Are you looking into moving or migrating to Canada? And you got to hear of express entry as one of the means of migrating to Canada? And it seems like an option you want to consider. Pretty sure you need a detailed guide on express entry works in Canada.
Express entry is a means or system of migrating to Canada. There is more to it than that. I am here, all to help you through it. Just make sure that you do not miss anything.
First, you need to have a detailed understanding of what express entry is, exactly. Then we go discuss how it works, plus other intricate details that will be necessary for you in your migration plans.
What is Express Entry?
There are many routes through which you can move to Canada, and this express entry is one. What exactly is express entry?
This migration system is based on points; where skilled workers can be invited to become permanent residents of Canada. I am sure that you don’t have a clue about what that means. More clarity is coming on that as soon as possible.
Let us run through the whole express entry process before we go into the nitty-gritty of it.
The first thing you have to do is create an express entry profile.
After you create your express entry profile, you will have to answer some questions under 6 categories. These categories include personal details; contact details; study and languages; application details; representatives; and work history.
Then you will get a score based on some factors which may include your age, English proficiency, education, and work experience inside or outside Canada.
After getting a score assigned to your profile, you will join a large number of people who are also waiting to get invitations for permanent residence. Don’t worry, it is not a scary place to be, and you don’t have to be in that limbo for long.
It is time for us to go into deeper details on how to express entry works. Let us get it.
Read: Family Class Sponsorship For Permanent Residence In Canada
How Does Express Entry Work in Canada?
To continue how this system works, let us talk about how you will know when you will get an invitation for permanent residence.
Every two weeks, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) performs a draw, which is accessible through the IRCC rounds of invitation page.
This draw is a means to cut down on people and pick a number of people from the pool of people interested in getting the invitation for permanent residence.
There will be a mark or cutoff score on this page. You can be sure that you are getting an invitation if your score is higher than this cutoff.
Not long after this, you will be contacted about this, and you will be asked to submit an application for permanent residence.
What if your score is the same as the cutoff score? Now, this is a dicey one. The only way this will favor you is if you submitted your profile before the cutoff was released.
This is one of the reasons it is advisable to submit your profile once you qualify. If your point is the same as the cut-off, and you didn’t submit your profile before the release of the cutoff, your profile might not be given as much priority among people in your shoes who submitted their profile earlier.
You are also wondering, what if your score is lower than the cutoff? That should not necessarily be the end of the journey; you would have to remain in the process till you get a permanent residence invitation. If you stay in the pool without getting an invitation for a whole year, your express entry profile will expire.
Don’t be surprised. The profiles can expire. They are built to expire after a year. If after a year, you don’t get an invitation, you would have to create another profile. Yes, you can create another profile to kick start the process again.
Read 7 Ways To Immigrate To Canada (July 2022)
At this point, I hope you have figured out that the process involves two stages:
- Submission of express entry profile
- Receiving of invitation for permanent residence (which precedes permanent residency application).
You must know that even if after getting an invitation, you kick start your permanent residence application process, it does not mean you will have your permanent residence immediately.
There are due protocols that will be taken concerning it. IRCC has to vet to make sure you meet the requirements. This may take a little bit of time, from six months to twelve months which starts counting from when you processed your permanent residence application.
If you meet all the requirements, you will be approved for permanent residence. All that is needed is that the requirements are adequately met.
There are three programs under the umbrella of express entry. They are:
1. Canadian Experience Class
This particular program is designed for skilled workers that have some sort of work experience within Canada, and are interested in getting a permanent residence.
There are a number of requirements you must meet for this program. One of them is language levels. If you have a professional or managerial job, or you have knocked a or zero level job, you will need a CLB7. That is the requirement. If you have a technical or knock b-level job, you will need a CLB5.
Another thing required is that you must have at least one year of the skilled job, in the last three years to the time you applied.
Another important thing is that you must have a work permit while doing the skilled job.
2. Federal Skilled Worker
This is designed for people who don’t have any skilled work experience in Canada but do from their home country. The difference is that the requirements are raised for this program.
You must have a CLB7 in all the abilities, no matter the category or the level of your job. You must have had at least a year of continuous work experience in your country.
Now, the last requirement is proof of funds, this will give a guarantee that you can settle down in Canada with your family.
3. Federal Skilled Trades
This is designed for skilled trade workers interested in getting permanent residence. First, you must also meet the language requirements. You only need to have CLB5 for speaking and listening abilities, and a CLB4 for your reading and writing abilities.
You must have gathered a 2-year work experience in a skilled trade job within the past 5 years before the application for permanent residence.
In addition, you must also have a full-time employment job offer for one year. This can be substituted with having a certificate of qualification that is issued by a provincial, territorial, or federal authority in Canada.
There are other requirements specifically for this program.
How To Check If You Are Eligible To Apply?
You want to know how you can see if you are eligible. There is a free tool provided to help you check how eligible you are.
Use your Google search via your browser, pop in “moving to Canada as a skilled immigrant.” Go for the first result which you will see with the domain name, “Canada.ca.”
Click through to the page, and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find a button with this inscription, “check your eligibility.”
This will move you to a page where you will have to answer a series of questions concerning
- Your choice of a province to move to in Canada
- Language test results for the programs that are under Express Entry (this means you need an English proficiency exam to be able to do this. The accepted programs are IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, and TCF.)
- Date of examination (proficiency tests have a validity period. That of IELTS is two years)
- Your score for each category of the proficiency test.
- Other language proficiency test (this is optional, but it will increase your chances)
- Skilled work experience.
After you are done with this test, you will be able to see the result telling you if you are eligible or not. On the same page, you will see a step-by-step guide on how to join the pool of people lobbying for an invitation to permanent residence.
This is simply how you can check for your eligibility. The tool is free and can help you know if you are qualified.
Conclusion
This process to migrate through this system might seem a little bit strenuous. You also need a lot of time, and you might need to spend some money if you don’t already have some things in place like the English proficiency test.
The game needs strategy and luck. I hope this guide brings you the information you need, and that your immigration is a success.