Express Entry
The Express Entry system is one of the most popular ways of immigrating to Canada, and it is a Federal immigration system to Canada that aims to bring qualified immigrants into the country, based on their skills and ability to contribute to Canada’s economy.
The Express Entry system selects qualified applicants from one of the following programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker -the selection is based on the applicant’s ability to settle in Canada and contribute to the Canadian economy;
- Federal Skilled Trades Worker – the selection is based on the applicant’s qualification in a skilled trade;
- Canadian Experience Class – this is a pathway for temporary residents with authorization to work to transition to permanent residence; and
- Some provincial nominee programs – only certain PNPs are permitted to use the EE process to select applicants to fill their regional labour shortages.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)
It is the most popular among people who want to immigrate to Canada. It is aimed at those skilled workers with foreign work experience.
The Federal Skilled Worker program has six selection factors, namely:
Age
Adaptability
Arranged Job Offer
Work Experience
Education Level
Language proficiency (English and/ French)
To be eligible for this program, you must:
- Have a minimum of 1 year of continuous, qualified work; experience within the past 10 years;
- Have at least a high school diploma;
- Meet the minimum level of language proficiency;
- For the primary language (English or French), you must score at least the equivalent of CLB 7 in all abilities;
- For the secondary language (English or French), you must score at least the equivalent of CLB 5 in all abilities;
- Sum 67 points in the eligibility grid;
- Have enough funds available to support you and your family members upon approval.
Federal Skilled Trades Worker Program (FSTW)
This immigration program is aimed for certain qualified skilled trade workers. In order to be eligible for this program, you must:
● Have at least two years of proven full-time work experience (or an equivalent amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade occupation, within the five years prior to application;
In addition, you must:
● Have a full-time job offer for at least one year.
OR
● Have a certificate of qualification of specialization in your occupation, issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.
You also need to have at least CLB 5 in your language proficiency test and demonstrate to the government of Canada that you have enough funds available to support you and your family members upon approval.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- The Canadian Experience Class is a great option for those who were able to obtain qualified work experience in Canada. In order to qualify, you must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equivalent amount of part-time work) in Canada, within the past three years.
- In addition, you must satisfy the necessary language levels according to your occupation.
- Attention: Your work experience must have been obtained with a proper official work permit.
Provincial Nominee Programs
- Some provinces select qualifying candidates directly from the pool, according to their specific economic needs.
- If selected, you will receive a Notification of Interest on your profile, and you will be given a few days to send a complete application to the specific provincial government.
- If the province decides to nominate you for becoming a permanent resident of Canada through their program, you are awarded 600 points on your profile, which guarantees that you can send an application for review by the Federal government of Canada.
- There are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada, and more than 60 options available for you to choose from.
- Do you want to know how to qualify to immigrate to Canada via Express Entry? Talk to any of our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants to find the most suitable pathway for you and your family!
To be Eligible to apply under Express Entry:
- You must meet the eligibility requirements for one of the Immigration Programs that are processed by Express Entry. Each program has its own eligibility requirements. If you meet the requirements, an expression of interest to apply can be made by creating a profile detailing personal information including skills, work experience, language ability (test scores), education.
- All candidates who meet the eligibility requirements to apply with be placed into a pool and are ranked using a Comprehensive Ranking System. Periodically, a certain number of the highest-ranked applicants will be invited to apply for Permanent Residence. Once a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA), they have 90 days to submit an application for permanent residence with ALL necessary accompanying documents. All required documents must be submitted within this timeline, otherwise, they will be refused. After completing the process, successful candidates and their dependents (spouse and children) can land in Canada as Permanent Residents and be on their way to becoming Canadian Citizens.
- Candidates who are in the Express Entry pool and have yet to receive an ITA (invitation to apply), will remain in the pool for 12 months and maybe selected at a future date. If a candidate is not selected after being in the pool for 12 months, a new expression of interest can be made by creating another profile.