Immigrants have always flocked to Canada because of its high quality of life, economic stability, and diversity. The Express Entry system came into place in 2015 and, as of now, is considered one of the most popular options by which skilled workers obtain Permanent Residency in Canada. Below is an overview of how the Express Entry system works, who is eligible, and how applicants can increase their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply, or ITA, for permanent residency.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an online immigration system that manages applications for three of Canada’s federal economic immigration programs:
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Candidates fill their profiles into the pool of Express Entry, where they are ranked under the CRS. From time to time, draws are run by the Government of Canada, inviting candidates with the highest ranking to apply for permanent residency.
Programs Served by Express Entry
Federal Skilled Worker Program FSWP
This provides a pathway to permanent immigration for workers in certain skilled trades who have foreign work experience. The requirements include a minimum of work experience, language ability, and education.
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
The FSTP focuses on those employees who have qualifications and experience in the following skilled trades: construction, maintenance, and manufacturing. Applicants need to have a job offer in Canada or certification in their trade from a Canadian authority.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
CEC targets individuals who, through working experience in Canada on a temporary work visa or other similar programs, can apply to it. This program is fairly ideal for international graduates and temporary foreign workers who desire to gain permanent residency status.
Eligibility Criteria of Express Entry
Even though the eligibility criteria slightly differ in each of these programs, some of the requirements are the same for all three programs:
Work Experience
Applicants must have at least one year of continuous full-time work experience in a skilled occupation. (Part-time work will be counted, provided the number of hours worked is equivalent to one year of full-time work). Applicants to FSTP must have experience in a skilled trade.
Language Proficiency
The ability to speak English or French-one of the country’s two official languages-is a necessity. An applicant must undertake a specified language test, such as International English Language Testing System for English or Test d’évaluation de français for French. A good score in the language test boosts the applicant’s CRS score significantly.
Education
An applicant is obliged to provide an Educational Credential Assessment showing their educational qualifications. This is to ensure that the foreign education obtained in a nation other than Canada is at par with the standards put across in Canadian education. Higher levels of education attract a higher score in the CRS.
Proof of Funds
Unless they have already secured a job offer or are not applying through the Canadian Experience Class, applicants must be able to show they can support themselves and any dependent family members upon arrival in Canada.
Admissibility
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are admissible to immigrate based on health and security standards. This will involve a medical examination and obtaining a police certificate.
How the Comprehensive Ranking System Works
Once a candidate has been put into the Express Entry pool, they are provided with a score within that pool based on the Comprehensive Ranking System. The Comprehensive Ranking System is a points-based system meant to assess candidates based on various factors:
Core Human Capital Factors
These include factors such as age, education, work experience, and language skills. The younger the applicant, with higher education and better language abilities, the more points they will get.
Skills Transferability
This category grades the relevance of an applicant’s skills to the Canadian labor market. For example, applicants with Canadian and foreign work experience or those with a high level of education combined with good language proficiency are awarded more points.
Additional Factors
In addition, points awarded for complementary factors that include a valid job offer from a Canadian employer, a provincial nomination, or an applicant having a sibling in Canada who is either a citizen or PR holder. A provincial nomination gives them an awesome boost of 600 points, which in most cases guarantees an ITA in the next draw.
How to Enhance Your CRS Score
Improvement in your CRS score is key to increasing your chances of receiving an ITA. Following is a list of major strategies that could be employed to maximize your score:
Improvement of Language Scores
Higher language test scores will substantially raise your overall CRS score. Prepare well for IELTS or TEF and take the exam again, if needed. It will bring a significant difference.
Gain More Work Experience
Additional work experience, especially in skilled jobs, will also provide a valuable contribution towards your score in the CRS. The longer your experience, the more points you would gather in your work experience category.
Get a Job Offer
Having a valid job offer from an employer in Canada can provide up to 50-200 points of your CRS score, based on the occupation which the job falls under and its respective NOC categorization.
Apply for a Provincial Nominee Program
Many provinces within Canada have their own immigration programs in the PNP. If you are nominated from a province, you would get an additional 600 CRS points, which highly raises your chance of getting an ITA.
Further Education
Pursuing further education or earning a Canadian degree will go a long way if that is possible, which will raise your score in the education category and, in turn, your overall ranking.
Express Entry Process: Step by Step
Find Out If You Are Eligible
This is the first step, which requires checking whether you are eligible for any one of the Express Entry programs. In this regard, you can use the online eligibility tool of the Government of Canada.
Create an Express Entry Profile
In this scenario, the candidate has to fill an online profile in the Express Entry system, providing detailed information about his work experience, education and language skills, and any other factor that determines qualification.
Submit Application in Express Entry Pool
This will put your profile into the Express Entry pool. Your ranking in that pool will be determined by a CRS score that you get based on the information you have provided in your profile.
Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
Periodically, the Canadian government selects candidates from the Express Entry pool and issues an ITA to the highest-ranking candidates to apply for PR. If you receive an ITA, you will have 60 days to submit a complete PR application.
Your PR Application Submission
After an ITA, you will have to submit your complete permanent residency application, complete with all the required documents such as police certificates, medicals, and proof of funds.
Wait for Approval
After submission, the IRCC will begin processing your application. Though the time can vary, most Express Entry applications get their processing done in six months.
Receive Confirmation of PR
Should your application be selected, you would be issued a Confirmation of Permanent Residence COPR, which grants you the right to move to Canada as a permanent resident.
Conclusion
Express Entry is the fast lane for skilled workers to become permanent residents of Canada. Given the policy of attracting only those who can help in developing the Canadian economy further, it provides a fair, transparent process that allows entry strictly on merit. By understanding how the system works, meeting the qualifications, and enhancing your CRS score, you’ll be able to dramatically improve your chances of success in immigrating to Canada through the Express Entry program.
Whether it be a skilled worker, a tradesperson, or a person with work experience in Canada. The Express Entry system offers an adaptive and flexible means of beginning a new life in Canada.
