As of January 2015, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has a new electronic system called Express Entry that took effect on January 1, 2015 which manages applications for permanent residence under certain economic immigration programs.
The Express Entry system is the first step to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, or Federal Skilled Trades Program. Potential candidates can complete an Express Entry where they are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that use “scores that reflect their human capital and ability to succeed in the Canadian economy.”
Anyone who is accepted into the Express Entry pool could get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Rounds of invitations to invite candidates to apply will take place regularly over the course of each year. If you are invited to apply, you will have 60 days to submit a complete Application for Permanent Residence online.