Is there a guarantee to get a Visa if the job is on the priority occupation list?

[frankfurtvancouver]

I'm an International Student and my mum probably wants to
immigrate to Canada too. Her job is luckily on the priority occupation list that the government of Canada published. I know before the Express Entry system, people with job experience in one of the proirity occupations could get a skilled worker visa almost guaranteed.

How is it with the Express Entry System though? Do skilled workers (who have job experience in one of the proirity occupations from the list) get enough points to get in? Very confusing, I hope someone here knows that.

Thank you

 

[riasat.abir]

Nothing is guaranteed!

 

[Asivad Anac]

Priority occupation list is no longer a requirement/barrier at the federal program level. Only the overall points matter under EE - it is basically NOC agnostic - any and all NOC 0/A/B are treated equally.

Some provinces continue to have priority occupation lists as part of their PN programs though and they prioritize some NOCs above others by offering higher points for those.

 

[frankfurtvancouver]

Priority occupation list is no longer a requirement/barrier at the federal program level. Only the overall points matter under EE - it is basically NOC agnostic - any and all NOC 0/A/B are treated equally.

So it doesn't even help to have an occupation that would be on the list?! Just 2 years ago it was all that mattered!

 

[Asivad Anac]

So it doesn't even help to have an occupation that would be on the list?! Just 2 years ago it was all that mattered!

It doesn't. Actually, 2 years ago it mattered that your NOC was on the list and you submitted ahead of others in the line. And then it took years to get through the process. EE prioritizes certain aspects over others (debatable endlessly) and sharply reduces TAT to less than 4 months on average.

 

[frankfurtvancouver]

This is the weirdest immigration system I have ever seen and it clearly betrays International Stydents and very skilled workers. I no longer have enough motivation to stay in such a country.

But just in case (because I'm so unfortunately still in love with Vancouver and the Canadian landscape): If I get permanent residence after my Bachelor's degree (it's not that difficult for International Students), can I leave to Europe for 3-4 years and come back without losing permanent residence? If I visit Canada occasionally during these 3-4 years (in order not to lose PR)?

 

[anarsoul]

This is the weirdest immigration system I have ever seen and it clearly betrays International Stydents and very skilled workers. I no longer have enough motivation to stay in such a country.

But just in case (because I'm so unfortunately still in love with Vancouver and the Canadian landscape): If I get permanent residence after my Bachelor's degree (it's not that difficult for International Students), can I leave to Europe for 3-4 years and come back without losing permanent residence? If I visit Canada occasionally during these 3-4 years (in order not to lose PR)?

You need to live in Canada for 2 years out of 5 to maintain PR status.

 

[frankfurtvancouver]

Stay or live (like having my official home address) in Canada? If I spend a bit more than 3 years in Europe but take 2 week vacations to Canada (so much that it balances out the half year more), does that count? I mean if I study in Europe for three and a half years but spend the semester holidays in Canada (so that it is only 3 years outside Canada), does that count, even if my official home address is not CA?

I hope you understand what I mean, I didn't really explain it nicely

 

[Asivad Anac]

Stay or live (like having my official home address) in Canada? If I spend a bit more than 3 years in Europe but take 2 week vacations to Canada (so much that it balances out the half year more), does that count? I mean if I study in Europe for three and a half years but spend the semester holidays in Canada (so that it is only 3 years outside Canada), does that count, even if my official home address is not CA?

I hope you understand what I mean, I didn't really explain it nicely

730 days of residency in a rolling 5 year period from the time you first 'land' in Canada as a PR. That's the best possible explanation.

This is the weirdest immigration system I have ever seen and it clearly betrays International Stydents and very skilled workers.

Not really. Look around Europe and you'll decidedly find worse systems in place and if you want the absolute worst, look South.

EE changed the rules of the game and it definitely favors Canadian education and experience over foreign experience and education - there can be endless debate on HOW MUCH it favors one over the other but the bias is clearly built into the system. A significant number of the PRs coming through EE over the last 15 months have been either skilled professionals or international students or both - the other majority are skilled workers with LMIAs who are probably neither international students nor highly qualified skilled professionals (NOC 0/A) so that's a common gripe around here on the forum.

 

[Scottygirl]

Stay or live (like having my official home address) in Canada? If I spend a bit more than 3 years in Europe but take 2 week vacations to Canada (so much that it balances out the half year more), does that count? I mean if I study in Europe for three and a half years but spend the semester holidays in Canada (so that it is only 3 years outside Canada), does that count, even if my official home address is not CA?

I hope you understand what I mean, I didn't really explain it nicely

I believe, as part of the PR renewal process, you need to produce copies of your Canadian tax returns which means you would need to 'live' in Canada for 2 years out of 5 in order to get them.

 

[scylla]

So it doesn't even help to have an occupation that would be on the list?! Just 2 years ago it was all that mattered!

No - that wasn't all that mattered. Many people with occupations on the list still didn't qualify or weren't selected to immigrate. In addition to having the right occupation, you also needed to have enough points through a combination of age (i.e. being young enough), education, work experience, language proficiency, and ties to Canada. You also had to get your application in very quickly for popular occupations to beat the cap (many didn't each year).

 

[zareef]

Stay or live (like having my official home address) in Canada?

Physical presence in Canada is required.

And as Asivad said, it has to be 730 days in a rolling* 5 year period.


* What this means is that IF at any point in time, lets call it dd-mm-yy, you are found to not have lived for 730 days in the last 5 years immediately preceding dd-mm-yy -- you can lose your PR status (if reported) because starting dd-mm-yy you no longer satisfy the residency obligation.