Immigrate
“Immigrate as a skilled worker through Express Entry”
In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) have launched a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic programs. Canada needs high levels of immigration to meet current and future labor market needs, which will ensure our economic growth and long-term prosperity.
Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labor market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in selecting economic immigrants. Employers will access candidates through Canada’s new and improved Job Bank and through provinces and territories where applicable.
Express Entry will allow us to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants under the following federal economic immigration programs:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program,
The Federal Skilled Trades Program and
The Canadian Experience Class.
The Express Entry system involves two steps:
Step 1.
Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool of candidates.
Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates (those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
If a candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government of Canada’s Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian employers.
Where applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labor Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no fee for Labor Market Impact Assessments for permanent residence applications under the Express Entry system.
Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an Invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Step 2.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite certain candidates to apply for permanent residence and process their electronic applications within six months. Candidates will receive an Invitation to apply for permanent residence if they rank among the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candidates who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.
Requirement.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program
Work Experience
An applicant’s work experience must:
- Consist of at least one year of continuous, full time or part time work
- Be paid work Have been obtained within the last ten years
- Consist of work that falls under skill type 0, skill level A or skill level B of the National Occupation Classification
An applicant’s full time work experience will be eligible for this program if the applicant worked for 30 hours a week over the course of 12 months.
An applicant’s part time work experience will be eligible for this program if:
- The applicant worked 15 hours a week over the course of 24 months, OR
- The applicant worked 30 hours a week over 12 months at more than one job.
Note:All applicants must be able to show that the duties performed over the course of their job match the duties as listed under their chosen National Occupation Classification listing.
Language Ability Requirements
All applicants under this program must take a language test to prove that they possess sufficient language skills to successfully establish themselves in Canada. Language tests evaluate an applicant’s abilities with regards to:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
In order to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, an applicant must possess language skills that are equivalent to at least Canadian Language Benchmark level 7 in all categories. All applicants must include their language test results in their Express Entry profile. Further, language test results can only be used in a permanent residence application if they are less than two years old.
Education Requirements
All applicants under this program must have:
- A Canadian high school or post-secondary diploma, OR
- A foreign high school or post-secondary diploma AND a report approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada proving that the foreign diploma is equivalent to a Canadian high school or post-secondary diploma.
Proof of Funds
Generally, applicants under this program must be able to show that they have enough money to support themselves and their family once they arrive in Canada. An applicant will NOT have to prove that they have sufficient funds if:
- They are currently able to legally work in Canada, AND
- They have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
Other Requirements
Applicants under this program must:
- Not be inadmissible to Canada
- Plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
If applicants meet all of the minimum requirements mentioned above, they will be assessed under a point’s grid in order to determine whether they are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. In order to pass this assessment, an applicant must obtain at least 67 out of 100 points. Factors assessed under the point’s grid include:
- Language skills
- Education
- Work experience
- Age
- Whether the applicant has a valid job offer
- Whether the applicant is likely to successfully settle in Canada
If an applicant obtains at least 67 out of 100 points, he or she will be able to access the Express Entry system.
For a detailed description of the points system mentioned above.
Please book an appointment with our experienced consultant.
Note: Applicants may include their spouse or common-law partner in their applications. It is highly recommended that the member of the relationship who is most likely to meet the eligibility requirements mentioned above apply as the principal applicant. A common-law partner is any person who has lived with the applicant in a conjugal relationship for more than one year. Common-law relationships may consist of same-sex or opposite-sex partners.