If you’ve been planning on starting a brand new life in Canada, then you might have to consider going through the Express Entry System.
Over the years, this has become one of the most reliable as well as popular pathways being used by most skilled workers to become permanent residents in Canada.
Every year, professionals in their thousands from different parts of the world use this particular system just to gain permanent residency and build their future in Canada. You may ask, what exactly is Express Entry? And how can one apply for it successfully?
Throughout this guide, we’ll try to break it down in the simplest way possible. By the time we’re done, irrespective of whether you are an IT expert, nurse or engineer, this guide will help you to have a more clearer path towards getting a Canadian permanent residency.
What Is the Canada Express Entry System?
Express Entry is an online immigration system that is being used by the Canadian government to be able to manage skilled workers’ applications in the country.
This system was introduced in 2015. The aim of the system is to help speed up the immigration processes of people that were able to meet certain criteria.
To function very effectively, the system is used to choose candidates for the three major federal immigration programs in Canada:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Once you are able to enter in the number of people using the Express Entry, you will be given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which is mainly based on your age, work experience, education, your language ability, as well as some other factors.
At the end of the day, the candidates that have the highest scores will be invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada. We’ll walk you through the entire process.
Step 1: Check If You’re Eligible
Before you decide to do anything else, you must first of all ensure that you meet the minimum requirements for at least one of the programs that we mentioned above.
The most common of them for foreigners that don’t have Canadian experience is the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Below are some of the things that you’ll need:
- You will be needing at least one year of a continuous skilled work experience, which must be within the last 10 years.
- Intended candidates must have a post-secondary education. It could be a degree, diploma, or certificate.
- You should be able to not only speak, but also write and understand English or French. You will be asked to prove it through a test.
- Unless you have a valid job offer, you must prove that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after arriving in Canada.
- Applicants are expected to have a clean background and medical records.
For you to confirm if you are eligible, you can visit the official Canada immigration website and make use of the eligibility tool for confirmation.
Step 2: Take an English or French Language Test
Language is an important aspect if you want to gain an Express Entry score. In that regard, you’ll be expected to take an approved test that will show your language ability.
For English, the test that’s generally accepted is:
- IELTS – General Training
For French, you can take:
- TEF Canada
You’ll be given tests on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. If you score higher on the test, the better your CRS score is going to be. If you want to increase your chances of getting selected, you should always aim for CLB level 9 or above.
Step 3: Get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
If you happen to study outside of Canada, then there’s going to be a total evaluation of your educational documents. This is to prove that they’re equal to the standard in Canada. This can be done through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
To get these done quite easily, you can make use of the following organizations:
- World Education Services (WES)
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
- Comparative Education Service (CES)
The ECA process is likely going to take you a few weeks, so we advise you to start early.
Step 4: Create Your Express Entry Profile
Once you have both your language results and the ECA report, it automatically means that you are now very much ready to create an Express Entry profile on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
You’ll be expected to present the following:
- Your personal details
- Your work history
- Education background
- Language scores
- Family details
- Proof of funds
- Job offers, if you have any
Once you’re able to complete your profile, you’ll be able to receive your CRS score, which means you’ll be automatically placed in the Express Entry pool.
Step 5: Improve Your CRS Score (If Needed)
Getting into the pool does not really mean that you are now guaranteed of being selected. That’s far from it. You desperately need a very competitive CRS score.
In the previous years, only those that scored 470 and above are required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
If it happens that you scored lower than that, you can actually improve your score by:
- Retaking your language tests to see if you will be able to score better
- Gaining more work experience can also increase your chances of scoring higher
- You can also complete an additional diploma or certificate
- If you are able to get a job offer from a Canadian company, it will boost your chances
- Applying with your spouse, that’s if they also have qualifications, can also increase your scores
Step 6: Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
Every few weeks, the Canadian government usually conducts Express Entry Draws. During each of these draws, they usually invite highest scoring candidates to drop an application for permanent residency.
If you are lucky enough to be invited, you’ll receive an ITA. What this means is that you can actually move to the next stage of the process. Once you are invited, you’ll be given a 60 days grace period to submit a complete application for your permanent residency in Canada.
Step 7: Submit Your Permanent Residency Application
After you’ve received your ITA, you’ll be expected to upload the following documents:
- Police clearance certificates
- Medical exam results
- Proof of funds
- Employment letters
- Passport
- Photos
- Any additional supporting documents
Once you submit these documents, the Canadian government will review the application. For Express Entry, the processing time is usually six months. It could be less than that also.
Final Thoughts
The Express Entry system is an opportunity every skilled worker who wants a better life in Canada should grab.
Although the process might seem long at first, once you begin, in no time you will see yourself with Canadian permanent residency. Remember, thousands of people are interested in this opportunity, so you must be at your absolute best to stand a chance.
