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Are you a skilled worker looking to immigrate permanently to Canada? Depending on the type of skilled work experience that you have, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residence in Canada under the federal Express Entry program. To learn more about the federal Express Entry program, the application process and how you may qualify, read the rest of this blog.
The Express Entry program is one of the pathways to immigrate to Canada permanently. The program targets skilled foreign workers with the ability and qualifications to help boost Canada’s economy. There are three programs under the express entry program. These are the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class.
Applicants will first be required to create an online profile where they will be asked questions about their skills, education, language ability, work experience and other factors. Every profile that is submitted will be assessed and the information provided will be used to calculate points. The points received will be the Applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Applicants profiles are then added to a pool with other candidates and the top-ranking candidates will be issued an invitation to apply for permanent residence under one of the three programs.
When you create your express entry profile, the system will use the information you provide about your skill, work experience, language ability, and other factors, to assess both your CRS score and determine which of the three express entry programs that you will receive an invitation under.
To qualify for an invitation under Federal Skilled Worker program, you must have at least 1-year, continuous, full-time skilled work experience within the last 10 years, or two-year part time equivalence. The skilled work experience must be in the same occupation or job experience that you want to base your application on after you are invited to apply. The skilled work experience must be a NOC skill type or level of 0, A or B.
The skilled work experience can be work experience acquired from outside Canada, but you will receive additional points if you also have Canadian work experience of more than 1 year in addition to your foreign work experience. Your language scores on one of CIC’s approved tests must be at a CLB of 7. You must have secondary-level education, but you will be given more points if you have post-secondary education. You are not required to have a job offer.
To be eligible for an invitation under the Canadian Experience Class, you must have skilled work experience within Canada for at least one year within the last three years. The work experience can be either a combination of full-time or part-time work. The skill type of the work experience must fall under NOC skill type or level of 0, A or B. If your work skill is a NOC 0 or A, your language skill must be CLB 7 or higher. If your work skill is a NOC B, your language skill must be CLB 5 or higher. Education and a job offer are not required under this category, however if you have these factors, it could increase your score.
To be eligible for an invitation under Federal Skilled Trades program, you must have at least two-years Canadian or foreign work experience in a skilled trade within the last five years. The two years experience can be a combination of either full-time or part-time. The skilled trade must fall under the NOC of B. Your language scores for speaking and listening must be CLB 5 or higher for speaking and listening and CLB 4 or higher for reading and writing. You must have a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade. The certificate must be issued by a Canadian, territorial or federal authority. Education is not required under this category.
After you are issued an invitation to apply for permanent residence under one of the programs, you will be given 60 days to submit your documentation that supports the information you provided in the first stage of the application. It is important that you have proper documentation to prove that the information you provided at the first stage is true. Any discrepancy between the first stage and the second stage can lead to a possible refusal.
For example, you cannot change your NOC code at the second stage because you later determined you chose the wrong NOC at the first stage of the application. Any discrepancy between the two stages risks being found for misrepresentation, your application being refused or being determined as inadmissible to Canada in the future.
Processing times after submitting the application is generally six months. If after reviewing your application, it is determined that you still meet the eligibility, your application will be approved for permanent residence.
The express entry application system can be quite complex. The application process is two-step and both stages are equally important. Submitting the wrong information or failing to provide proper documentation to support your application can lead to a refusal or even worse, a finding for misrepresentation. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you retain experienced professionals to assist you in the process. At Akrami & Associates, we help many of our clients with these types of applications regularly, even the most complex cases, and with successful outcomes.
At Akrami and Associates, we have a track record for assisting our clients to get results and at Top Immigration Law Firm in Mississauga for two consecutive years, you can trust us to get the job done – and fast. It does not matter how complex your case is, or if you have tried to apply for permanent residence under express entry, are waiting for an invitation or just want to know what you can do to improve your chances, we can help you.
Here at Akrami and Associates we enjoy helping our clients through even the toughest immigration matter, as there’s always a way!
