(DACA and F1) Questions regarding immigration

[dreamer1201]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are seriously looking into immigrating to Canada. It seems like the best solution for the both of us since we are in an interesting situation given the DACA + F1 visa relationship...

Some background information:

-I am currently a DACA recipient (had it before I turned 18) and my girlfriend is currently on F1 visa (she is currently on OPT which expires 7/2022)
-We both have bachelor’s degrees (mine is in life sciences and hers is in engineering)
-I have around 4 years of experience working as a pharmacy technician, and 2+ years of experience working in the pharma/biotech industry
-GF has around 2 years working in pharma
-I will turn 26 this year and my GF will be 24
-I believe that both of our scores will be in the mid 400’s (assuming that we both do well on the IELTS exam)

I was hoping to get more information/clarifications on the process as there is a large amount of information out there.

I believe that both of us should be eligible for the EE program, but I’m not sure where to get started.

-Is an attorney required/recommended (does anyone have any recommendations? I reached out to MyVisaSource but I have seen some skepticism online).
-What do we do if we cannot find the exact NOC code match for our jobs? For example, I work as a Quality Assurance Analyst for a pharma company but I didn’t see that listed. I’m also not sure if we would be considered Skill Level A or B.
-Silly question, but how “difficult” is it to immigrate to Canada through EE?
-Another silly question, how can we increase our chances of being invited/selected? My GF has previously taken the IELTS exam when she was young and said it was really easy. We will both study and prepare to get the best score, but we’re confident that we can reach a high score.
-I’m having a hard time understanding what provincial nominations are. Are they a part of the EE application?
-Would having a cousin/aunt that lives in Canada help?
-Is there a resource to figure out how much all of this is expected to cost?
-Assuming things work out, would my GF have to travel back to her home country before being able to immigrate successfully?


Thank you so much in advance. We are both in a pickle legally-speaking and trying to find the optimal solution so that we can remain together and get married lawfully.

 

[dreamer1201]

I forgot to ask one more silly question... How is it possible to have a job offer during this process? I have seen it can take around 0.5-1.5 years for this process. We are used to applying for jobs and then starting within 2 weeks to a month. Would an employer in Canada hold out our job offer until we can successfully immigrate?

 

[scylla]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are seriously looking into immigrating to Canada. It seems like the best solution for the both of us since we are in an interesting situation given the DACA + F1 visa relationship...

Some background information:

-I am currently a DACA recipient (had it before I turned 18) and my girlfriend is currently on F1 visa (she is currently on OPT which expires 7/2022)
-We both have bachelor’s degrees (mine is in life sciences and hers is in engineering)
-I have around 4 years of experience working as a pharmacy technician, and 2+ years of experience working in the pharma/biotech industry
-GF has around 2 years working in pharma
-I will turn 26 this year and my GF will be 24
-I believe that both of our scores will be in the mid 400’s (assuming that we both do well on the IELTS exam)

I was hoping to get more information/clarifications on the process as there is a large amount of information out there.

I believe that both of us should be eligible for the EE program, but I’m not sure where to get started.

-Is an attorney required/recommended (does anyone have any recommendations? I reached out to MyVisaSource but I have seen some skepticism online).
-What do we do if we cannot find the exact NOC code match for our jobs? For example, I work as a Quality Assurance Analyst for a pharma company but I didn’t see that listed. I’m also not sure if we would be considered Skill Level A or B.
-Silly question, but how “difficult” is it to immigrate to Canada through EE?
-Another silly question, how can we increase our chances of being invited/selected? My GF has previously taken the IELTS exam when she was young and said it was really easy. We will both study and prepare to get the best score, but we’re confident that we can reach a high score.
-I’m having a hard time understanding what provincial nominations are. Are they a part of the EE application?
-Would having a cousin/aunt that lives in Canada help?
-Is there a resource to figure out how much all of this is expected to cost?
-Assuming things work out, would my GF have to travel back to her home country before being able to immigrate successfully?


Thank you so much in advance. We are both in a pickle legally-speaking and trying to find the optimal solution so that we can remain together and get married lawfully.

- You should assume that securing a job offer won't be possible and you'll need to qualify for PR without the support of a job offer. The vast majority of employers are not willing to go through the job offer / LMIA process.
- No lawyer is required. You can certainly do it yourself provided you're ready to spend time on the research. If you're finding it challenging, then it may be best to hire a lawyer (stay away from consultants).
- You need to find a NOC that matches your occupation / experience. Keep researching and looking.
- How difficult it is to immigrate depends on your score. If your score is 480+, the your chances are good. If your score is below 470, then your chances will be significantly less.
- Increase your score to increase your chances of being selected. At least one of you will need to take IELTS. Knowing French and passing a French language test will boost your score. Work experience in a skilled profession will boost your score. Higher education will boost your score.
- PNPs are separate immigration programs although some of them involve having an EE profile. Keep researching to understand more.
- No, having a cousin / aunt in Canada generally does not help.
- There is a list of fees on the IRCC web site. It will cost several hundred dollars more for things like PCCs, language tests, medicals, etc.
- I don't understand your last question. If you are common law (i.e. have lived together for at least one year), then you can apply together as part of one application.

Make sure you research what will happen if you leave the US. You may be facing a 10 year ban from re-entering (of course you might not care about that).

 

[dreamer1201]

- You should assume that securing a job offer won't be possible and you'll need to qualify for PR without the support of a job offer. The vast majority of employers are not willing to go through the job offer / LMIA process.
- No lawyer is required. You can certainly do it yourself provided you're ready to spend time on the research. If you're finding it challenging, then it may be best to hire a lawyer (stay away from consultants).
- You need to find a NOC that matches your occupation / experience. Keep researching and looking.
- How difficult it is to immigrate depends on your score. If your score is 480+, the your chances are good. If your score is below 470, then your chances will be significantly less.
- Increase your score to increase your chances of being selected. At least one of you will need to take IELTS. Knowing French and passing a French language test will boost your score. Work experience in a skilled profession will boost your score. Higher education will boost your score.
- PNPs are separate immigration programs although some of them involve having an EE profile. Keep researching to understand more.
- No, having a cousin / aunt in Canada generally does not help.
- There is a list of fees on the IRCC web site. It will cost several hundred dollars more for things like PCCs, language tests, medicals, etc.
- I don't understand your last question. If you are common law (i.e. have lived together for at least one year), then you can apply together as part of one application.

Make sure you research what will happen if you leave the US. You may be facing a 10 year ban from re-entering (of course you might not care about that).

Thank you for your quick response. Regarding the last point, we have been living together for several years in the US. Does that still count for the purpose of the application (if we lived together but not married in the states, can we file a single application?)?

 

[scylla]

Thank you for your quick response. Regarding the last point, we have been living together for several years in the US. Does that still count for the purpose of the application (if we lived together but not married in the states, can we file a single application?)?

Yes - as long as you have proof of cohabitation, it certainly counts. And yes, that means you can submit one application (with one of you as the primary applicant and the other as the dependent). Suggest you run the numbers to see who ends up with the higher score. That person should be the primary applicant.

 

[dreamer1201]

Yes - as long as you have proof of cohabitation, it certainly counts. And yes, that means you can submit one application (with one of you as the primary applicant and the other as the dependent). Suggest you run the numbers to see who ends up with the higher score. That person should be the primary applicant.

Thank you again for your help! I’m glad that we can apply together. Do you have any additional advice/words of wisdom for this whole process? I’ve been in the US for most of my life so immigration sounds like it could be overwhelming.

 

[scylla]

Thank you again for your help! I’m glad that we can apply together. Do you have any additional advice/words of wisdom for this whole process? I’ve been in the US for most of my life so immigration sounds like it could be overwhelming.

Dedicate significant time to reading through the program information in great detail (i.e. information on the official IRCC website). Dedicate significant time to reading through historical posts in the Express Entry section of this forum (and also the PNP section if you are interested in these programs). Basically research, research, research.

Also book your IELTS appointments asap. And get your ECAs done.

 

[bryndog1950]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are seriously looking into immigrating to Canada. It seems like the best solution for the both of us since we are in an interesting situation given the DACA + F1 visa relationship...

Some background information:

-I am currently a DACA recipient (had it before I turned 18) and my girlfriend is currently on F1 visa (she is currently on OPT which expires 7/2022)
-We both have bachelor’s degrees (mine is in life sciences and hers is in engineering)
-I have around 4 years of experience working as a pharmacy technician, and 2+ years of experience working in the pharma/biotech industry
-GF has around 2 years working in pharma
-I will turn 26 this year and my GF will be 24
-I believe that both of our scores will be in the mid 400’s (assuming that we both do well on the IELTS exam)

I was hoping to get more information/clarifications on the process as there is a large amount of information out there.

I believe that both of us should be eligible for the EE program, but I’m not sure where to get started.

-Is an attorney required/recommended (does anyone have any recommendations? I reached out to MyVisaSource but I have seen some skepticism online).
-What do we do if we cannot find the exact NOC code match for our jobs? For example, I work as a Quality Assurance Analyst for a pharma company but I didn’t see that listed. I’m also not sure if we would be considered Skill Level A or B.
-Silly question, but how “difficult” is it to immigrate to Canada through EE?
-Another silly question, how can we increase our chances of being invited/selected? My GF has previously taken the IELTS exam when she was young and said it was really easy. We will both study and prepare to get the best score, but we’re confident that we can reach a high score.
-I’m having a hard time understanding what provincial nominations are. Are they a part of the EE application?
-Would having a cousin/aunt that lives in Canada help?
-Is there a resource to figure out how much all of this is expected to cost?
-Assuming things work out, would my GF have to travel back to her home country before being able to immigrate successfully?


Thank you so much in advance. We are both in a pickle legally-speaking and trying to find the optimal solution so that we can remain together and get married lawfully.

The exact job title is not the most important factor in determining your NOC code, what matters is the job duties.
You might find this discussion in this forum useful as a starting point.
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/need-noc-help-for-pharma-qa-profile.499447/

 

[canuck78]

Having one part of a married couple or common law couple immigrate first often leads to a higher score. You have to apply together if you or common law or else you will never be able to sponsor each other. A second degree pushes up your score.

 

[dreamer1201]

The exact job title is not the most important factor in determining your NOC code, what matters is the job duties.
You might find this discussion in this forum useful as a starting point.
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/need-noc-help-for-pharma-qa-profile.499447/

Does the application only allow for one code to be selected despite having different types of job experiences?

 

[dreamer1201]

Having one part of a married couple or common law couple immigrate first often leads to a higher score. You have to apply together if you or common law or else you will never be able to sponsor each other. A second degree pushes up your score.

Just to clarify, did you mean that if we submit one application together but one of us immigrates first, that would lead to a higher score?

 

[canuck78]

Just to clarify, did you mean that if we submit one application together but one of us immigrates first, that would lead to a higher score?

Yes if you both apply together but one is listed as non-accompanying your score should increase. Then you'd need to sponsor the other person. If they can enter Canada on a TRV then you could sponsor inland.

 

[bryndog1950]

Does the application only allow for one code to be selected despite having different types of job experiences?

I am not an expert but I believe that you can use more that one NOC code to claim points, as long as each one is a skill level 0, A or B.

The Work Experience section on the Canadian Government Immigration website contains the following information.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/federal-skilled-workers/six-selection-factors-federal-skilled-workers.html#experience

Work experience (maximum 15 points)
You can get points for the number of years you’ve spent doing full-time paid work (at least 30 hours per week, or an equal amount of part-time [15 hours per week for 24 months]) at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2016 National Occupational Classification.
To get selection factor points, your work experience will count if it was:
in Canada or abroad
while you were studying
while being self-employed
Finding your National Occupational Classification (NOC)
The NOC is a list of all the occupations in the Canadian labour market and is used to classify jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for different jobs.
You will need to identify the “NOC code” for each job that you want to include in your Express Entry profile. Find your NOC to find the information that best matches each of your past jobs.
If the description and list of main duties match what you did at your job(s), you can count this experience for points.

Use this chart to find the number of points based on your number of years of experience.
Experience Maximum 15 points
1 year 9
2-3 years 11
4-5 years 13
6 or more years 15