Resources section- link
You can download all the common templates required for submission of documents to IRCC from the above link.
I am writing this post to help the other candidates and ensure that they don’t face the same difficulty that I faced while applying for Express Entry.
The Express Entry is a system used by the Canadian government to manage applications for Canadian permanent residence for certain economic immigration programs. and invite people "who are most likely to succeed economically.
The Express Entry has basically 3 main programs for economic immigration:
a. Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP) - It is one of the most common and popular Immigration program, inviting prospective applicants from around the globe to apply for the Canadian PR.
b. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) - It is the other major program for economic immigration inviting applicants who are currently working in Canada under any work visas.
c. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) – It is a minor program wherein candidates from around the globe, involved in specific trades such as electrician and construction, transport and manufacturing are invited from around the globe to apply for the Canadian PR.
I will be discussing only about the FSWP in this post.
Eligibility to apply for the programs:
To be eligible to apply for the program, you have to score 67 out of 100 FSW Points. These points are accorded on the basis of various factors such as your age, your work experience, your education and your language proficiency.
You can check your eligibility by clicking on this link.
If you have scored 67 points, congratulations you are eligible to apply for the Canadian PR under the Federal Skilled Workers Program.
Express Entry Pool:
Once you are eligible to apply for the Canadian PR, the next step is to create a profile and enter the express entry pool.
An express entry profile can be created on clicking the following link.
Express entry pool is a common pool or bank of candidates wherein candidates who meet the initial eligibility criteria of 67 points can submit their profiles and are given a Comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score automatically based on their age, work experience, education and language proficiency.
A cut off is released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) twice every month and candidates who have a score above the cut off in the pool are invited to apply for permanent residence.
But please note that before creating an express entry profile, there are certain prerequisites discussed below:
Requirements before creation of EE profile:
Before you can create an express entry profile, you will need to do certain things which are prerequisite to create a profile:
1. Language tests:
Canada has 2 official languages, English and French. For almost all economic immigration programmes, a language test is to be taken compulsorily. The test can be taken in either English or French from the below mentioned recognised testing agencies:
English: International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CEPLIP)
French: TEF Canada or TCF Canada
Once you score the minimum score and obtain the Test report form (TRF), your 1st step to apply is cleared.
Remember, the better the score, the more chances of immigrating to Canada.
2. Educational Credential Assessment:
If you have obtained any educational degree outside Canada, the IRCC mandates that you get it evaluated by an external independent agency to determine its Canadian equivalency.
IRCC has designated 5 agencies to evaluate the credentials mentioned below:
· World Education Services
· International Credential Assessment Services of Canada
· Comparative Education Services
· International Qualification Assessment Service
· International Credential Evaluation Service
Please note the World Education Services (WES) is the most popular and the fastest ECA agency.
Once you get your educational credentials evaluated and get the ECA report, the 2nd most important step is cleared for creating the Express entry profile.
You are now eligible to create your express entry profile, as soon as you create an express entry profile, the system will automatically assign you a Comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score.
You can also check your tentative CRS score on the following link: CRS Calculator
If your score is higher that the bimonthly CRS cut off, you will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for the Canadian PR.
We will now be discussing the POST ITA phase:
Document submission requirements, once you receive ITA:
1. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)- It is a document certifying that you are not charged with any cases under the local law of the land and is the most important aspect in verifying your criminality. You are required to get a PCC in the country in which your passport was issued and any country wherein your stay in that country was more than 6 months.
The PCC is issued by your local superintendent of police or the Passport Seva Kendra (PCC) in case you reside in India.
PCC is valid only for 6 months in case you obtained from the country you reside in and it is valid indefinitely in case you have obtained it from the foreign country where your stay was more than 6 months.
For more information on PCC, click on the following link.
2. Employer reference letters- You need to have at least one year continuous, full-time (at least 30 hours per week/1560 hours per year) or equivalent part-time experience in an occupation that is categorized under NOC 0, A or B in the past 10 years. You can check you NOC by clicking on the following link: NOC Description
To justify the above, you need to get a reference letter from your employer which specifies the below:
· Should be on the letter head of the organisation;
· Should be signed by your immediate supervisor or authorised signatory;
· Should certify you were a full time employee;
· Should explain your duties and responsibilities in the organisation which matches with your desired NOC code.
3. Proof of funds- It is again very important part of the documentation, you should have access to funds and they should be :
· Unencumbered
· Not under any lien
· Free from debt obligations
· Liquid
You should have a minimum of 12669 CAD in your bank account if you are a single applicant. The funds increases if you are planning to move with your family.
You need to get a confirmation letter signed from bank post receiving ITA, which clearly mentions the amount of funds in your account and that these funds are free from any lien.
You can also take the funds from your family if you don’t have sufficient funds, you need to execute a gift deed for that. You can download the format from the resources section on the top of this document.
4. Medical examination: It is one of the most important process of the ITA and determines whether you will be moving to Canada or not. The medical tests ensure that you do not have any contagious diseases which are a threat to the safety of Canada or which posts additional burden on the Canadian health care system.
Once you receive an ITA, you must undergo a medical examination from a panelist registered with IRCC, you can find the details of the same by clicking on the following link.
After the test is done, you will be given an upfront medical form, which needs to be submitted to IRCC.
Please note that you only have 60 days to submit these documents, else your ITA will expire and you again need to enter the Express Entry Pool, also incorrect submission of documents may lead to cancellation of your application by IRCC.
Once you submit your application, your medical records are checked. The medical records are reviewed by Health Canada and once they think these are fine, your application shall be updated online as medicals passed.
Now your application goes into processing. The background checks are performed. IRCC may choose to contact your employer for a secondary verification of your employment history. If the VO feels he/she needs more information, then you will be asked to upload further documents. If everything goes fine, you will get a Passport Request (PPR) and a Decision Made (DM) within 6 months of submission of complete application.
You can download all the common templates required for submission of documents to IRCC from the above link.
I am writing this post to help the other candidates and ensure that they don’t face the same difficulty that I faced while applying for Express Entry.
The Express Entry is a system used by the Canadian government to manage applications for Canadian permanent residence for certain economic immigration programs. and invite people "who are most likely to succeed economically.
The Express Entry has basically 3 main programs for economic immigration:
a. Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP) - It is one of the most common and popular Immigration program, inviting prospective applicants from around the globe to apply for the Canadian PR.
b. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) - It is the other major program for economic immigration inviting applicants who are currently working in Canada under any work visas.
c. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) – It is a minor program wherein candidates from around the globe, involved in specific trades such as electrician and construction, transport and manufacturing are invited from around the globe to apply for the Canadian PR.
I will be discussing only about the FSWP in this post.
Eligibility to apply for the programs:
To be eligible to apply for the program, you have to score 67 out of 100 FSW Points. These points are accorded on the basis of various factors such as your age, your work experience, your education and your language proficiency.
You can check your eligibility by clicking on this link.
If you have scored 67 points, congratulations you are eligible to apply for the Canadian PR under the Federal Skilled Workers Program.
Express Entry Pool:
Once you are eligible to apply for the Canadian PR, the next step is to create a profile and enter the express entry pool.
An express entry profile can be created on clicking the following link.
Express entry pool is a common pool or bank of candidates wherein candidates who meet the initial eligibility criteria of 67 points can submit their profiles and are given a Comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score automatically based on their age, work experience, education and language proficiency.
A cut off is released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) twice every month and candidates who have a score above the cut off in the pool are invited to apply for permanent residence.
But please note that before creating an express entry profile, there are certain prerequisites discussed below:
Requirements before creation of EE profile:
Before you can create an express entry profile, you will need to do certain things which are prerequisite to create a profile:
1. Language tests:
Canada has 2 official languages, English and French. For almost all economic immigration programmes, a language test is to be taken compulsorily. The test can be taken in either English or French from the below mentioned recognised testing agencies:
English: International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CEPLIP)
French: TEF Canada or TCF Canada
Once you score the minimum score and obtain the Test report form (TRF), your 1st step to apply is cleared.
Remember, the better the score, the more chances of immigrating to Canada.
2. Educational Credential Assessment:
If you have obtained any educational degree outside Canada, the IRCC mandates that you get it evaluated by an external independent agency to determine its Canadian equivalency.
IRCC has designated 5 agencies to evaluate the credentials mentioned below:
· World Education Services
· International Credential Assessment Services of Canada
· Comparative Education Services
· International Qualification Assessment Service
· International Credential Evaluation Service
Please note the World Education Services (WES) is the most popular and the fastest ECA agency.
Once you get your educational credentials evaluated and get the ECA report, the 2nd most important step is cleared for creating the Express entry profile.
You are now eligible to create your express entry profile, as soon as you create an express entry profile, the system will automatically assign you a Comprehensive ranking system (CRS) score.
You can also check your tentative CRS score on the following link: CRS Calculator
If your score is higher that the bimonthly CRS cut off, you will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for the Canadian PR.
We will now be discussing the POST ITA phase:
Document submission requirements, once you receive ITA:
1. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)- It is a document certifying that you are not charged with any cases under the local law of the land and is the most important aspect in verifying your criminality. You are required to get a PCC in the country in which your passport was issued and any country wherein your stay in that country was more than 6 months.
The PCC is issued by your local superintendent of police or the Passport Seva Kendra (PCC) in case you reside in India.
PCC is valid only for 6 months in case you obtained from the country you reside in and it is valid indefinitely in case you have obtained it from the foreign country where your stay was more than 6 months.
For more information on PCC, click on the following link.
2. Employer reference letters- You need to have at least one year continuous, full-time (at least 30 hours per week/1560 hours per year) or equivalent part-time experience in an occupation that is categorized under NOC 0, A or B in the past 10 years. You can check you NOC by clicking on the following link: NOC Description
To justify the above, you need to get a reference letter from your employer which specifies the below:
· Should be on the letter head of the organisation;
· Should be signed by your immediate supervisor or authorised signatory;
· Should certify you were a full time employee;
· Should explain your duties and responsibilities in the organisation which matches with your desired NOC code.
3. Proof of funds- It is again very important part of the documentation, you should have access to funds and they should be :
· Unencumbered
· Not under any lien
· Free from debt obligations
· Liquid
You should have a minimum of 12669 CAD in your bank account if you are a single applicant. The funds increases if you are planning to move with your family.
You need to get a confirmation letter signed from bank post receiving ITA, which clearly mentions the amount of funds in your account and that these funds are free from any lien.
You can also take the funds from your family if you don’t have sufficient funds, you need to execute a gift deed for that. You can download the format from the resources section on the top of this document.
4. Medical examination: It is one of the most important process of the ITA and determines whether you will be moving to Canada or not. The medical tests ensure that you do not have any contagious diseases which are a threat to the safety of Canada or which posts additional burden on the Canadian health care system.
Once you receive an ITA, you must undergo a medical examination from a panelist registered with IRCC, you can find the details of the same by clicking on the following link.
After the test is done, you will be given an upfront medical form, which needs to be submitted to IRCC.
Please note that you only have 60 days to submit these documents, else your ITA will expire and you again need to enter the Express Entry Pool, also incorrect submission of documents may lead to cancellation of your application by IRCC.
Once you submit your application, your medical records are checked. The medical records are reviewed by Health Canada and once they think these are fine, your application shall be updated online as medicals passed.
Now your application goes into processing. The background checks are performed. IRCC may choose to contact your employer for a secondary verification of your employment history. If the VO feels he/she needs more information, then you will be asked to upload further documents. If everything goes fine, you will get a Passport Request (PPR) and a Decision Made (DM) within 6 months of submission of complete application.
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