Applying for Express Entry

What is the best way to apply for Permanent Residency?

Are you considering moving to Canada in the future? Have you started looking into how this could be done, and come to the realization it feels like there are a million ways to become a permanent resident of Canada, so you now have no idea where to even begin? This is the case for many individuals who wish to become permanent residents of Canada. It is VERY hard to know what route to take to apply for permanent residency. Though, the most important thing to know is the best route for you may not be the best route for someone else. The best place to start is by assessing your own specific circumstances to determine which path to permanent residency is the most applicable for you. Therefore, if you are married to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you’ll probably want to consider spousal sponsorship as your path to permanent residency. In other cases, you may assess your skills and qualifications to engage in the Canadian working economy, and see that you are in fact an asset to the Canadian economy. If this is the case, you could be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the express entry program. In this article, we will focus on the ways an individual can qualify and apply for permanent residency under the express entry program.

What is Express Entry?

Since 2015, the Canadian government has made it a priority to use immigration as a tool to help balance the Canadian economy. Therefore, the express entry program was introduced as a way to allow qualified applicants to apply online by uploading a profile of their skills, abilities and work experience to a Canadian database which is accessible to immigration officers. Profiles are assessed, and candidates who are considered an asset to the Canadian economy will receive an invitation to apply. Therefore, once you receive an invitation to apply, you have 90 days to complete and submit an application for permanent residence.

How do I Apply for Express Entry?

As mentioned, you first apply to a pool of candidates who qualify as skilled or experienced workers. But to be eligible to apply for this pool of candidates, what are the requirements? It is important to understand the pool of candidates who are eligible for express entry is a large pool or individuals, who qualify for one of three more specific programs. The programs which comprise the express entry program are the Canadian Experience Class program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program. Therefore, to be eligible to submit a profile to the express entry nominee pool, one must be eligible for one of these three programs. Or, individuals can also be recruited by one of the several Provincial Nominee Programs, which are essentially the same idea as the federal economic programs already mentioned, though, they are specific to province and individuals will be recruited by a specific province to enter the working world.

Creating an Express Entry Profile

To be recruited with an invitation to apply for permanent residency, you must first create an express entry profile. This requires you do the following things first:

1. Complete the language test individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada must, to determine if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada for work. Your test results are very important,

2. Have your educational credentials ready, they will be assessed, especially if you went to school outside of Canada. Your educational credentials will be assessed and translated to reflect your credentials against Canadian standards

3. Know your NOC (National Occupational Classification) code, and the skills that are associated with your work history. This is to see if your experience makes you eligible one of the three mentioned federal programs,

4. Provide any additional documents which will help the immigration officer assess your worth as a worker in the Canadian economy.

If you meet the qualifications of at least one of the programs previously mentioned, you will be accepted into the pool of candidates.

What do I do After I Created my Profile?

After you have successfully created your profile, you should register with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Job Bank, if you do not already have a job offer from an eligible employer in Canada with an approved LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment), or a nomination from a province or territory. The ESDC job bank allows you to connect with eligible employers and gives you the opportunity to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Please understand though, you do not simply have to wait for a response to your express entry profile; it is helpful if you actively look for a job from an eligible employer as well. Also, it is important to know if you do not have a job offer, you must register with the ESDC job bank within 30 days of creating your express entry profile, or your profile will expire.

How are Applicants Selected for an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residency?

The express entry program is a point-based system with allows immigration officers to objectively assess the value an individual brings to the Canadian working economy. There are various circumstances which could increase the number of points you have with your express entry profile, and it is very important to understand these in advance so that you can create the strongest profile possible, and have the best chance of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency. Things such as having a job offer, or particular skills and work experience, and possibly your level of education all impact the number of points you have as an express entry candidate. Please note, under the express entry program, the most qualified individuals are selected to apply, there is no lottery involved. This system is called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and allows immigration officers to objectively assess applicants against each other. Therefore, it is important to present yourself as well as possible.

Also, it is important to know your profile will only remain in the express entry pool for up to one year. By that time if you have not received an invitation to apply for PR, your profile will be removed. At that point, you are free to re-submit a profile so long as you still meet the criteria.

What if I Receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residency?

If you receive an invitation to apply for express entry, it is important you prepare and submit your application to the best of your abilities, and submit it within 90 days. It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to submit a strong application at this stage, as you have been selected from a very large pool of qualified nominees, because you are amongst the most qualified. Getting an invitation to apply in itself is often very difficult, and once you have been invited to apply and either you decline your invitation, or, your application is refused, you are free to create another express entry profile and begin the process over again, though, there is no guarantee you will receive another invitation.

Contact Akrami & Associates

It is essential that you put together an express entry profile and an application for permanent residency with complete accuracy and honesty, as this opportunity is very unique, and due to the fact that you will immediately enter the Canadian working economy after receiving your permanent residency, immigration officers review these applications with a high degree of scrutiny. Express Entry applications are not an easy process to understand and complete and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit an application. Here at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain economic experience and gain permanent residency in Canada through the Express Entry application management system. If you believe that you might be eligible and the correct candidate for the federal, provincial or territorial economic immigration programs in Canada, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation for more advise.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!