Canada Express Entry Program

Canada has used a point based system to assess independent immigrants since the Immigration Act of 1976.In 2013, there were major changes to the point system of the Canada Immigration System. The six selection factors for federal skilled workers, as set out in sections 76 and 78 to 83 of the IRPR for Canada immigration are as follows:

• Education
• Language proficiency (English & French)
• Work experience
• Age
• Arranged employment
• Adaptability

Points are allocated to the principal applicant with a view to selecting applicants who possess attributes that will lead to their becoming economically established.

The chances of an applicant making it through depends on his CRS score, in the last one year (2018 & 2019) the Canada immigration point scores haven’t gone below 438 points. Therefore, it is advisable to try achieving a CRS of about 430 to 440 at least if you are looking for an opportunity to migrate to Canada through the Express entry system.

Each province and territory has different immigration categories or processing streams for a foreign national to submit an application for Canadian permanent resident status. For example: many provinces in Canada have an investor, entrepreneur or student category even though such programs do not exist at the Federal level. Such programs allow the provinces to attract new immigrants that have the precise skills, work experience, and knowledge required to cater for the local Canadian labor market needs.

Once could choose any of the provinces in Canada he is interested in migrating to, while creating his express entry profile. It is possible to directly apply for a nomination under a specific stream, rather than passively awaiting a “Notification of Interest” from one of the Canadian provinces. It is very important to target the appropriate Canadian province and program depending on the requirement patterns of the provinces and your adaptability in terms of family or relation in any of the provinces.

Anyone who gets a nomination certificate from a Canada PNP would be granted enough points under the Express Entry System (CRS) that you will very likely receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next draw.

What applicants are not aware of is that, the chances of one making it through the PNP doesn’t have anything to do with his CRS scores, there are a number of our clients who have nearly 430 points and they have been in the pool for a while now. Furthermore, we have clients who have scores about 33to 350 CRS range and they have received a nomination. We have noticed that many agencies promise to push the applicants profile to provinces and tell them that they shall get you a nomination but in vain. Whereas qualified ICCRC representatives have a thorough understanding of the patterns of job profile provinces might be interested in and accordingly place the EoI when the draw opens.

The straight forward answer being there is no quick fix to get a nomination. It completely depends on the applicant’s profile and the specific requirements of each Canadian province.

Mostly yes, federal skilled worker class /federal skilled trade class /Canadian experience class/Home care giver class /Business investor class /provincial nominee program, all these pathways to permanent residency requires a basic eligibility language scores which is different for every stream.

Unless it’s through a PGP, spousal sponsorship, adoption, refugee turned PR almost all the major doors leading to a direct PR status has a pre-requisite of minimum language scores for migrating to Canada.

Most frequently asked question related to Canadian Immigration. It’s pretty simple. I shall give you the cheat codes:

• Language: A marginal increase of ( .5) in one of the four sections in IELTS would increase your CRS by 57 points.
• Education: A master’s degree accredited by one of the Accreditation boards validated by CIC would fetch you an extra 40 points in your total CRS score.
• Work Experience: Advisable to apply when you have documentation to prove that you 3 plus years of experience in the same designation (could be different employers). Even one year less would reduce your points by 25 points in your CRS score.
• Arranged employment letter: Job offer in the O level skill type NOC code would fetch you 200 points and the others 50points.

Our sincere advice to you is please don’t pay up to the Immigration agents who promise you a PR without adequate CRS scores. There is no magic wand with them to get you a PR invitation. Understand the system thoroughly, for assistance go to an ICCRC regulated and licensed professional.

In some cases, an open work permit may be available. An open work permit has the advantage of not being job specific: thus a foreign national with an open work permit may work for any Canadian employer without first having to obtain a positive LMIA or a formal job offer.

The following persons are some of those who may be eligible to apply for an open work permit:

• Persons who are already in Canada and whose applications for permanent residence have received a positive eligibility assessment under one of the following:
  1. Federal skilled worker program
  2. Canadian Experience class
  3. Provincial nominee program
  4. Federal skilled trades program or
  5. Humanitarian & compassionate grounds.
• Family members of persons who applications for permanent residence have been approved under one of the programs above.
• Members of the spouse or common law partner in Canada class.
• Spouses or family of foreign representatives & family of military representatives.
• Spouses of foreign students at public post-secondary schools.
• Spouses of work permit holders who have received a nomination certificate from a province or territory in support of permanent residence application.
• Refugees whose claims have been approved.
• International students who have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution.

To make it very simple there are not many options for a foreign national to bag a job sitting here in India. The lucky ones could probably try for a

• • Internal Relocation through their current employer if the same company has a well-established presence in Canada. If you are lucky enough to stay in the job for more than a year’s period, then you could try applying for a PR through the Canadian Experience class stream.
  • Applying online via all the prominent job portals would be a 95% futile attempt. The reason being a Canadian Employer wouldn’t want to invest in a foreign national when there is enough talent available in Canada. Furthermore, even if your competent and the employer likes profile he would have to get a Positive LMIA from Service Canada or ESDC which has its own limitations. Therefore, the chances of you getting a job sitting in India without a status in Canada are very bleak.

• The best & simple method
  • Apply for a PR status either through Express Entry or any of the PNPs.
  • Pursue the prospects of getting a work permit, this would only be if there is no scope for you to make it through the Express entry stream and your NOC doesn’t fall in any of the Canadian Province’s projected “On Demand Occupation List “. The purpose of a work permit is inevitably to get you Permanent resident status down the lane.
  • Once you have a PR status in Canada, then it is about connecting the dots, Marketing, Public relations, Networking is very important in a competent labor market to get you the best you deserve.

The breakdown of the costs would be as follows = IELTS(15,000), ECA( 13000),Canadian Government fee {Processing fee ($825) and right of permanent residence fee ($500)=76,000}.Apart from these, you will need to pay for the biometrics (5000).Now don’t forget the air tickets, you have to buy those yourselves and the pricing varies anything from 40,000 and upwards for a one-way ticket. The immigration to Canada from India cost would altogether cost up to 2lakhs for each applicant. Canada PR cost from India would also depend on various other criteria’s such as the program you have chosen, for instance the provinces have their own application fee etc. The proof of funds required is not an expenditure and hence not included here.

You could immigrate to Canada on s temporary permit such as study or work permit. You could even migrate for a short period as a traveller. If you are looking at permanent pathways, the most sought after is the Express entry programs.

The global craze to attain permanent residency status in Canada talks the very fact that Canada is in ideal solution due to the immense opportunities and facilities the nation bestows on the permanent residents and its citizens. Canada immigration process from India has caught so much attention that you would see aspirants considering various options such as investment for the sole purpose of gaining additional points etc. only to receive an invitation.

The current points required to get a federal invitation via the Federal skilled worker class under the Express entry ranges anywhere between 460 to 475. But, the provincial invitations come at a much lesser score and hence is the right way for people who have a lesser CRS score.The easiest way to migrate to Canada from India would be to immigrate via FSW class under the Express entry program. If you want to apply for Canada PR from India via sponsorship pathways, this is also a quick and plausible method. The total cost for CanadaPR from India will depend on the number of dependents on your application and the program through which you submitted your application. For ex- Canada immigration for Indianphysiotherapist or Canada immigration for nurses from India would not be possible via a PNP program unless they have received accreditation/ certification for practising this profession in the respective provinces they are applying for.

There is no maximum age to migrate to Canada, you could be 110 years old and still get a PR if your kids sponsor you. But if we are talking about the Express entry solely, individuals 45 or above lose the entire 110 points earmarked for age and hence have a comparatively lesser score than the younger lot. Nonetheless, if you have the resources to invest you could gain 200 points via owner operator LMIA , i.e. only if you are genuinely interested in running a business inside Canada.

One option for the under-21-year-old category would be to opt for a study permit and then transition via the CEC class. For the rest it would be the FSW class. Post 33 years the PNP would be an ideal route to look at. Post 40/45 a job offer letter or a business set-up in Canada would give you those additional points to make up for the points lost out on age. For regulated professions, the PNP option might not be effective as an Indian national would not be certified by any of the provinces in Canada which would be one of the pre-requisites to apply for these job profiles.