Help?
- Thread starter Adeoti
- Start date
Hi Adeoti,
I have included some 'beginners' information below, but please also go to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)'s website and read about obtaining Canadian Permanent Residency (PR): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/index.asp
If you already submitted your profile, the 1st post may not be as helpful, but the 2nd post might be helpful.
The Express Entry (EE) Programme – What Is It?
Express Entry is an umbrella programme that started in January 2015, under which three of Canada's PR programmes fall - the Federal Skilled Workers (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) programmes.
EE allows eligible candidates to submit an online profile (an Express Entry profile) for consideration to be invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency, through an entirely electronic process.
The process also allows a person (the primary applicant) to include dependents on their application (an accompanying spouse, and/or any children), who will also be granted permanent residency status if the primary applicant’s application is approved.
Please note that submitting an EE profile is NOT the same as submitting an application to IRCC for Permanent Residency. Submitting an EE profile is just an 'expression of interest'. If a CANDIDATE gets an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency, based on the Express Entry profile that he or she submitted for consideration, and subsequently submits an electronic application for permanent residency (eAPR), THIS is when an application for permanent residency has been made and he/she becomes an APPLICANT.
Determining Your Eligibility for Express Entry
The first thing you need to do is check your eligibility for Express Entry (EE). Unless you have 1-year of full-time Canadian work experience, you would most likely be trying to apply under the FSW programme.
- Use this webpage here to see if you're eligible under the FSW programme (you need a score of at least 67 out of 100): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-factors.asp
- If you DO have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience, use this webpage to determine if you're eligible under the CEC programme: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/apply-who.asp
- If you don’t meet eligibility under either FSW or CEC, use this webpage to determine if you’re eligible under the FST programme: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/perm/econ/fst/processing/criteria.asp
If you ARE eligible under one or more of these three programmes, please note that this does NOT guarantee you will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residency. Read on to learn more about your likelihood of receiving an invitation.
Determining Your Likelihood for being Invited to Apply for Permanent Residency (if you’re eligible for Express Entry)
If you're eligible for EE, you need to calculate your projected Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score.
The CRS Score is what IRCC uses to determine which candidates will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. The general consensus is that, at least at the time of writing this, you need a CRS score of at least 435 to have a chance at getting an ITA; but please note that this could easily change in the future.
- Use this tool to calculate your projected CRS Score: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp
Submitting Your Express Entry Profile
Activities You Need to Complete Before Submitting Your EE Profile
In order to complete your EE profile, you need to:
- get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an approved education credential assessment organization, if your educational qualifications (certificates, diplomas, degrees, etc.) were not awarded by a Canadian tertiary institution (see link below):
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/assessment.asp (the most frequently used ECA organization appears to be World Educational Services (WES))
- take an Approved Language Test (IELTS/CELPIP/TEF) (see link below):
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/language-testing.asp (Study HARD for your Language Test - it is one of the most important factors influencing your CRS Score)
Once you have your ECA and Language Test Results, you need to create a myCIC account, and then create and submit your EE Profile. The entire Express Entry process (and PR application process if you secure an ITA) will happen through your myCIC account.
Start with the 'Come To Canada' tool (see link below) as that will check your eligibility again, before providing you with a number that will help you carry over your answers into your EE profile, and then direct you to creating your account: http://www.cic.gc.ca/ctc-vac/ee-start.asp
After You Create Your EE Profile
Once you submit your EE profile, the wait is on for IRCC’s next 'Draw' – a process by which IRCC, based on their immigration quotas and other factors, chooses a minimum CRS Score and invites everyone who has a CRS Score at or above that number to apply for permanent residency. In other words, if your CRS Score is above the Draw 'cut-off', you receive an ITA.
The exception to this is if a ‘Tie-Breaker’ has to be utilized by IRCC – this generally occurs when IRCC appears to be near its Immigrant-intake-quota for the year and can’t afford to invite every candidate who has a certain CRS Score without the likelihood of exceeding their quota. In such cases, IRCC will advise in the Draw notification that only candidates with the ‘cut-off’ score who submitted their EE profile by a specific date and time will be issued an Invitation (i.e. those candidates with the ‘cut-off’ score who submitted their profiles earlier will be given an invitation, while those candidates with the ‘cut-off’ score who submitted their profiles after the indicated date and time, unfortunately won’t (so it behooves you to get your EE profile submitted as quickly as you can, just in case).
'Draws' occur roughly every 2 or 3 weeks, usually on Wednesdays, and the results of the draw are posted to IRCC's website here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/rounds.asp, but you'll also get a notification in your myCIC account, and an email, if you receive an ITA.
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Submitting an electronic Application for Permanent Residency (eAPR) (if you’re invited to apply for permanent residency)
Once you get an ITA and accept it, the myCIC account will automatically create an eAPR (electronic application for permanent residency for you, and transfer the information you included in your EE profile, over to the application). You will need to go through the eAPR questionnaire and check to ensure everything that transferred over from your EE profile is still accurate (if not, you need to edit it) as well as provide more detailed information such as Family Information, Address History, Travel History, and Personal History.
Once you complete the questionnaire, the eAPR will generate a personalized document checklist, outlining all the documents you need to upload to prove the things you stated in your application. This is also where you will upload those same documents, once you procure them. The eAPR will not allow you to submit it unless you’ve uploaded something for in of these document placeholders. Each person’s document checklist will vary depending on their particular case and situation, but some common documents you (and your accompanying dependents) will need to submit are:
Costs/Fees Associated with Applying for PR under Express Entry
EE Profile Expenses
As a single applicant, expect to spend anywhere from CAD$500 - $2,000 getting your ECA and language test results, depending on which assessment organization you select, how many credentials you need assessed, which language test you choose to take, and in which country, and how often you have to take the test (or have results re-evaluated) to get decent results. If you have a spouse, and plan to have his/her educational degrees assessed and have him/her take a language test to increase your CRS Score, you'll need to consider the costs for him/her as well. The rest of the Express Entry profile has no associated cost.
Application Completion Expenses
If you get an ITA, and choose to submit an eAPR, there will also be costs associated with collecting the documents you need for the eAPR, including but not limited to medical exam fees, the fees to obtain police clearance certificates, and any fees to obtain letters from your financial institutions to show proof of funds. These costs vary by person, depending on their particular application (and the resulting required documents) and where they live. (I personally paid approximately CAD$475 to get all of my single-applicant documents together).
Application Processing Cost Recovery Fee and the 'Right to Permanent Residence' Fee (RPRF)
If you submit an eAPR, you will have to pay at least CAD$1040 as a single applicant (and more if you have dependents accompanying you). This represents the application processing cost recovery fee and the 'Right to Permanent Residence' Fee (RPRF). The application processing cost recovery fee must be paid at the time of submitting your application, but the RPRF can be paid at a later point during your application’s processing; IRCC will contact you if and when you need to pay this.
FSW Applicants’ Required Settlement Funds
To be eligible for FSW, (unless you have VALID arranged employment in Canada WITH a valid labour market impact assessment (LMIA) if your job isn't LMIA-exempt), you will also need to prove that you have at least CAD$12,300 in available, unencumbered funds to settle adequately in Canada (and this amount can't be obtained through procuring a loan). If you have dependents, you have to show more, depending on how many dependents you have, even if they're not accompanying you to Canada. (CEC applicants do not need to provide proof of settlement funds).
All in all, the entire process will cost between approximately CAD$1,800 - CAD$3,500 (for a single applicant with no dependents), and most FSW applicants will need to be able to show at least an additional CAD$12,300 in available, unencumbered funds to satisfy the settlement funds requirement (for a single applicant with no dependents).
And of course, if you’re not already in Canada, if and when your application for permanent residency is approved, you’ll also need to factor in the costs of your plane ticket/trip across the US/Canada border in order to ‘land’ and claim your permanent residency, as well as any costs associated with eventually moving to Canada to settle their permanently.
Timeline for Express Entry
From start to finish ('start' being the decision to apply under EE, applying for an ECA, and registering for a language test, and 'finish' being landing in Canada and becoming a PR), the entire process can take anywhere from 2 months to 2.5 years. The time frame depends on:
No Guarantees...
There is no guarantee of getting PR even after taking the decision to apply, as there are several points throughout the process where you can be derailed:
HOWEVER, if you are truly eligible, AND your CRS Score is high enough, AND you meet all deadlines, AND you read and follow all instructions in completing your applications and submitting your supporting documents, there is no reason you should not be successful in your application for Canadian Permanent Residency.
Using a Representative/Consultant
Immigration consultants and representatives, per many stories told by persons who’ve used them, are oftentimes almost useless, and sometimes do more harm than good. If you do your own research and read everything carefully, there's no reason you can't complete the Canadian Express Entry profile and PR application process yourself.
Once you get an ITA and accept it, the myCIC account will automatically create an eAPR (electronic application for permanent residency for you, and transfer the information you included in your EE profile, over to the application). You will need to go through the eAPR questionnaire and check to ensure everything that transferred over from your EE profile is still accurate (if not, you need to edit it) as well as provide more detailed information such as Family Information, Address History, Travel History, and Personal History.
Once you complete the questionnaire, the eAPR will generate a personalized document checklist, outlining all the documents you need to upload to prove the things you stated in your application. This is also where you will upload those same documents, once you procure them. The eAPR will not allow you to submit it unless you’ve uploaded something for in of these document placeholders. Each person’s document checklist will vary depending on their particular case and situation, but some common documents you (and your accompanying dependents) will need to submit are:
- Scans of your Passport’s Biographical Page and all non-blank/stamped pages
- Digital Photo
- Police Clearance Certificates (including those for non-accompanying immediate family members over 18)
- Information Form from your Medical Exam (including those for non-accompanying immediate family members)
- Proof of Settlement Funds (For FSW Applicants, without VALID arranged employment in Canada)
- Proof of Education Claimed and ECA Equivalency Reports
- Proof of Work Experience Claimed
- Proof of Canadian Citizen/PR Family Member Living in Canada (if you claimed to have one)
- Proof of Relationships for any Dependents Accompanying you (Birth Certificates, Adoption Certificates, Marriage Certificates, etc.)
Costs/Fees Associated with Applying for PR under Express Entry
EE Profile Expenses
As a single applicant, expect to spend anywhere from CAD$500 - $2,000 getting your ECA and language test results, depending on which assessment organization you select, how many credentials you need assessed, which language test you choose to take, and in which country, and how often you have to take the test (or have results re-evaluated) to get decent results. If you have a spouse, and plan to have his/her educational degrees assessed and have him/her take a language test to increase your CRS Score, you'll need to consider the costs for him/her as well. The rest of the Express Entry profile has no associated cost.
Application Completion Expenses
If you get an ITA, and choose to submit an eAPR, there will also be costs associated with collecting the documents you need for the eAPR, including but not limited to medical exam fees, the fees to obtain police clearance certificates, and any fees to obtain letters from your financial institutions to show proof of funds. These costs vary by person, depending on their particular application (and the resulting required documents) and where they live. (I personally paid approximately CAD$475 to get all of my single-applicant documents together).
Application Processing Cost Recovery Fee and the 'Right to Permanent Residence' Fee (RPRF)
If you submit an eAPR, you will have to pay at least CAD$1040 as a single applicant (and more if you have dependents accompanying you). This represents the application processing cost recovery fee and the 'Right to Permanent Residence' Fee (RPRF). The application processing cost recovery fee must be paid at the time of submitting your application, but the RPRF can be paid at a later point during your application’s processing; IRCC will contact you if and when you need to pay this.
FSW Applicants’ Required Settlement Funds
To be eligible for FSW, (unless you have VALID arranged employment in Canada WITH a valid labour market impact assessment (LMIA) if your job isn't LMIA-exempt), you will also need to prove that you have at least CAD$12,300 in available, unencumbered funds to settle adequately in Canada (and this amount can't be obtained through procuring a loan). If you have dependents, you have to show more, depending on how many dependents you have, even if they're not accompanying you to Canada. (CEC applicants do not need to provide proof of settlement funds).
All in all, the entire process will cost between approximately CAD$1,800 - CAD$3,500 (for a single applicant with no dependents), and most FSW applicants will need to be able to show at least an additional CAD$12,300 in available, unencumbered funds to satisfy the settlement funds requirement (for a single applicant with no dependents).
And of course, if you’re not already in Canada, if and when your application for permanent residency is approved, you’ll also need to factor in the costs of your plane ticket/trip across the US/Canada border in order to ‘land’ and claim your permanent residency, as well as any costs associated with eventually moving to Canada to settle their permanently.
Timeline for Express Entry
From start to finish ('start' being the decision to apply under EE, applying for an ECA, and registering for a language test, and 'finish' being landing in Canada and becoming a PR), the entire process can take anywhere from 2 months to 2.5 years. The time frame depends on:
- How quickly you complete the activities (ECA and language tests) needed to submit your EE profile (anywhere from 1 to 6 months, depending on how quickly you can get a language test sitting)
- How high your CRS Score is (which dictates how quickly you can get an ITA) (anywhere from 1 day to 3 weeks if your CRS Score is initially high enough; indefinite if your score isn’t initially high enough)
- How quickly you complete the activities and procure the documents needed to submit your eAPR (anywhere from 1 day to 3 months, depending on when you started procuring documents and how cooperative your employers and the necessary 3rd parties in your country are in supporting you)
- How quickly IRCC processes your completed eAPR, which is completely outside of your control (the average processing time is 6 months for 80% of applicants, although some people have been approved in as little as 1 month, and others have been waiting 2 years...)
No Guarantees...
There is no guarantee of getting PR even after taking the decision to apply, as there are several points throughout the process where you can be derailed:
- Pre-ITA: Your CRS score may not be high enough and you may never get an ITA
- Post ITA/Pre-AOR: If you get an ITA, you may not be able to procure all of your necessary documents in time to submit your application by the 90-day deadline
- Post AOR: You submit your application but IRCC finds something wrong with it (e.g. a missing or inadequate document, or IRCC’s isn’t convinced of the legitimacy of one of your claims under your application such as work experience) and therefore cancels or refuses your application
HOWEVER, if you are truly eligible, AND your CRS Score is high enough, AND you meet all deadlines, AND you read and follow all instructions in completing your applications and submitting your supporting documents, there is no reason you should not be successful in your application for Canadian Permanent Residency.
Using a Representative/Consultant
Immigration consultants and representatives, per many stories told by persons who’ve used them, are oftentimes almost useless, and sometimes do more harm than good. If you do your own research and read everything carefully, there's no reason you can't complete the Canadian Express Entry profile and PR application process yourself.
Common Abbreviations and Terms to Understand
- AOR – acknowledgement of Receipt (of eAPR)
- Applicant – Someone who has submitted an electronic application for permanent residency
- Candidate – Someone who has submitted an EE Profile for consideration
- CEC – Canadian Experience Class
- CELPIP – Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (English Language Test only available in Canada and UAE)
- CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark (Index to convert all language test scores to one standard index)
- COPR – Confirmation of Permanent Residence Letter (letter you get once your PR application is approved and you have your PR visa in hand to ‘land’)
- eAPR – electronic Application for Permanent Residency
- ECA – Educational Credential Assessment (report from authorized agency that shows the Canadian equivalent of your foreign educational credential (certificate, diploma, degree)
- EE – Express Entry
- FST – Federal Skilled Trades Programme
- FSW – Federal Skilled Workers Programme
- IELTS – International English Language Testing System (the most common English Language Test taken)
- IRCC – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (sometimes called CIC)
- ITA – Invitation to Apply (for permanent residency)
- Land – entering Canada at an official point of entry in order to liaise with Immigration Services and officially claim your PR
- Outland/Inland – identifying whether you are applying from outside Canada or from inside Canada
- PCC – Police Clearance Certificate
- PNP – Provincial Nomination Programme
- PPR – Passport Request/Ready for Visa email/notice (email or notice you get, once your application is approved, to send your passport for the PR visa and COPR)
- PR – Permanent Residency
- PR Visa – One-time entry counterfoil, placed in Passport, to allow you to enter Canada once in order to claim your PR (if you’re not from a visa-exempt country)
- TEF - Test d’évaluation de français (French Language Test)