Express Entry for Skilled Workers

Are you a Skilled Immigrant looking for work in Canada? The Express Entry Program may for you!!

Express entry is used for handling applications of people who are wanting permanent residence that are under federal economic immigration programs like: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Certain territories and provinces can recruit these people through the Express Entry system, if they meet the needs of the labour market. The government chooses immigrants from a pool of applications as permanent residents based on their skills and their ability to settle here in Canada so they can contribute to our economy. How the government manages these people is through this system called the Express Entry, and this system consists of two steps: the online Express Entry profile, and the invitation to apply for residency if they are higher ranking candidates.

Step One Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile

If you are a candidate, you are to complete an online Express Entry profile, basically it is a form that you can use that will provide information about you and will be the basis of your online profile

Before Creating your Profile

There will be a language test, if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada for work, your test results will be very important

You will need to have your educational credentials ready as they will be assessed- especially if you went to school outside of Canada, your results need to be tested against Canadian standards

Know your NOC (National Occupational Classification) code, and the skills that are associated with your work history- this is to see if your experience is valid under one of the three mentioned federal programs.

You will be accepted into a pool of candidates, if you meet the criteria of at least one of the economic immigration programs. There are many documents that should be included with building your profile, once you have your documents ready then you are able to follow the instructions to create the account online. After this profile has been created, you can register with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Job Bank, this job bank will help connect Express Entry candidates with employers in Canada, it is recommended that you do this if you do not already have a job offer that is supported with a LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) or a nomination from a province or territory. Job bank is very easy to use and search to help find jobs in Canada using your current experiences and skills. There are also many ways you are able to promote yourself to employers in other ways, you can use recruiters or even job boards. Not all jobs can be valid in Express Entry, in order to receive points the employers who are posting will need to have a LIMA assessment done from ESDC. By having to complete this process, it is ensuring that employers are hiring Canadians and permanent residents for available jobs.

Step two being invited to apply (Invitation to Apply)

There is a point-based system called the comprehensive ranking system, in which the candidates are ranked against others in the pool; how you obtain your points is from the information that you provide on your profile. You are awarded points for: getting job offers, or territory or from skills and experiences. You might also be eligible to get even more points for having a job that is supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment or from a nomination by a province or territory. It is a competition, the higher rank you have, with the most points will then let you “advance” per say to the next level which is the invitation round. If you make it to this round you are then given 60 days to complete your application online for permanent residence, if your application is not complete, with all the documents your application will be rejected. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will take those that have all of the supporting documents and will process and complete the applications in six months or less. Sometimes you will be stuck in the pool for up to 12 months and if you do not get an invitation to apply for permanent residence within 12 months, you are able to apply for a new profile. As long as you are meeting the criteria to have an express entry profile, you are going to be reentered into the pool. This will be helping you to have quick processing times and will prevent backlogs. When and if you are accepted there are four steps that you are able to follow to successfully apply to be a skilled once you have been invited to apply:

Fill out the online form

• Fill it out completely and fully
• Once its complete you will get a document list

Get all the documents you need

• Travel documents (passport etc.)
• Language test results
• Your job offer
• If you have a provincial nomination
• Depending on the circumstance proof that you have enough money to support yourself while in Canada
• Your ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) report
• Medical exams
• Police certificates
• Any other documents included on your personal list

Pay your fees

• The processing fee
• The Right of Permanent Residence fee
• Any other third party fees

Submit your complete application- make sure you

• pay your fees
• filled out all of the mandatory parts on the forms
• that you have included clear scans of all of the supporting documents

Contact Akrami & Associates

If you need assistance getting your documents together, completing an online profile, and working on getting you in the Express Entry system it might seem like you can do it all on your own; but there is a lot of steps involved and documents to attach. When searching for help, hiring a law firm like Akrami & Associates there is many ways we can help you have a stress free start to your job searching in Canada. If you would like us to help you with having a complete and correct application in the Express Entry system, don’t hesitate to contact us at 416-477-2545

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!