Emigration To Canada For Skilled Workers

The Express Entry Pathway

Express Entry is not an immigration program in itself.  Rather, “Express Entry” is the name given to an application processing system used by Canada’s immigration agency, the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada).  The Express Entry process is used to select candidates for immigration into Canada and replaced a first-filed, first-answered queueing system.

Express Entry is the Canadian Immigration pathway for skilled workers who wish to immigrate to Canada and acquire permanent residence. 

There are Three manages three main federal economic programs:

Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)

Federal Skilled Trades (FST)

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

In order to submit a profile through the Express Entry system, candidates must meet the eligibility requirements for one at least one of these three Express Entry pathways.

For Express Entry Eligibility

Individuals with university or college degrees, skilled work experience and moderate proficiency in English and/or French are ideal Express Entry candidates.

The easiest way to find out if you are eligible is to complete our free assessment.

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Your Skills Assessment

This is the most important step in your case; it will determine your eligibility and improve your chances of selection for emigration with sponsorship from an employer, province or federal government.  Offers are made based on a candidate’s points; those with the highest points will be selected first.  You secure points based on your case history, therefore preparation is vital and key to securing an invite from one of the bodies eligible to make such an invitation.

Federal Selection

This is the most challenging route into Canada as a skilled worker; however, the benefits are valuable once granted.  Your skills are required to be in demand on a national level, and your points must also be higher than those with similar skills in the “Expression Of Interest” pool awaiting an invitation.  With Federal Selection, you will be granted residency on arrival, you can live and work freely in Canada, and you are allowed to bring your family with you to enjoy all that Canada has to offer.

Provincial Nomination

A province may have a shortage of skills not recognised nationally.  In these cases, a province may nominate you to come to Canada and work in their region.  These are often excellent ways to emigrate as provinces work hard to grow their skills base.  There is always competition for these visas, and you will be selected based on links to the region and your case history points.

Employer Sponsorship

An employer who has the necessary licence may make you an offer of employment.  A person is allowed to accept a job offer subject to securing the necessary visa.  Employers will be able to view your “Expression of Interest” application in the Canadian job bank and decide if they wish to offer you employment.  Candidates are also able to contact employers who have a shortage of skills.  Prior to accepting any offer, it is important that the individual is happy with the employer as it would be devastating to arrive in Canada only to find you are working in a job you do not enjoy.  Once in Canada, you can source a new employer but will be required to secure the necessary work permit prior to taking a new role.

Recognition of Your Skills

Skills Recognition Authorities (SRAs) are not Canadian government agencies, but the Canadian government authorises them to provide assessments of overseas applicants’ skills and qualifications. The Canadian immigration authorities then use those assessments to compare and contrast your (foreign) credentials against Canadian standards.  
 
In order to assess your skills, they will require proof of all your qualifications and/or evidence of skills gained in the workplace, along with time spent on the job, via a record of prior learning plus references from previous employers. 
 
Once they have received and reviewed this information, you may need to sit a skills assessment in Canada. The assessor will be a qualified person who has worked in your field and who is deemed eligible to assess your level of competence.  Their aim is to ensure you are of equal standard to a Canadian-qualified person in your trade or profession.

Professional Governing Bodies For Regulated Professions

Professional regulatory bodies exist for various professions, including medicine, accountancy, law and engineering.  These professional bodies may operate separately from the assessing authorities and, in many cases, have their own assessment standards.
 
Professional bodies may require you to obtain a minimum number of supervised hours of employment in Canada prior to awarding your registration, and in some cases, they may also require you to take a course in Canada prior to granting your certification. 
 
These bodies can create real issues for people who wish to emigrate. Even though their skills are in demand, they meet the regulated standards, and they are more than competent to benefit the local economy.  If you work in a regulated profession, we can advise you further on a case-by-case basis.

How To Apply

Each professional body is entitled to establish its own application processes.  Increasingly, these bodies are upgrading their internal systems to allow for applications to be made online. Documentation they require must be presented in English or French or translated by a regulated and approved translator and ‘certified’ prior to submission. 
 
You should NEVER send original documents as they can go missing and assessing bodies do not like receiving originals, so they are explicit about not making guarantees about their return. 
 
Typically, an SRA will request transcripts to be sent directly from your previous universities, which we can assist you in arranging if required.  The processing time varies from case to case however most cases are completed within 12 weeks, keep this in mind while planning your migration.

How much experience do you need to qualify?

The Canadian immigration authority awards points after a minimum of one year of working in your profession.  However, the skills assessing bodies are entitled to require far more on-the-job experience. They may deem that the earlier years in your career go towards your training period and, therefore, do not include those years in their qualification of competence.  As always, these matters are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and it is important both to choose the right SRA and to make a well-presented case when you file your application for assessment.

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Qualifiying under Express Entry Points Test

Canada uses a points test to determine who it wishes to invite to emigrate. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, points are awarded based on the following criteria:

      • age
      • education
      • work experience
      • whether you have a valid job offer
      • English or French language skills
      • adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle here)

      Canada assigns an overall score out of 100 based on your performance in each of the 6 factors.

      The current pass mark is 67 points.

       Each year, Canada sets a quota of skilled migrants it wishes to accept. Periodically throughout the year, Canada selects those candidates from across the globe with the highest points scores.

Three Simple Steps For Migration to Canada

Each of our cases has three key stages, which are set out below. We complete each stage thoroughly and accurately before progressing to ensure we build on solid foundations, which enhances your likelihood of success.

STEP ONE  – Skills Assessment

– Confirmation that you hold the necessary skills in demand – We must evidence the facts and present the best possible case to support this.
 
– English Language: ability to meet the required standard – We secure the necessary evidence and help you prepare for any potential English language test. This may not be required in all cases. However, it is often helpful to build a strong case.
 
– Work Experience – We guide you on how to present your references and evidence of your prior learning, ensuring they comply with the authorities’ requirements and local employer standards. We can also work with previous employers to advise them on what must appear in the content of their references.
 
– Educational qualifications – Using our specialist international qualifications equivalency test we review your achievements, to be ready to submit for approval to immigration authorities.
 
– Assist the Skills Approval Authorities to review your case – We ensure your skills meet the required standards and secure the maximum points available which will help with your future Immigration case.
 

How long does it take to secure my skills assessment?

We require all your documents prior to submission of your case. Compiling all the necessary documents can take some time and is dependent on the speed at which you present them to us.  In many cases, we also require evidence of the qualifications you have obtained from college(s)/university(ies) and your record of prior learning.
 
Once we have prepared and submitted your case,, the skills assessing body usually takes between 8 and 12 weeks to process it. Naturally, this depends on how busy the case managers are at that time and the complexity of your case.

Why do I need my skills assessed?

You can not apply to emigrate until we have provided evidence that your skills are of an adequate standard compared with those skills required in Canada.  Employers and the Immigration Authorities will use the results of your skills assessment in the next stage of the visa process to determine the strength of your case.  The better we do at this stage, the more offers you will receive in Canada from Local employers, Regional government sponsorship and/or national Government.

STEP TWO – Submission of Your Expression of Interest

– We design and prepare your application to achieve the maximum points available based on your case history.
 
– We represent your case to the dealing Officer as required to protect your best interests.
 

– We present you to local employers whom the Government licenses to employ overseas talent who match your career objectives, skills and experience.

– For regulated professionals, we assist with the registration process.

Based on a number of factors drawn from your skills assessment and initial submissions, candidates are selected from the pool of international talent by the provincial or federal government or offered a position of employment by a local employer. We reviewed these options and opportunities at that time. You must secure an invitation to apply to live and work in Canada at this stage.

Three options are available at the invitation stage:

1) Offer of Employment
A Canadian employer with the correct licence may offer you a position. You are not obliged to accept any job offer, however, if you decide you would like to take the job offer we shall apply for the necessary work permit.
2) Provincial Nomination Programmes (PNPs)
A regional Government has the option to invite you to apply to live and work in their region. Each province has their own criteria and skills in demand. Some PNPs are closed for the next few months, but several remain open as these territories work hard to grow their economies through the immigration of skills.
 
If you apply for a PNP and secure a place, you will receive an invitation that we submit to the Federal Government, which will invite you to migrate to Canada. Some PNPs undertake to complete your case within six months, which can be attractive to those who qualify and are in a rush. The condition is that you undertake to live and work in the Province that sponsors you for a minimum of two years.
3) Invitation from the Canadian Federal Government
This is the best option if your skills and qualifications are in demand and meet Canadian Standards. You will be invited to live and work in Canada and secure Permanent Residency on arrival, leaving you free to live and work wherever you wish in Canada.
 
These three routes are each beneficial and require you to qualify via your positive skills assessment and expression of interest. We shall discuss each option at this time so you are empowered to make the choice that best matches your needs.

STEP THREE – Securing Your Visa

– We discuss the merits of the offer to apply for the relevant Permanent Residency (PR) visa offered at this time as it may include a state/provincial sponsorship offer, an employer offering sponsorship or a central Government offer to sponsor you for a PR visa.
 
– We prepare all application forms presenting the best possible case to meet the Immigration officer’s requirements when reviewing your file.
 
We discuss the merits of your case with you – Often, we are asked follow-up questions that we address as they arise in accordance with current policy and regulations and allay any concerns an immigration officer may have.
 
FINALLY, you can celebrate! You’re good to go and start your new life in Canada with a visa that meets your needs.
 
Start the process today by clicking below to complete our Free Consultation form.

Frequently Asked
Questions

To submit a profile, you must meet the minimum requirements for one of the Federal Express Entry programs. If you are ineligible, it may be because you do not meet the minimum program requirements or have less than the required minimum proof of funds.

If this is the case, you may benefit from our Entrepreneur/Investor scheme as it does not require a points test.

An Express Entry profile is valid for 12 months. However, if you become ineligible for Express Entry while you are in the pool, your profile may be removed before 12 months have passed.

To provide proof for each period of work experience on your Express Entry profile, you must secure a reference letter from each of your employers from the past ten years. Visit the page on how to write a reference letter for Canadian immigration and what documents can be used in place of a reference letter if needed.

To demonstrate proof of funds for Express Entry, applicants must submit letters from financial institutes where they keep their money. The letter must include the following:

  • Printed on the financial institution’s letterhead
  • Include the financial institution’s contact information
  • Include the name of the applicant
  • List any outstanding debts or loans
  • Include the following information for each account:
    • Account numbers
    • Date of opening
    • Current balance of each account
    • Average balance for the previous six months

How much does Express Entry cost?

Submitting an initial application and calling an Expression of interest to see if you will be selected is FREE. The Government only charge visa fees once you have been invited to apply to emigrate.

Express Entry visa fees are approx. $2,300 CAD for a single applicant or about $4,500 CAD for a couple. The breakdown of costs includes:

  1. Language tests: – £300
  2. Educational Credential Assessment (ECA): Average cost – $200
  3. Biometrics: $85 per person
  4. Government fees: $1,325 per adult and 225 per child
  5. Medical examination fees: £300 per person approx.
  6. Police clearance certificates: £110 for those over 18 years

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