Starting my EP journey: Feedback please!

[cryptic0]

Good morning folks. I am seriously considering getting in the express entry pool as FSW. I would appreciate some feedback on my credentials and what the best path forward will be.

I have a PhD in natural sciences from the United States (Summer 2013) and have 5 years of work ex as a biological technician prior to the PhD and 2.5 years of post-doctoral experience post PhD. Based on my estimates, I will likely earn points as follows:

Age 45
Education 140
English 29 (CLB9)
French 0
Work Exp 70
Skill lang+edu 50
Work exp 5 yr 50
------------------------
Total: 384

That to me sounds really low given that you can have up to 600 points even without a valid job offer. A lot of this is speculation right now, because I haven't taken IELTS yet, but I am confident that I can get a high score on all categories. Fingers crossed. Essentially there is very little room for me to improve my score. I don't know what else I could do.

Education:
As far as earning points for having attended school in Canada, I did attend university in a master's program for 2.5 years in Canada, but did not graduate. Also, this was more than 10 years ago. Can this fetch me any points? I can produce transcripts. The transcripts are clean, I just never wrote my thesis to graduate (long story).

Proof of Funds:
Can funds in a 401K account count towards the initial proof of funds? I don't really have significant savings and likely won't have enough for a few years. But I do have substantial savings in the 401K and 403b retirement accounts. I read some comments here that seemed to support this, but I want to make sure.

Quebec:
I am also considering applying to Quebec since their evaluation says I am eligible to apply and my field of study is covered under their updated list of trainings for 2015. If I go that route, can I still create express pool profile or am I allowed to submit only one application at a time?

Employment:
Currently I am employed full time in the states, but wondering if I should consider moving to Canada. I could likely get another postdoc position in BC or PQ. Would being in Canada serve me better in terms of immigration application?

Thanks for your patience and for any feedback.

 

[Asivad Anac]

You are calculating incorrectly. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/grid-crs.asp

On CLB 9, you get 29 points for each language skill. If you have CLB 9 scores in all 4 skills, that would be 116 points and not 29. That is an incremental 87 points to your CRS score!

Also, you award yourself 70 points for work experience. That accrues only if you have 5 years or more of Canadian work experience. Is that the case?

There are also some points to be had for spouse ECA, IELTS and Canadian work experience which you haven't explored at all, whether intentionaly or otherwise.

Recommend that you take this test to accurately assess your score before thinking about this any further. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp

All the best!

 

[DoubleS]

Good morning folks. I am seriously considering getting in the express entry pool as FSW. I would appreciate some feedback on my credentials and what the best path forward will be.

I have a PhD in natural sciences from the United States (Summer 2013) and have 5 years of work ex as a biological technician prior to the PhD and 2.5 years of post-doctoral experience post PhD. Based on my estimates, I will likely earn points as follows:

Age 45
Education 140
English 29 (CLB9) -- Its 29 per section, so if your projected score holds, you would get 116 points
French 0
Work Exp 70 -- Are you able to get a reference letter for this period of Canadian Experience?
Skill lang+edu 50
Work exp 5 yr 50
------------------------
Total: 384

That to me sounds really low given that you can have up to 600 points even without a valid job offer. A lot of this is speculation right now, because I haven't taken IELTS yet, but I am confident that I can get a high score on all categories. Fingers crossed. Essentially there is very little room for me to improve my score. I don't know what else I could do.

Education:
As far as earning points for having attended school in Canada, I did attend university in a master's program for 2.5 years in Canada, but did not graduate. Also, this was more than 10 years ago. Can this fetch me any points? I can produce transcripts. The transcripts are clean, I just never wrote my thesis to graduate (long story). -- Your Phd will give you maximum points, your unfinished Canadian Masters will not add any points to your CRS. You will need to get an ECA done for your Phd, and possibly your Masters and Bachelors. I'm not quite sure about this, you should speak with the agency you select to do the assessment about this. I assessed both my masters and bachelors.

Proof of Funds:
Can funds in a 401K account count towards the initial proof of funds? I don't really have significant savings and likely won't have enough for a few years. But I do have substantial savings in the 401K and 403b retirement accounts. I read some comments here that seemed to support this, but I want to make sure. I think if you are able to access these funds at your discretion, then CIC should be ok.

Quebec:
I am also considering applying to Quebec since their evaluation says I am eligible to apply and my field of study is covered under their updated list of trainings for 2015. If I go that route, can I still create express pool profile or am I allowed to submit only one application at a time? Usually, applicants are allowed to submit more than one application, but the challenge I see here is that in the EE application you will be asked if you will settle outside of Quebec, while in the Quebec application you will be asked the reverse.

Employment:
Currently I am employed full time in the states, but wondering if I should consider moving to Canada. I could likely get another postdoc position in BC or PQ. Would being in Canada serve me better in terms of immigration application? You are already getting maximum points for Canadian work experience, so I don't see this move improving your CRS score.

What about your spouse, can you gain any points based on their education, IELTS or Canadian work experience?
I hope other members will chime in and give you their opinions as well. All the best!!

Thanks for your patience and for any feedback.

 

[cryptic0]

AA and DS: Thank you for your swift responses. Also, thank you for linking the assessment tool, I hadn't seen that one before.

I was in fact estimating it incorrectly. Here is the current tally:

Core/Human Factors:
Age: 50
Education: 150
Official Languages: 136 (max or perhaps 116)
Canadian Work Ex: 0
----------------------------
Subtotal: 336

Skill Transferability
Language and education: 50
Foreign work ex (more than 6 years of experience in last 10 years): 50
--------------
Subtotal: 100

Final Total: 416-436 (depending upon IELTS score)

So yes, I do not have any Canadian experience, only US experience. My girlfriend is Canadian and in future this may help with the immigration but we aren't there yet

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[cryptic0]

Updating this topic after taking the IELTS test.

L: 8.5
R: 9
S: 8
W: 8
Overall Band: 8.5

With this, I now have 436 points. Should I get in the EE pool and wait for a provincial nomination such as Ontario, or should I apply to Quebec when it opens up in the next couple of months? I can't do both.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[rafzy]

You should decinately apply for EE and wait for OOPNP ... Quebeic good for you if you are proficient in english language !