Jun 9, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, New Laws, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
June 8, 2017 – Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated the Express Entry pool in several ways. As of June 6, candidates in the pool receive additional points for French language as well as having siblings in Canada. But that is not the only change made on June 6th. In addition to this, IRCC has introduced a new feature, which ranks candidates with tied Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) scores based on the date and time they submitted their profile. Thus, candidates who submitted their profiles earlier will be ranked higher. Updating your profile will not change the date, but if you remove your profile or if your profile expires and you subsequently create a new profile, you will be ranked according to the date of your new profile.
This update allows IRCC to better manage the number of candidates that receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). In all previous draws, all candidates who had the minimum CRS points received an ITA and were then able to apply for permanent residence. In future draws, candidates will be ranked based on their CRS scores as well as the date they created their profile. This way, IRCC will send invitations only to the top ranked candidates. So if the cut-off CRS score is 410 and the maximum number of invitations is 4,000 then only the top ranking candidates will receive an ITA. If so many candidates have the same CRS score, those who submitted their profile earlier will receive invitations. The rest will remain in the pool and will be eligible to receive an ITA in a subsequent draw.
What this means for you is that you should prepare your Express Entry profile right away. Individuals who wish to enter the Express Entry pool to possibly receive an ITA in the next draw will need to first determine that they are eligible for one of the three current economic programs. The first step to determine your eligibility is to complete our free online assessment. Our team of consultants will review and assess your qualifications to determine if you meet the requirements for an Express Entry application. If you are eligible you will be able to proceed with the next step towards making an application. This assessment will rank your minimum language requirement, skilled work experience and education level.
Candidates who meet the minimum requirements of the following economic programs may make an application to the Express Entry pool:
Certain Provincial Nominee Programs allow candidates to apply through the Express Entry pool. You may be required to enter the pool before or after receiving a nomination, depending on the requirements of the provincial program. If you meet the requirements of a Provincial Nominee Program, we can assist you in the process of entering the Express Entry pool and submitting an application to the province of your choice. Applicants who receive a nomination from a province will receive 600 CRS points, increasing their chance of obtaining an ITA in the next round of invitations.
Jun 5, 2017 | Blog, Express Entry, Immigrate to Canada, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers
June 5, 2017 – Starting tomorrow, changes to the Express Entry immigration system will award additional points to candidates with strong French language skills and those who have siblings living in Canada. These updates will benefit qualified individuals, employers, and Canada as a whole. Eligible candidates must create an online profile in the Express Entry pool and meet the minimum requirements of one of the following economic immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and some of the Provincial Nominee Programs.
Canada’s Express Entry system allows qualified individuals and their families to fast track their permanent residence applications. Individuals who meet the minimum requirements must complete an online Express Entry profile. They will then be awarded points for education, work experience, language skills, and other qualifications. High-skilled individuals are able to earn up to a total of 1,200 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. Candidates in the pool with then have a chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence when the government makes an Express Entry draw. The last draw was made on May 31st with a CRS cut-off threshold of 413 points. This means all eligible candidates in the Express Entry pool who had 413 or more points have received an ITA.
Starting tomorrow, French-speaking candidates in the Express Entry pool will receive additional points. Currently, applicants receive points for English or French, with a maximum of 136 points for first language and 24 points for second language. After today, up to 30 additional points will be awarded to French speakers who also have English language skills.
In addition to points for language, candidates who have a sibling living in Canada may be eligible to receive an extra 15 points. Siblings must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents age 18 or older and share at least one parent – mother or father – with the principal applicant or his/her spouse / common-law partner.
Finally, individuals who do not have either a job offer or a provincial nomination were previously required to create a Job Bank account before being placed in the Express Entry pool. With tomorrow’s updates, this will no longer be the case. Qualified candidates will automatically be placed into the pool upon submission of an Express Entry profile. Individuals who do not have a job offer in Canada will still have the option of registering for Job Bank so that they may begin their job search even after submitting their online Express Entry profile. Canadian employers will still be able to use the Job Bank to search for potential candidates. For candidates without a job, the Job Bank is a great place to post your resume and also view listings that are updated daily.
If you are a highly skilled individual looking to immigrate permanently to Canada, our team can assist you in preparing your immigration application. Whether you need help creating your Express Entry profile, improving your CRS score, or if you have already received an ITA; we can help. Our immigration consultants can assess your eligibility and determine how many CRS points you have. We will also guide you in increasing the number of points you have in order to obtain an ITA. Take our free online assessment to see if you meet the requirements for Express Entry and contact us to discuss your options for immigrating to Canada.
Jun 1, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program
Changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program include a new Express Entry stream for skilled trades workers, streamlined Employer Job Offer Stream, and updated Entrepreneur Stream.
The new Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream was launched on May 31, 2017 and is currently accepting applications from skilled workers who have experience in an eligible skilled trade. Interested individuals must have an online profile in the Express Entry pool and indicate a desire to settle in the province of Ontario or “all provinces and territories.” Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the federal Canadian Experience Class in addition to the requirements of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. Eligible candidates will receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario via their online account. Only those who receive an NOI are eligible to apply for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program under the Skilled Trades Stream.
In addition to the new stream, Ontario has also streamlined the application process for international students and foreign workers with a job offer. The Employer Job Offer Stream replaced the employer driven streams, making the applicant more responsible for their application instead of the employer. Applications for the Employer Job Offer Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program are currently being accepted online.
Finally, an update to the Entrepreneur Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program was implemented, which lowers the minimum language level requirement and awards more points for applicants who wish to establish a new business or buy an existing business outside the Greater Toronto Area.
Read more about the requirements of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and take our free online assessment to see if you qualify to apply under any of the above streams. If you are interested in settling in the province of Ontario and need help with the application process, contact us to speak with a qualified immigration consultant. Our team will assess your qualifications and discuss your options with you. Applications are currently being accepted for each of these three streams so contact us today to get started on your application.
May 31, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
May 31, 2017 – Another Express Entry draw was made today, inviting 3,877 candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence. As was expected, the cut-off score of 413 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points is the lowest score we have seen for candidates applying under the Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class. Just five days ago, we saw two draws made concurrently, inviting applicants under the Federal Skilled Trades and Provincial Nominee Program. The lowest scores in the last two draws were 199 points for the Federal Skilled Trades Class and 775 points for provincial nominees. When viewed together, these three scores reveal how the CRS cut-off has decreased across all the immigration programs.
With upcoming changes planned to go into effect next week, we can expect to see more qualified candidates receiving Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in future draws. As the number of issued ITAs rises, the CRS cut-off scores should continue to decrease. Excellent news for applicants who are just a few points shy of the current CRS score requirement. If you are still falling behind, it may be possible to improve your score. We can help you discover ways to improve your score and increase your chances of receiving an ITA in an upcoming draw. Take our free online assessment to determine your eligibility and we will contact you to discuss your options moving forward.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool with a score of 413 or higher should have received an ITA from today’s draw. After receiving your invitation, you have ninety days to submit your completed application for permanent residence. To prevent delays or refusal of your application, it is important to prepare your application thoroughly and accurately. Our immigration consultants can help you determine what information is required and what documents you need to provide.
If you need help preparing and submitting your permanent residence application or if you are interested in entering the Express Entry pool before the next draw, contact us to speak with a licensed immigration consultant.
May 27, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
May 26, 2017 – Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made an Express Entry draw with two different Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) point requirements for two different programs: Federal Skilled Trades and Provincial Nominee Program. With the lowest scores at 199 for Federal Skilled Trades and 775 for provincial nominees, these are the lowest score requirements we have seen since the start of the Express Entry system in January 2015. Since provincial nominees are awarded 600 points for a nomination, this means candidates with provincial nominations only needed 175 core points to be selected in the most recent draw. A total of 543 candidates in the Express Entry pool received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in this draw, with 400 in the Federal Skilled Trades and 143 provincial nominees invited. This last draw was only the third draw of 63 draws – since the program’s inception – to focus on specific immigration programs.
As a result of inviting provincial nominees, we can expect to see lower cut-off scores in the upcoming draws. Additionally, with both the provincial nominees and applicants of the Federal Skilled Trades Program out of the pool, candidates for the Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class are more likely to receive invitations in the next Express Entry Draw. If you are a Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class candidate, you can look forward to potentially receiving an ITA with a lower CRS score in a future draw.
If you received an ITA in this draw, you now have ninety (90) days from the date you received your invitation to submit your completed application for permanent residence. To prevent delays or refusal of your application, it is important to prepare your application thoroughly and accurately. Our immigration consultants can help you to determine what information is required and what documents you need to provide. If you need help preparing and submitting your permanent residence application or if you are interested in entering the Express Entry pool before the next draw, contact us to speak with a licensed immigration consultant.
How to apply for Express Entry
Individuals who wish to enter the Express Entry pool to possibly receive an ITA in the next draw will need to first determine that they are eligible for one of the three current economic programs. The first step to determine your eligibility is to complete our free online assessment. Our team of consultants will review and assess your qualifications to determine if you meet the requirements for an Express Entry application. If you are eligible you will be able to proceed with the next step towards making an application. This assessment will rank your minimum language requirement, skilled work experience and education level.
Candidates who meet the minimum requirements of the following economic programs may make an application to the Express Entry pool:
Certain Provincial Nominee Programs allow candidates to apply through the Express Entry pool. You may be required to enter the pool before or after receiving a nomination, depending on the requirements of the provincial program. If you meet the requirements of a Provincial Nominee Program, we can assist you in the process of entering the Express Entry pool and submitting an application to the province of your choice. Applicants who receive a nomination from a province will receive 600 CRS points, increasing their chance of obtaining an ITA in the next round of invitations.
