So lot of people have been asking me what is the Express Entry process and those who know about it have questions about the process, steps and easiest way to get it. I felt it better to outline my experience of the process through this blog post.
Express Entry is a process for skilled workers to immigrate to Canada and obtain Permanent Resident status in Canada. What this means is that you get a chance to live and work in Canada like any Canadian citizen with exception of not having noting rights and access to certain federal/provincial jobs. The process involves a point based system wherein based on your education, job, language efficiency and few other criteria you enter a pool of candidates and based on a periodic draw you get invited to apply for program.
The master website which gives you all the authentic information is www.canada.ca
Below are the steps to reach your aim of getting the golden mail of Confirmation of Permanent Residency
Step 1 – Language Exam
One of the crucial aspect of getting eligible for the process and Language Efficiency. Canada wants skilled workers in the country who have basic language skills to navigate your way in the system. You can prove your language efficiency in English or French. CIC accepts language tests from IELTS/CELPIP for English and TEF for French. Most popular I found was IELTS in which you need to get minimum of IELTS 6 score (CLB 7) to be eligible for Express Entry. You need to schedule a date for IELTS/CELPIP/TEF Exam as applicable at your nearest centre by paying the respective fees. English exams are conducted by British Council or IDP.
More details of the language test can be found at
Step 2 – Education Assessment
Your express entry application points will be based on your education which needs to be assessed by international agency to determine its equivalency as per Canadian standard. The list of organizations and details of assessment can be found from below link
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=681&top=29
I found that WES was the most common used agency and the process was quite straightforward. Please note that you would be required to arrange the transcripts from your college/universities for every education held, either directly to WES or sent by you after arranging from your college. The transcripts have to be in sealed and signed envelope. This process can take time so please plan for it. Also you have the option to check from the agency site if they recognize your college. This will help you determine which agency to apply to.
Details of assessment through WES can be found at
Step 3 – Proof of funds
Express Entry process requires that you have sufficient funds to meet your needs for initial months after landing in Canada till you find a job or source of income. Please check the fund requirement from below link and ensure that these funds are kept separate by you in account or as a fixed deposit which you can later produce as proof when required.
Step 4 – Application
Now that you have arranged your IELTS Score, WES Evaluation and Funds, its time to create your Express Entry Profile. The link to creating an account online is as below. Please note to select sign in using GCKey incase you reside outside Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/account.html
Update and fill all information as required and at the end of process you will generate a score for your profile. Please note that incase you have your family members accompany you, you can create only one profile with them with one primary applicant so decide who will be the primary applicant. You can use the CRS tool to help you decide that.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp
Step 5 – Employment Reference Letters
Now that you have submitted the application, you are in the pool and wait for the draw to happen in your favour. In-case you get selected you will have 90 days to submit all the documentary proof supporting the information you entered to get the score. One of the documents is employment letters from all the places you have worked. This can take time and effort so its better to do this while waiting for the draw to happen. Please go through this link to know about all documents required.
Viola! Once you submit the documents standard time is up-to 6 months for the documents to be processed and your Visa to be approved. Now you have 1 year from the date of Medical Report (refer documents to be submitted as per link provided in Step 5) to land in Canada.
This is in nutshell the process for Express Entry. I did not go through Provincial Nomination so cant share details of the same but you can read about that from below link
Feel free to post your queries.
This blog post aims to help on the Express Entry process. I am no consultant or expert in the matter and only writing this to help potential fellow immigrants. Feel free to let me know if you feel any information here can be improved or corrected backed by a valid source.
#Canada #ExpressEntry #PR #PermanentResident #Guide #Process #Steps