Express Entry
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 Express Entry 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 a Canadian immigration 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.
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:
Federal Skilled Worker Program
Federal Skilled Trades Program
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
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 2020, most candidates needed a score above 470 to receive an invitation.
Stage 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.
Provincial Nomination Program & Express Entry
Several Canadian Provinces also offer an Express Entry stream for their Provincial Nomination programs. In all cases, you must first have an active Express Entry profile. Some Provinces will review the available candidates in the Express Entry pool and send an invitation to candidates that meet their program requirements. Other Provinces require that you first create your active profile, and then contact the Province directly to request nomination. More detailed information about the various PNP programs, including the Express Entry PNP streams, is available here.
