Canada Express Entry | Get Canada Express Entry Visa

Express entry is the most viewed and preferred pathway for people seeking permanent residence in Canada.

This is one of the processes where the candidate will be evaluated for the express entry visa, if the candidate is found qualified, then they are considered an express entry visa candidate.

What are the Types of Canada Immigration Express Entry Programs?

The Government of Canada has designed 4 programs within Express Entry PR Canada. All these programs have different requirements to be able to qualify. These are explained below:

1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): Designed for skilled foreign workers with a high language proficiency score of at least 7 in English or French and one year of work experience. 
2. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): Designed for skilled foreign workers with a language proficiency of Level 5 or 4 and 2 years of work experience in the last 5 years. 
3. Canadian Experience Class (CEC): Designed for skilled workers in Canada requiring a language proficiency of Level 5 or 7 in English or French and one year of work experience within Canada in the past 3 years.
4. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Designed specifically for provinces. The applicant has to follow the requisites as per the province of their choice.

Canada express entry program is processed in a timeframe of six months to a year.  Right from submitting your application for express entry to Canada until you get the ITA (Invitation to Apply). Not all applications will end up in the same manner, it varies with each and every candidate.

You have to start the process by submitting your profile in the express entry pool.

• Your profile will be assessed by the Canadian immigration authorities in the Canada express entry program and you will be granted CRS (Comprehensive Ranking Score).
• If your CRS is adequate enough for the express entry draw, you will eventually receive the ITA (Invitation to Apply)
• After receiving the ITA, you have to submit the required documents needed for the PR (permanent resident) within 60 days.
• Your profile will remain in the express entry pool for 12 months. 
• Post submission of the candidate’s documents, the immigration authorities will issue the PR visa within six months or less.

Documents Required for Canada Express Entry Programs Express Entry

The following documents are required for the Express Entry program.

1. Valid passport
2. Police certificate
3. Proof of Funds
4. Medical certificates
5. Language Proficiency 
6. Job offer from the Canadian employer
7. Provincial nomination, if it is applicable

How to Apply for Canada Express Entry Program?

The criteria and requirements are different for all the programs; hence, the processes also vary. The first three above-mentioned programs have the same application form, whereas PNP has a different process depending on your chosen province.

The process to apply for the Canada Express Entry Program is explained below.

• Get Essential Documents: These include:

1. Valid passport
2. Score on IELTS
3. Job Letter from your employer in Canada
4. Police certificates and medical certificates
5. Education Credential Assessment Report
6. Proof of Funds

• Submitting the profile: To do the same, first, you have to make an account and provide details of your

1. Age,
2. Nationality,
3. Education,
4. Work experience
5. Submit the necessary documents

Within 6-8 months, you will know if or not you are selected by the government.

• Invitation to Apply: If you have high points and are selected, you get the Invitation to Apply for the Canada Express PR. 
• Apply for PR: Within 60 days, you have applied for the PR along with the submission of all the necessary documents. After this, the government of Canada evaluates your application and informs you of its rejection or approval.

How Many Points are Required for Canada Express Entry?

Getting Express Entry to Canada is easy if your documents are on point and you precisely follow the steps. As the Express Entry program is a point-based system, you need to get a minimum of 67 points out of 100. These points are calculated based on the 6 selection factors. Each factor’s points are given below:

1. Language Skills– Maximum 28 points.
2. Education– Maximum 25 points.
3. Work Experience– Maximum 15 points.
4. Age– Maximum 12 points.
5. Arranged Employment in Canada– Maximum 10 points.
6. Adaptability- Maximum 10 points.

Candidates holding diplomas, bachelor’s, master’s degree with skilled work experience and efficiency in English &/ or French are the ideal candidates for Canada Express Entry Program.

Immigration to Canada via express entry is classified into three parts such as:

• FSW (FEDERAL SKILLED WORKERS)

This program is for skilled workers who like to migrate to Canada. FSW(Federal Skilled Workers) is highly preferred for the Canada Express Entry Program.

• FST (FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES)

FST (Federal Skilled Trades) program is for skilled workers who wish to obtain PR based on their skilled work experience, i.e., their work experience should be for either paid wages or earned commission.

• CEC (CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS)

This program is for skilled workers, who have previously worked in Canada and would like to become Permanent residents of Canada. I.e., they must have a minimum of 1-year skilled experience in Canada during the last three years while they apply for this program. In CEC(Canadian Experience Class) the candidate’s application will be processed much faster than the other programs.

• PNP (PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM)

Provincial Nominee Program Canada is for skilled workers who would like to settle down in a particular province or territory so that their education and work experience will contribute to the economy of that particular place. Each province will have its own guidelines and the worker has to abide by them.

With the said programs for express entry to Canada. It is much easier to settle down in Canada as a permanent resident. Another advantage of moving to Canada is that the candidate need not have a job offer in order to relocate to Canada. However, some of the programs require job offers for candidates. Still, there are lots of options for foreigners to enter Canada without a job offer. 

An express entry application will be considered when it is given for the said programs, so that the candidate may obtain a Canadian express entry visa.

• In order to be eligible to apply for any of the Express Entry programs, the candidate must have at least one year of experience which should be either full time or equivalent part-time in a skilled occupation
• The candidate should possess a minimum score of CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) seven in either English or French.
• Should have completed post-secondary education which has to be against Canadian standards with ECA (Educational Credential Assessment)

These are the requirements that help with Immigration to Canada through the Express Entry Program. Along with these requirements, the candidate needs to have higher CRS (Comprehensive Ranking Score) points. Candidates with a good profile will always be given the first preference to receive the ITA rather than the ones who simply meet the requirement. 

The regular candidates will have to just wait for a longer period of time to navigate through the Express entry program to Canada.

• IELTS

Having a high IELTS score is the first step to success, the good IELTS score in your profile will add up to 160 points. IELTS score with post-secondary education up to Canadian standards means another 50 points in your scorecard. All along with at least three years of work experience is yet another 50 points. In case, your IELTS score is on the risky side. You can still take another IELTS and update your recent scores in your profile which is active in the Express Entry visa program to Canada

This is one among the added advantage in order to score more for the Express Entry visa program to Canada.

• Work Experience

Most of the Immigrants who apply for the Express Entry program are skilled workers, your work experience also plays a pivotal role in the CRS scores. More years of work experience mean more points.

Canadian Experience will automatically make you a more preferred candidate amongst the other candidates. For e.g., if at all a candidate is eligible, yet he/she is inexperienced. They should try entering Canada as a temporary worker or a student. Since, Canadian Experience holds more weightage than foreign country experience. 

Most of the time, candidates undervalue their work experience in different fields. Express entry to Canada uses a system called NOC (National Occupation Classification) to segregate the available jobs based on each skill. Choosing the appropriate NOC code increases the overall score.

After choosing the right NOC code, you will have to prove your work experience. According to the NOC, if you receive the invitation to apply for permanent residence, so the candidate should be pretty cautious while choosing the NOC code for his/her occupation.

• Spouse

If you are accompanied by a spouse or common – law partner for this program, you can claim some more points for your profile. However, this is not the case with all candidates.

They can get you more points by getting an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) for their formal education, or even retaking the language test.

You might have a higher CRS score as an individual. Your profile score depends on your spouse or partner accompanying you, you may get an increased score if you list them as non – accompanying. After receiving the PR, sponsoring them to join you in Canada is still an available option with certain conditions.

If your spouse has a more sound profile than you. You should calculate their score, and if their profile is the predominant one between the two. They can take the lead and submit their profile, instead of yours.

If both of you are independently strong candidates, you can submit separate profiles to the express entry pool and claim each other as accompanying. It increases the rate of success.

• Job Offer

A Job offer from a private company or through the Canadian Job bank is highly beneficial for a candidate with a challenging CRS Score. Job offer from an employer within the Canadian Province can get you anything from 50 to 200 additional points, which is actually a boon for any candidate.

• Provincial Nomination

This is quite different from the other Express Entry programs in Canada. Yet, it has its own perks and benefits. If you are availing a nomination from a Canadian province, which means it’s another 600 points to your profile. Many provinces have nomination programs which are similar to express entry. It all comes down to the candidate to select the appropriate program for a PR visa in Canada.

A qualified candidate from the express entry immigration program to Canada is granted permission by the Canadian Government to live in Canada.  He/ She is henceforth given the PR Visa through the Express entry program in Canada.  After becoming a PR, they can work or relocate anywhere within the country. They can also have access to healthcare and social services, education. Protection under the Law of Canada, making them semi – citizens in the country. After being Permanent resident for a brief period of time, they are liable to become Canadian citizens.  It is noteworthy that the Canadian permanent residents cannot vote in the elections.

The answer is yes!! There are certain programs which allow foreign nationals to immigrate along with their family members. Yet, the family members will be subjected to certain rules and regulations according the immigration program’s policies. For instance, the candidate’s Immigration to Canada and through Express Entry program allows the people who are dependent on the candidate to accompany them like Spouse and children. But parents are an exemption. That’s not it, there are certain family sponsorship programs which also allow common-law partner, parents, and even grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to migrate. It all comes down to the type of program that the candidate chooses to pursue.

If your application is approved, the Canadian government will send you a COPR (Confirmation of Permanent Residence) and PR visa.

Your COPR will have your photo as well as your basic identity details.

In case if the candidate is already in Canada. They will have an interview with the concerned authority for immigration. They will check the candidate’s documents and will also ask them a few questions about relocating to their country.

Before coming to Canada, you can use the free pre – arrival services which helps you in finding out about living in Canada and the atmosphere in which you are going to settle down. You initially go through the lifestyle of Canada, you also have to get proper recognition for your level of education from the Canadian government.

Immigration to Canada via express entry has allowed the use of a mobile application called the ArriveCAN. This app stores your basic information like your name, date of birth and documents related to your travel and also your contact information. You will be provided with a computer generated receipt from this app, which is to be shown to your airline carrier and to the Canadian border officer when you enter into Canada as a Canada Express Entry visa holder. ArriveCAN is useful even after entering Canada.

(Note:- ArriveCAN is mandatory for immigrants who enter Canada through the Express Entry program for Canada immigration)

When you enter the Canadian premises, you will meet the CBSF (Canadian Border Services Agency) officers. The officer will verify your documents and check your biometrics to make sure that you are the same person who was approved to migrate to Canada. The officer will ask you the same questions which were asked when you applied to the Immigration to Canada via express entry program.

It is advisable to keep your passport and other documents by your side at all times, please don’t pack them in your luggage.

After you complete all these process, you are admissible and the officer will welcome you to Canada as a permanent resident and will check your Canadian mailing address where your PR card will be mailed.

The CBSA (Canadian Border Security Agency) has an official website, in which you can find out what and what not to be brought into the Country.

You will find immigration consultants in Canada, who will help you settle down in this wonderful country, and adapt to your new life.

For more details, read the welcome to Canada guide and use the living in Canada tool to find the appropriate services.