CANADA EXPRESS ENTRY

FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER

As of January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence under certain economic immigration programs. The Express Entry system is the first step to immigrate to Canada under these programs. Potential candidates can complete an Express Entry profile at any time. Note that there is no deadline to complete a profile and there are no caps on the number of candidates that will be accepted to the pool. Anyone who is accepted into the Express Entry pool could get an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. Rounds of invitations to invite candidates to apply will take place regularly over the course of each year. We will only pick the top ranking candidates no matter when they were accepted into the pool.

If you are invited to apply, you will have 60 days to submit a complete Application for Permanent Residence online.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Skilled work experience Your work experience must be:
  • At least one year (1,560 hours total / 30 hours per week), continuous full-time or anequal amount in part-time,
  • Paid work (volunteer work, unpaid internships do not count),
  • NOC skill type (0, A or B)
  • Within the last 10 years.
  • Skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 National Occupational Classification (NOC).

FULL TIME

  • 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
  • 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 years full time (1,560 hours) or
  • 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than one job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
You must show that you did the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC, including all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

LANGUAGE ABILITY

You must:

  • Meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7.
  • You must show that you meet the requirements in English or French by including the test results when you complete your Express Entry profile. Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply for permanent residence.

EDUCATION

You must have:

  • a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or
  • An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by CIC to show your foreign education is equal to Canadian education standards.

PROOF OF FUNDS

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada, unless you:

  • are currently able to legally work in Canada, and
  • Have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.

PRINCIPAL APPLICANT

If you are married or live with a common-law foreign national partner in Canada, and that person also meets the above conditions, you can decide which one of you will apply under Express Entry as a principal applicant. A common-law partner is a person who has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. Common-law partner refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

SIX SELECTION FACTORS:-

Assessment on the selection factors in the federal skilled worker point’s grid. The selection factors are:

  • your skills in English and/or French (Canada’s two official languages),
  • your education,
  • your work experience,
  • your age,
  • whether you have a valid job offer, and
  • Your adaptability (how well you are likely to settle here).

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