decides to make a job offer to a foreign national in the Express Entry pool, they may first need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). An LMIA assesses the impact of hiring a foreign national on the Canadian labour market. A positive or neutral LMIA result is required to support the hiring. However, there are conditions where an LMIA is not necessary.

Once an LMIA is secured (if needed), the employer can make a valid job offer to the candidate under Express Entry standards.

How Can Newcomers Be Considered for Jobs in the Express Entry Pool?

Newcomers in the Express Entry pool looking to use the Job Match feature must:

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

*Job seeker validation codes are provided by IRCC once a valid profile is submitted to the Express Entry pool. Candidates who do not receive this code should contact IRCC.

After setting up and connecting both accounts, newcomers will be matched with job postings on the Job Bank. Express Entry candidates will only see job postings advertised for over 30 days.

Individuals facing issues connecting their Express Entry and Job Match accounts should follow specific steps.

For more information on the Job Match feature and to sign up for the service, visit the government’s dedicated webpage here.

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