WHAT IS EXPRESS ENTRY TO CANADA

Express Entry is the gateway for the majority of newcomers who immigrate to Canada each year in the economic immigration categories. It is one of the fastest ways to immigrate to Canada, with Canadian Permanent Residence Visas generally issued within 6 months of applying.

Express Entry is an appealing program because decisions on applications are made quickly, so you aren’t left in limbo, wondering about your future, for years at a time. But the system is more complicated than it seems, and you can miss your chance to live in Canada if you make even a small mistake on your application. Further, many people are spending a lot of money upfront for assessments and testing, with no understanding if they will qualify or not. Imagine how you would feel to spend several hundred dollars on assessments, only to find out that there was no chance to even get started in the first place?

This is where working with an expert to understand your options around Express Entry makes a lot of sense. At The Way Immigration, we understand the system inside and out, and we can predict on the basis of a conversation whether or not it makes sense for you to spend the hundreds of dollars to obtain the necessary assessments. There is a good chance you will actually save money by having a consultation with our firm in advance of starting the Express Entry process.

LET’S GET INTO THE DETAILS OF HOW EXPRESS ENTRY WORKS.

The Express Entry application system consists of 2 stages, the profile and the eAPR (electronic Application for Permanent Residence).

1. EXPRESS ENTRY PROFILE

If you are interested in applying through the Express Entry system, you can create an online profile by entering information related to your age, French or English skills, level of education, past work history and some family details. The online system then reviews your information to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria for one of Canada’s 3 main economic immigration categories:

THE FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER PROGRAM

Qualifying under the Federal Skilled Worker program requires that you demonstrate:

• Minimum 1 year skilled work experience in the same occupation
• Minimum CLB 7 in English or French
• Funds to support your family upon arrival to Canada, unless you are presently working in Canada and received points for a valid job offer
• Minimum 67 points in the selection factors, which consist of:
  
  
  1. Language skills
  2. Education
  3. Work experience
  4. Age
  5. Arranged employment in Canada, and
  6. Adaptability points which consider spouse language skills, past work or study in Canada, a job offer in Canada and a close relative living in Canada

THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS

Qualifying under the Canadian Experience Class program requires that you demonstrate:

• Minimum 1 year skilled work experience in Canada
• Minimum CLB 5 or 7 in English or French, depending on your work experience

THE FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAM

Qualifying under the Federal Skilled Trades program requires that you demonstrate:

• Minimum 2 years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past 5 years, including the following occupations:
  1. Industrial, electrical and construction trades
  2. Maintenance and equipment operation trades
  3. Supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production
  4. Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators
  5. Chefs and cooks
  6. Butchers and bakers
• Must meet the NOC occupation requirements for that trade, except for Provincial trade certification
• Minimum CLB 5 for speaking and listening, plus minimum CLB 4 for reading and writing
• A valid job offer in Canada or a Canadian trade certificate
• Funds to support your family upon arrival to Canada, unless you are presently working in Canada and received points for a valid job offer

If you meet the criteria to apply in one of the three programs, you are accepted into the Express Entry Pool and you receive a ranking score on the basis of several factors. This score is referred to as the CRS – or Comprehensive Ranking Score.

THE COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM (CRS)

The Comprehensive Ranking system score determines who will be invited to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada. Several times each year, the Minister of Immigration issues invitations to the candidates in the Express Entry pool who have the highest-ranking score.

The CRS score is determined on the basis of age, language ability, work history, education, spouse factors, a Canadian job offer, a provincial nomination, a sibling living in Canada and strong French skills. The highest possible CRS score would be a perfect 1200. For 2018, most invitations have been issued to candidates who score above 440.

2. THE ELECTRONIC APPLICATION FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE (eAPR)

Once you have been invited to apply for Permanent Residence through Express Entry, you have 60 days to submit a perfected application. The application itself is completed entirely online and you are required to upload documents to verify the qualifications you declared when creating your profile. There are two points of focus when preparing your qualifications – category of application and CRS. You need to provide documents that prove you are eligible under the category of application for which you were invited. You also need to prove each of the factors that contributed points to your score.