Hi,Aspiring CA said:
The process is quite simple but could get frustrating from the perspective of obtaining documents from India especially educational documents, work experience letters and police clearance certificate. Nonetheless, below is the entire process I have gone through so far. But first, you may want to check your estimate points score for express entry by using CRS calculator. If your score comes above 450, it will be wise to proceed further in the general format. Although there are ways to increase your score like PNP nomination, a Canadian job offer, etc.
1) First and foremost, you need an IELTS certification with a good score (say CLB 8 overall or above). Give yourself at least 20-30 days in preparation for the same, but go ahead and book an examination slot right away in the GENERAL TRAINING category. There are ample test centres throughout Dubai to choose from, I personally chose British Council in American College of Dubai, Al Garhoud as that was closest to my location. The fees for the exam is AED 950, this includes all the 4 components i.e. Reading, Speaking, Writing and Listening. Reading, Speaking and Listening exams will be held the same day while the speaking test will be conducted wither 1 week before or after. Once you book your slot and confirm the payment, British council will send you login credentials to access the free material for practice which should be good for testing waters in the beginning for say a week. For further practice, there are ample sites giving out free sample test papers for you to practice. For Listening specifically, you can practice on youtube also. There are many practice videos there. Reading and Listening hold the most weight-age in the evaluation so you'd want to practice them more. Your test centre details and timing will be notified to you 6-7 days prior to the exam date only. Your test results will be valid for a duration of 2 years from the date of your exam. Results are generally issued within 14-15 days.
2) While you are preparing for your IELTS, you should also try and get your Indian educational certificates assessed by authorized Canadian educational bodies. I used WES Canada as there cost was nominal and they are generally faster in processing. WES requires you to submit your university transcripts in a particular format, along with a copy of the Degree certificate. You'll need to go to WES site and open an account, after which you'll get a WES reference number. They charge a standard fees of around CAD 230 for document by document evaluation + CAD 80 for courier charges. They also have a standard mail option which is just CAD 10. These charges are not mandatory to be paid in advance, you can wait until your documents have reached them and then make the payment. In any case, they won't start the evaluation process until the payments are remitted. If your university has an online mechanism for applying transcripts well and good, they can send the transcripts directly to Canada on your behalf along with the a copy of your graduation degree. All your university needs to do is put the documents in a sealed envelope and send to WES Canada in a sealed envelope with University emblem/seal on the flap and mention your WES reference number on the envelope for WES to easily link it to your account. I had a lot of trouble sourcing the documents from my Graduation University (CCS), so I used a mediator named mail transcripts who procured all the documents on my behalf and sent to WES on my behalf. I spent almost INR 16k for getting the transcripts as I had both my BBA and MBA certificates to show and also wanted a backup copy with myself for safety. Once your documents reach WES, they take around 20-25 days more (in some cases even less or more) to evaluate and provide the e-document of your evaluation. The hard copy should reach you in 6-8 working days if you have opted my an international courier.
3) Once you are thorugh with IELTS and WES Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), you can go ahead and apply for an Express Entry Profile. First visit come to canada site to check your eligibility by filling out some basic details. If your background is sufficient to apply they will let you know and give you a Reference no. which can use to further proceed in the Express Entry system. The express Entry system will have more options for you to fill and based on all the criterias you mentioned for yourself/spouse, you will be given a Comprehensive Ranking System Rank (CRS). For candidates with pre-secured Canadian jobs or education this rank may range between 500 to 800. For general candidates it lies between 400 to 500. In all fairness, you will only have a good chance to make it in express entry if your score is above 450. Canadian authorities issue a CRS cut-off rank on interval of 14-20 days (sometime shorter or longer). If your profile CRS Rank is above the cut-off you will recieve an Invitation to Apply (ITA) after which you'll have 90 days in total to submit e-copies of all required documentation like Police Clearance Certificates for places lived since age of 18 years, Medical Exam, Experience letters from past employers (for whom you are claiming the points in Express Entry), your IELTS scores sheet, digital photos, ECA copy, etc. When you are about to fill your Express Entry profile I'll be more than happy to guide you further.
In totality, you will spend around AED 5,500 to 8,000 depending on the mode of arranging the documents. I scored a total of 478 CRS, applied on Nov 24 and recieved the ITA on Dec 22. Right now I'm in the process of arranging all the required documents, which I need to upload on the CIC portal by 23rd March. Main issue I'm facing is with the Indian Police Clearance as I changed my job recently and don't have a valid employment visa currently. Without that the Indian Consulate wouldn't entertain my request for a PCC. By the time my employment visa comes, it will already be Jan end or early Feb, and the Police authorities take around 40 days to process the PCC request. So I'm trying to source PCC from alternate sources like applying directly to the District Police stations of places I stayed in since 18 years age. Anyways, I'm sure it wouldn't be an hassle for you if you already have a valid residence visa at the time of receiving ITA.
Hope this info helps in some way. You can PM me on email at baldev.asnanie@gmail.com and I'll give you my mobile number in case you need further clarifications. All the best!
Baldev
