Express Entry is the fastest and most popular way to move to Canada as a Permanent Resident (PR). The entire process may be completed in as little as 6 months, though not all applications are processed equally fast. Canada granted PR status to nearly 110,000 people under the Express Entry system in 2019, though the numbers were considerably less in 2020 due to the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Express Entry is a competitive immigration system, which ranks candidates against one another based on their work experience, education and other factors including English and/or French language skills, and then the best candidates are invited to apply for the Canadian Permanent Residence(PR) status.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to moving to Canada as a PR through the Express Entry system.
Step 1: Check your Eligibility
Express Entry selects candidates for PR based on whether they can contribute to Canada’s economy and manages applications for the following three economic immigration programs –
Candidates with university or college degrees with skilled work experience and good English/French skills are ideal to apply for this program.
Aspirants also need to undergo a basic medical examination and get a police clearance certificate at a later stage to get their PR.
To check your eligibility, click here.
Step 2: Get your language test results and documents
To apply for express entry, you will need to take English (IELTS or CELPIP) and/or French (TEF Canada or TCF Canada) language tests. You will also need to get Educational Credential Assessments (ECA), which converts your foreign educational credentials to Canadian educational credentials, from World Education Services (WES) or another IRCC designated agency. In addition, you will need documents to prove your work experience as well as other documents. Though these documents are needed at a later stage, it is best to get them ready at this stage itself since some documents may take a long time to get.
Step 3: Submit your Express Entry Profile
After you have your language test results and have checked your eligibility, you can submit your Express Entry profile. This will enter you into the Express Entry pool of applicants, which means that you can be selected to apply for a PR. Provinces and territories may also recruit you from the Express Entry pool to meet local labor market needs through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Candidates will be selected to apply for PR from the Express Entry pool based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The CRS score is calculated based, among other things, on your years of work experience, your highest educational qualification and your IELTS score. You can check your CRS score here. The score acts as a cut-off point in Express Entry draws.
Step 4: Receive an invitation and apply for PR
If you have enough CRS points, you will get an Invitation to Apply for PR. You will have to submit your documents, including medical examination results and a police clearance certificate, online and fill some additional forms. You will have 60 days to apply for PR. Once submitted, most applications take less than 6 months to process and you will get a Passport Request upon completion of the processing after which you can move to Canada as a PR 🙂
The entire process, from creating the EE profile to submitting the required documents, can be long and stressful, so expert help can be handy, especially in making sure that all the documents submitted meet the requirements. Now Immigration specializes in helping clients through this process, making it stress-free for them and ensuring that their Canadian dreams come true in the shortest possible time.
For any assistance on the Express Entry PR process or for help on the completion of the process from end to end, feel free to contact us and ask to speak about Express Entry.
