Help me understand the 'come to Canada" tool

[Avadava]

Hi all! I am doing some research to help my brother immigrate to Canada. Some backstory:
- He will receive a permanent job offer from an employer in BC by the end of this week
- He is planning to apply for BC PNP to get the extra 600 points for the nomination
- He is a web developer with 5+ years experience and his EE score is 69

Now so far, it looks pretty straightforward. But I have hit a dead end. For the BC PNP, he needs to choose which program he wants to apply to, EE-SW or SI-SW. In order to apply for Express Entry - Skilled worker with BC PNP, he needs to:

• "have received an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code from the IRCC Express Entry system. This shows you meet the minimum criteria for one of IRCC’s Express Entry programs:
  • Federal Skilled Worker Program
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program
  • Canadian Experience Class"

Now, when he tries the "Come to Canada" tool and answers the questions there, at some point, after a certain question, the page says he is not eligible to apply for EE at this point. The question that prompts this answer is: "Are you currently working legally in Canada"? Since he is not working at the moment (will have a job offer soon), he answers NO to this question. And as I said before, the tool says he is not eligible for EE. He has tried to answer YES just to see what happens next, and sure enough, the page continues with other questions about family members in Canada, school credentials, etc. and at the end, it says he is eligible.

Can someone explain why he is deemed ineligible if he doesn't currently work legally in Canada? I am at a loss, if you could please advise what can be done after he receives this job offer, I would really appreciate it.

 

[crescent_jam]

Hi all! I am doing some research to help my brother immigrate to Canada. Some backstory:
- He will receive a permanent job offer from an employer in BC by the end of this week
- He is planning to apply for BC PNP to get the extra 600 points for the nomination
- He is a web developer with 5+ years experience and his EE score is 69

Now so far, it looks pretty straightforward. But I have hit a dead end. For the BC PNP, he needs to choose which program he wants to apply to, EE-SW or SI-SW. In order to apply for Express Entry - Skilled worker with BC PNP, he needs to:

• "have received an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code from the IRCC Express Entry system. This shows you meet the minimum criteria for one of IRCC’s Express Entry programs:
  • Federal Skilled Worker Program
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program
  • Canadian Experience Class"

Now, when he tries the "Come to Canada" tool and answers the questions there, at some point, after a certain question, the page says he is not eligible to apply for EE at this point. The question that prompts this answer is: "Are you currently working legally in Canada"? Since he is not working at the moment (will have a job offer soon), he answers NO to this question. And as I said before, the tool says he is not eligible for EE. He has tried to answer YES just to see what happens next, and sure enough, the page continues with other questions about family members in Canada, school credentials, etc. and at the end, it says he is eligible.

Can someone explain why he is deemed ineligible if he doesn't currently work legally in Canada? I am at a loss, if you could please advise what can be done after he receives this job offer, I would really appreciate it.

It might not be that specific question that's resulting in the ineligibility. Rather, it might just be that, by that point in the questionnaire, the system is calculating that he doesn't meet the eligibility requirements for any of the three programmes under Express Entry - the Federal Skilled Workers Programme (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class Programme (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Programme (FST). Use the following links to see if he's eligible for one of these programmes - if he's not eligible for any of the three of them, this is why you're getting that result...

• Use this webpage here to see if you're eligible under the FSW programme (you need a score of at least 67 out of 100): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-factors.asp
• If you DO have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience, use this webpage to determine if you're eligible under the CEC programme: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/apply-who.asp
• If you don’t meet eligibility under either FSW or CEC, use this webpage to determine if you’re eligible under the FST programme: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/perm/econ/fst/processing/criteria.asp

Please note as well that not every offer of employment constitutes 'valid arranged employment' under the Express Entry system, for the purpose of getting CRS points. There are very specific conditions that need to be met.

In order to gain points toward your CRS Score, the arranged employment or job offer would have to be from a Canadian employer, offering you a full-time, non-seasonal job for one year or more and the job offer would need to be supported by a positive LMIA (labour market impact assessment) (unless it’s an LMIA-exempt job).

Please visit the following website to review what constitutes a VALID offer of employment in Canada for Express Entry purposes below, and whether the offer in question meet the criteria to claim points for your Canadian employment: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/offer.asp

 

[Avadava]

Thanks for the reply!

Under the FSW program, he scores 69/100. This should mean that he is eligible. His job offer is valid, Canadian employer, permanent, has a positive LMIA. I just don't understand why the tool says he isn't eligible. If he answers 'yes' to that specific question, then it says he is eligible. Shrug, I might need to go to an immigration consultant.

 

[crescent_jam]

Thanks for the reply!

Under the FSW program, he scores 69/100. This should mean that he is eligible. His job offer is valid, Canadian employer, permanent, has a positive LMIA. I just don't understand why the tool says he isn't eligible. If he answers 'yes' to that specific question, then it says he is eligible. Shrug, I might need to go to an immigration co

If you can give us more information about his profile, we might be able to help. Do you have the time to take us step-by-step through each question and the answer you're giving before you get the 'ineligibility' response?

 

[Avadava]

Q. Which province or territory do you plan to live in?

If you don't know yet, choose the province or territory you are most interested in.
Answer: BC

Q. Canada's official languages are English and French.

You need to submit language test results for all programs under Express Entry, even if English or French is your first language. Which language test did you take for your first official language?
A: IELTS

Q. What date did you take this test?
A: 2017-11-04

Q.
Enter the test score for Speaking. A: 8.5
Enter the test score for Listening. A: 8
Enter the test score for Reading. A: 8
Enter the test score for Writing. A: 7.5

Q. Do you have other language results? Which language test did you take for your second official language?
A: None

Q.
In the last three years, how many years of skilled work experience do you have in Canada? It must have been full-time (or an equal amount in part time).
A: None
During this period, which National Occupation Classification (NOC) level is most of the experience in?

If you do not have any Canadian work experience during this period, please choose "None of the above".
A: None of the above

Q. In the last 10 years, how many years of skilled work experience do you have? It must have been continuous, paid, full-time (or an equal amount in part-time), and in only one occupation.
A: Four to five

In the last five years, do you have at least two years of experience in one of these types of jobs (skilled trades)?

• industrial, electrical and construction trades (NOC codes that start in 72)
• maintenance and equipment operation trades (NOC codes that start in 73)
• supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production (NOC codes that start in 82)
• processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators (NOC codes that start in 92)
• chefs and cooks or (NOC codes that start in 632)
• butchers and bakers (NOC codes that start in 633

If you are not sure of the NOC for your job, you can find it on the Find your NOC page.
A: None (his NOC is 2175)

Q. How much money (in Canadian dollars) will you bring to Canada?
A: Less than 12,999 (he has a valid job offer and doesn't need to show proof of sufficient funds)

Q. How many family members do you have?
A: 1 (he is single, never married)

Q. Do you have a valid job offer in Canada?
A: Yes

Q. Are you currently working legally in Canada?
A: No

And this is where it stops and shows this message:
Express Entry
Based on your answers, you do not appear to be eligible for Express Entry

 

[Avadava]

As I said before, If he answers YES to that last question, then the page proceeds to generate more questions, and by answering the subsequent questions, it says he is eligible for EE.

So as you can see, he can't answer YES to that question because he is not working currently in Canada. Been thinking about this for the past 2 days and trying to figure this out. I'm guessing he might need to apply for a work permit based on his valid job offer and positive LMIA and come to Canada and work. Only after that, he can then answer YES to that question (Are you currently working legally in Canada). It just seems a bit odd that he would have to get a work permit in order to qualify for EE.

 

[crescent_jam]

As I said before, If he answers YES to that last question, then the page proceeds to generate more questions, and by answering the subsequent questions, it says he is eligible for EE.

So as you can see, he can't answer YES to that question because he is not working currently in Canada. Been thinking about this for the past 2 days and trying to figure this out. I'm guessing he might need to apply for a work permit based on his valid job offer and positive LMIA and come to Canada and work. Only after that, he can then answer YES to that question (Are you currently working legally in Canada). It just seems a bit odd that he would have to get a work permit in order to qualify for EE.

Hmmmm....I'm not sure, but try changing your answer for the 'how much money will you bring to Canada' question and see what happens... Assume for the time being that he still has to prove he has enough money, even with a 'valid job offer', since he's not CURRENTLY authorized to work in Canada...

 

[Avadava]

I thought about this as well, but haven't tried it yet because 'less than $12,999" is still sufficient for a family of 1 even without the job offer (see https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/become-candidate/eligibility/proof-funds.html)

I will try now though and see what happens.

 

[Avadava]

OMG! You were right!!!! I can't believe it! I changed the answer from "less than $12,999" to "$12,300 - $15,000" and it said he is eligible!

Thank you so much for your insight! A fresh set of eyes is always helpful! I considered this as well, but thought he is still covered since he needs $12,400 for 1 person as proof of funds.

 

[crescent_jam]

OMG! You were right!!!! I can't believe it! I changed the answer from "less than $12,999" to "$12,300 - $15,000" and it said he is eligible!

Thank you so much for your insight! A fresh set of eyes is always helpful! I considered this as well, but thought he is still covered since he needs $12,400 for 1 person as proof of funds.

I'm so glad! Good luck to your brother and let us know if you have any other questions!