How to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan through Express Entry

For most Pakistani professionals, the main way to immigrate to Canada is Express Entry: you create an online profile, receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, and wait to be invited to apply for permanent residence. As of October 2026 you need skilled work experience, an approved English or French test, an assessment of your Pakistani degree and, for most applicants from Pakistan, proof of settlement funds starting at CAD 15,263 for one person.

The three Express Entry programmes

Express Entry is not a visa in itself. It is the online system Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses to manage applications for three federal programmes. You must qualify for at least one of them before you can enter the pool.

If you live and work in Pakistan and have never worked in Canada, FSW is usually the programme that fits. CEC suits people already working in Canada, for example after studying there.

How to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan, step by step

1. Check your eligibility with IRCC's Come to Canada tool.
2. Take an approved language test. For English, IRCC accepts IELTS General Training, CELPIP General and PTE Core. For French, it accepts TEF Canada and TCF Canada. IELTS Academic is not on the list, and IRCC states that it does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry.
3. Get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for your Pakistani degree from a designated organisation such as World Education Services, ICAS, IQAS, the University of Toronto's Comparative Education Service or BCIT's ICES. Doctors must use the Medical Council of Canada.
4. Collect your documents: passport, employer experience letters, police certificates, proof of funds and any job offer or provincial nomination.
5. Create your Express Entry profile within 60 days of starting it. A submitted profile stays in the pool for 12 months.
6. If you are invited to apply, you have 60 days to submit your full permanent residence application and pay the fees.

Language results must be less than 2 years old, and your ECA less than 5 years old, both when you create the profile and when you apply.

CRS points: the Canada immigration points calculator

Once in the pool, you are ranked by your CRS score out of 1,200. IRCC's official calculator is on its "Check your score" page. IRCC says the tool is for general guidance only, and if its result differs from the Express Entry system, the system's result applies.

Do not confuse the CRS with the separate FSW selection grid, where you need 67 out of 100 just to be eligible. That grid awards up to 28 points for language, 25 for education, 15 for experience, 12 for age, 10 for arranged employment and 10 for adaptability.

Language scores carry a lot of weight. On IRCC's equivalency chart, CLB 7 means at least 6.0 in each IELTS General Training band, while CLB 9 means 8.0 in listening and 7.0 in reading, writing and speaking.

IRCC publishes the lowest score invited in each round on its rounds of invitations page. Cut off scores change from round to round, so check the official page rather than figures shared on social media.

Category based selection in 2026

IRCC can also invite candidates who fit a specific category. It announced the 2026 categories on 18 February 2026, and its website currently lists French language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, physicians with Canadian work experience, senior managers with Canadian work experience, researchers with Canadian work experience, and skilled military recruits. The last four depend on Canadian experience or a Canadian Armed Forces job offer, so they mostly help people already in Canada.

Provincial nominee programmes and the job offer question

Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), provinces and territories nominate people who suit their labour needs. If you qualify for both a provincial stream and an Express Entry programme, a nomination adds 600 points. Quebec and Nunavut do not run PNPs, and Quebec has its own selection system.

Many people search for a Canada PNP without a job offer. Each province sets its own streams, and IRCC notes that job offers still matter for "some" provincial streams, so not every stream needs one. Check the province's own official website for current rules.

Canada PR cost from Pakistan

The table shows the government fees on IRCC's fee list, updated 21 September 2026.

The right of permanent residence fee is refunded if you withdraw or your application is refused. You will also pay for the language test (IELTS General Training on computer currently costs PKR 75,600 or 76,240 in Pakistan, see our IELTS fee in Pakistan guide), the ECA, police certificates and translations, all set by the organisations concerned.

FSW and FST applicants must also show settlement funds, unless they are already authorised to work in Canada and hold a valid job offer. CEC applicants do not need them.

In rupees, these amounts depend on the exchange rate on the day, so plan with a margin.

Who can legally advise you on Canadian immigration

Canadian law only allows certain people to charge for Canadian immigration advice or representation:

• Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants
• Lawyers and notaries who are members of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, or of the Chambre des notaires du Québec
• Paralegals licensed by the Law Society of Ontario

You can check any consultant on the College's public register. Look at the "Entitled to Practise" column: only licensees marked "Yes" can legally provide immigration advice or services. Via Nova prepares Canadian cases together with a licensed RCIC partner, who provides the advice and representation. Ask us for the partner's name and licence number and check it on the register yourself.

If you are deciding between Canada and other options, compare it with our Australia PR points calculator guide, or look at studying in Canada first and building Canadian experience. When you are ready, speak to a Via Nova counsellor through our Canada PR service and we will review your profile with our RCIC partner.