ANY chance of acceptance without job offer? Can you update later with offer?

[mysticdaisy]

Hi, I have a doctorate and am just the right age Canada wants, and am a fluent English speaker, etc., but I have no job offer, because 1) I think I may want to do a startup, and the company therefore won't exist at first to give me a job offer, and 2) Even if pursuing a normal job, I'd like to start the application further ahead of time (most places don't hire 6 months out).

1) Is there any point to doing this? It seems like anybody with a job offer automatically has more points, even if at bare minimum qualifying experience, education, etc. So is anybody EVER chosen without job offer?

2) After submitting a non-offer-including application, if you get an offer later, is it possible to add it on and up your point count then, after submission?

Thanks!

 

[jes_ON]

Oh my. Well, you need to start at the beginning, if you think a job offer is required.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/

You posted in the CEC forum, I'm not sure if that is an accident or if you do have the required Canadian work experience.

You can also try this tool to see if you are eligible. It's not perfect, but it's a good place to start.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/ctc-vac/getting-started.asp

 

[jes_ON]

1) So is anybody EVER chosen without job offer? Yes. Most valid job offers are currently worth 50 points (down from 600 points before the program revisions in November 2016).

2) After submitting a non-offer-including application, if you get an offer later, is it possible to add it on and up your point count then, after submission?
After submission of an Expression Interest profile to the express entry program (step one), yes, you can update it. After submission of the actual PR application (step 2), no, you cannot "add" a job offer, but then, you wouldn't need to either.

 

[mysticdaisy]

if you do have Canadian work experience

Yes, sorry, forgot to mention, but I do have 18 months of full time Canadian work experience in a skill level A category job. I will have 24 months by the time my work visa expires.

if you think a job offer is required

I know it's not technically required to apply, I was wondering if it's, practically speaking, effectively required to ever actually get chosen off the top of the list, or whether people with job offers would always be getting pulled out in line in front of me.

Most valid job offers are currently worth 50 points

Excellent, this sounds awesome then! Thank you. I kept seeing the 600 point figure, but those sources must have been out of date. Feeling much more optimistic now