Information for International Students
Background • Express Entry is now the first step to immigrate to Canada permanently as a skilled worker under the: • Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) • Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) • Canadian Experience Class (CEC) • A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) • Express Entry does not apply for immigration to Quebec 2
Express Entry Highlights User friendly electronic system from start to finish No occupation lists or caps for programs Faster processing of permanent residence applications – within 6 months in most cases Job offers and provincial nominations under an Express Entry stream are an asset, but not a requirement Candidates may be eligible for more than one program Creating an Express Entry profile is free and the profile can remain active for up to 1 year Candidates have an opportunity to be invited to apply in every round 3
Before Express Entry • First applicant in, first to be processed • Could not prioritize high quality candidates • Paper based application • Long processing times • Growth of application backlogs
Now with Express Entry • • Candidates most likely to succeed in Candidates connect with employers Canada are invited to apply through Job Bank’s Job Match Service • • Candidates with a valid job offer or Electronic application process provincial/territorial (P/T) • Processing times of six months or nomination are quickly invited to less* apply *In 80% of cases from receipt of complete application for permanent residence to final decision.
Express Entry Process 6
Submit an Express Entry Profile • Candidates complete a profile with information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education and other details • Candidates must meet the criteria of at least one of the federal economic immigration programs • Profiles need to be up to date at all times and reflect any changes in status. E.g. language, education, family composition, etc. • Candidates must be truthful in their profile or risk penalties • Profiles stay in the pool for up to 1 year 7
Job Bank Registration • Candidates need to register with Job Match within 30 days of creating an Express Entry profile if they do not already have a valid job offer or PNP nomination or their profile will expire. • Candidates will need to provide their Express Entry profile number and their Job Seeker Validation Code when they open their Job Match Account • Job Match will help connect candidates with job opportunities in Canada based on their skills, knowledge and experience • Candidates should also promote themselves to employers, recruiters, private sector job boards, etc. 8
Express Entry Pool • Once in the pool, candidates are awarded points by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on the information they provided in their profile • Candidates will get their CRS score when they are accepted into the pool • All candidates in the pool are ranked top down based on their CRS score • Candidate profiles can remain active for up to one year – Candidates are eligible for each round of invitations to apply while active in the pool – Candidates are expected to update their profiles if their circumstances change • If a candidate does not get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence after 12 months and they still want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant, they will need to complete and submit a new profile 9
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Spouse or Common-Law Partner 1. Core factors that support positive NO YES economic outcomes: – Age 1. Core factors – Education 500 460 – Official Language Proficiency – Canadian Work Experience 2. Spouse or common-law partner factors N/A 40 2. Spouse or Common-Law Partner factors, if applicable SUBTOTAL 3. A set of skills transferability or 500 500 interaction factors that amplify the 3. Transferability factors core set e.g. Canadian + foreign 100 100 work experience 4. Additional points for a P/T 4. Additional points (job offer or PT nomination) nomination and/or valid job offer 600 600 GRAND TOTAL 1200 1200 10
Valid Job Offers CRS – Additional Points (600) • To get 600 additional points, a job offer must be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) • A “valid job offer” is one that is permanent, non - seasonal, at the NOC 0, A or B level, and supported by an LMIA • Candidates who don’t have a valid job offer will still get points for Canadian work experience *for 80% of complete applications 11
The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) • Employers who can ’ t find a Canadian or permanent resident for a position may offer a qualifying job to a foreign national • There is no fee for employers to apply for LMIAs related to permanent residence • LMIA exempt work permits are in place to support temporary access to employment in Canada – not permanent residence
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) CRS – Additional Points (600) • Participating provinces and territories (P/Ts) can nominate foreign nationals under their PNP • PNP criteria and streams are different across the country. Check individual P/T websites to learn more • All candidates nominated via an Express Entry PNP stream must meet the minimum entry criteria for Express Entry (including meeting the criteria for one of the three federal economic programs) 13
CRS - Points for two official languages • Bilingual candidates can get more CRS points if they submit an approved language test in both of Canada’s two official languages (English and French) • Do you speak French? Visit canada.ca/francoimmigration to learn about Francophone life across Canada
Invitation to Apply (ITA) • ITAs are issued to the highest scoring candidates in the pool in each round • Candidates will be among the top scoring if they: – Have very high levels of skills, education, language and work experience – Have a job offer from a Canadian employer supported by an LMIA OR – Are nominated by a province or territory under an Express Entry stream. 15
Timing for invitation rounds • 15 to 25 rounds are expected in 2015 • Based on the Government’s annual levels plan for immigration to Canada and CIC’s capacity to process applications • CIC publishes special instructions for each invitation round including: – date and time of the round – number of candidates that receive an ITA – CRS score of the lowest ranked candidate invited in that particular round 16
Recent Rounds of Invitations • Results of each round are posted on the Government of Canada website in the days following the round www.cic.gc.ca/english/express-entry/rounds.asp • Scores over 600 mean that all candidates in that round have declared a job offer or a P/T nomination in their Express Entry profile • There are also several rounds with CRS scores of less than 600 indicating that candidates have been invited to apply based on skills and experience alone • A job offer is not a requirement to complete an Express Entry profile or to get an invitation to apply 17
After receiving an Invitation to Apply • You have 60 days to complete and submit an application for permanent residence • CIC then determines if the application is complete • If your application is complete, CIC will verify all eligibility and admissibility criteria. • CIC processes complete applications in six months or less, 80% of the time
A few things to keep in mind... Completing an Express Entry profile is free and does not require an immigration representative Candidates need to complete language tests and Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) (if applicable) before completing an Express Entry profile Language tests and ECAs are done by third parties and they charge fees for services Completing a profile does not guarantee that a candidate will get an invitation to apply (ITA) Completing an application for permanent residence does not guarantee an applicant will get permanent residence. Applicants still need to meet all eligibility and requirements for admissibility Anyone who provides false information could be found inadmissible for misrepresentation and could be barred for five years from applying to come to Canada for any reason 19
For more information English: Canada.ca/ExpressEntry French: Canada.ca/EntreeExpress English: CitCanada English: @CitImmCanada CitImmCanada French: CitImmCanFR French:@CitImmCanFR 20
Annex
International students have the education, skills and experience that Canada is looking for After you graduate you might be able to make Canada your permanent home through Express Entry
Student pathway to permanent residence using Express Entry • Immigrating permanently to Canada is a multi-step process that can take time to complete Apply for Complete Apply for a Gain one year Pass an a study your studies post- Canadian approved permit in an eligible graduation work language test program work permit experience at the NOC 0, A, or B level
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