As of January 1, 2015, foreign nationals must receive an invitation from CIC before they may apply to the above programs. Express Entry eliminates the requirement to process applicants in these programs through a first come first serve basis. CIC aims to process 80 percent of complete Express Entry applications in six months or less. Quebec’s economic immigration programs are not managed through Express Entry.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that Canada's long awaited expression of interest program “Express Entry”. This is great news for all skilled workers around the world who are interested in immigrating to Canada

The new program involves many improvements to Canadian immigration, including quicker processing times, greater accessibility to applicants from a wider variety of different fields, and a greater focus on the quality of applications

Express Entry is used by CIC for managing the intake of economic immigration applications submitted on or after January 1, 2015, for the below programs.

HOW TO "EXPRESS INTEREST"

In Express Entry, foreign nationals wishing to express their interest in coming to Canada must complete an online profile through their “MyCIC” account. Those who appear to meet the criteria of one or more of the three federal immigration programs managed through Express Entry (FSW, FST and CEC) are automatically entered into the Express Entry pool of candidates.

Candidates who do not have a qualifying offer of arranged employment or a provincial or territorial nomination when completing their profile are required to register with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)’s Job Bank.

HONESTY TRUTHFULNESS

When applicants submit their application via their “MyCIC” account, they must provide proof of the claims made in their Express Entry profile, on the basis of which they were invited to apply. Failure to do so will lead to a refusal of the application. Persons who misrepresent their qualifications in their Express Entry profile and/or their application may face a five-year ban from submitting any further immigration applications to Canada (including temporary residence applications). Applicants who apply through Express Entry are subject to standard admissibility requirements (health and security checks).

EXPRESS ENTRY DRAWS INVITATION TO APPLY (ITA)

On a regular basis, CIC conducts “draws” and invites the highest ranked Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence. Express Entry draws are done at a frequency and in numbers that align with CIC’s processing capacity and annual levels targets. Draws can be general and include all programs (top ranked candidates are drawn regardless of immigration program) or be program-specific (top ranked CEC candidates only).

From the date of issuance of an Invitation to Apply (ITA), candidates have 60 calendar days to submit a complete online application for permanent residence through their “MyCIC” account. The application for permanent residence is a dynamic form that asks the applicant questions based on their profile (if the applicant declares a spouse, the system prompts the applicant with questions about the spouse).

Being in the Express Entry pool does not guarantee that a candidate will be issued an ITA. Likewise, an ITA does not guarantee that an applicant will receive a positive decision on their application for permanent residence.

COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM

Candidates receive a score based on CIC’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and are ranked against each other in the Express Entry pool. CRS is based on objective criteria known to contribute to an immigrant’s economic success in Canada and was developed by CIC through evidence-based research. Candidates can score a maximum of 1,200 points in CRS, with points allocated as follows:

• A core set of human capital factors that drive economic outcomes: Age, level of education, official language proficiency, and work experience
  
• A set of spousal factors: Age, level of education, official language proficiency, and work experience
  
• A set of skills transferability or interaction factors that amplify the core set
  
• Points awarded for candidates with a validated provincial/territorial nomination and/or a qualifying offer of arranged employment
  

You must prove your ability in English or French in these four areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You must meet the minimum language levels, which are different depending on the program. You must take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and include the results when you complete your Express Entry profile if you are invited to apply for permanent residence. If you do not, you will not be eligible for Express Entry. Your test results must be less than two years old when we get your application for permanent residence.

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is used to verify that your foreign degree, diploma, certificate (or other proof of your credential) is valid and equal to a Canadian one. If you have a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate, you do not need to get an ECA. You will need to get an ECA for your foreign degree, diploma or certificate if you want to be considered under Express Entry. In addition, you need to get an ECA if you want to receive Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for your foreign education for yourself as an Express Entry candidate, or for your spouse or common-law partner coming with you to Canada.

To be eligible in Express Entry, you must include ECA results as part of your Express Entry profile. The ECA report must show that your completed foreign credential (degree, diploma or certificate) is equal to a completed Canadian secondary school (high school) or post-secondary credential. You must submit an ECA for all levels of completed foreign education you want to be considered. It is up to you to decide which credentials to have assessed by a designated organization. Depending on your case, you may want to have both your secondary and post-secondary credentials assessed, and not just your highest completed foreign credential.

An ECA can give you early feedback on how your credentials compare to those in Canada. It may also help when you are looking for a job. But, being assessed does not guarantee that you will get a job in your field or at a certain level, your work experience and professional credentials are automatically recognized in Canada, you will be licensed to practice in a regulated profession.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will only accept an ECA from one of the organizations designated by CIC. The original ECA report must be issued on or after the date CIC-designated the organization, not be more than five years old on the date that CIC gets your Express Entry profile, and your application for permanent residence, and show your credential is equal to a completed Canadian one.

If you want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant (Express Entry). your job, and the work you have done in the past, must be managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0), professional jobs (NOC skill type A), or technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B) to use Express Entry. You must have at least 12 months of full-time, or an equal amount in part-time, skilled work experience. Full-time work means at least 30 hours of paid work per week.

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a system used by the Government of Canada to classify jobs (occupations). Jobs are grouped based on the type of work a person does and the types of job duties. Many of Canada’s immigration programs use it to decide if a job, or type of work experience, is valid for that program’s criteria. For instance, if a person wants to apply as a skilled worker they should check the NOC to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B).

The job information is broken down into a number of groups. For immigration purposes, the main groups are:

We follow a straightforward three-step process for immigration inquiries:.

1) We collect your information and identify “red flags”, if any.

2) We conduct an in-depth assessment, provide you with a comprehensive consultation to fully understand your options, and most importantly, we walk you through the requirements for each option.

3) We confirm that you have a strong immigration case, and you can retain us as your authorized representative to process your permanent resident application with the Canadian government (provincial and/or federal).

Save your time, effort, and thousands of dollars spent under a “false hope". Conduct an assessment and receive a consultation by an authorized representative and a licensed entity that has a track record of achievement in the Canadian immigration system.