May 5, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program
May 4, 2017 – Another Express Entry draw has been made today, inviting 3,796 applicants and their families to apply for permanent residence. Candidates in the Express Entry pool with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 423 or more have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and now have 90 days in which to submit their application for permanent residence.
This score is slightly higher than the last draw on April 19th, which was the lowest score ever at 415. This increase in the cut-off might be a source of concern for some, but as per Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), we can expect to see this score get lower over time. It might be worth noting that the last 3 draws were made approximately one week apart, while this recent draw was made a full 2 weeks after the last one. This might account for the increase in score if more candidates – with higher CRS scores – entered the pool during those two weeks. If you did not meet the threshold this time, you still have a shot in the next draw. You may also be able to increase your score. Contact us to speak with an immigration consultant about how to increase your CRS score in preparation for the next draw.
Did you receive an ITA? This means you are now eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants who received an invitation can choose to include their spouses or common-law partners and any dependent children in their PR applications. Keep in mind that you must submit your complete application with all required documents within 90 days of receiving your ITA. To prevent delays or refusal of your application, it is important that you prepare your application 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.
Not sure if you qualify? To qualify for Express Entry, you must meet the minimum requirements of one of three 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.
Apr 28, 2017 | Blog, Express Entry, Immigrate to Canada, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) – Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program – aims to help the province meet labour market demands by fast-tracking permanent residence (PR) applications for skilled workers. It has been announced that the program will issue Notifications of Interest (NOI) to religious workers under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Human Capital Priorities Stream. Qualified applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and have a profile in the Express Entry pool. Notifications of Interested will be issued to individuals whose occupations are listed in National Occupation Classification (NOC) code 4154 (Professional occupations in religion) or 4217 (Other religious occupations).
Occupations listed under NOC 4154 – Professional occupations in religion:
- Archbishop
- Bishop
- Cardinal
- Chaplain
- Evangelist
- Granthi
- Imam
- Minister
- Moderator – Religion
- Pastor
- Priest
- Rabbi
Occupations listed under NOC 4217 – Other religious occupations:
- Brother / Sister – Religion
- Christian Science Practitioner
- Deacon
- Missionary
- Monk
- Nun
- Pastoral Animator
- Religious Education Worker
- Salvation Army Field Worker
Additional job titles listed under these NOC codes may also be included. To see if your job matches one of the eligible job titles for this program, contact us or take our free online assessment to determine whether you qualify for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
Apr 26, 2017 | Blog, Express Entry, In the News, Provincial Nominee Program
A part of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), Nova Scotia Demand allows candidates to apply through Express Entry for faster processing of their permanent residence applications. This particular stream has been closed since December of 2015 but is expected to reopen in the coming weeks.
As with any other Provincial Nominee Program, the Nova Scotia Demand stream grants applicants an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) points. These additional points make it very likely that candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw seeing as how the most recent draw invited applicants with as low as 415 points.
High-skilled individuals looking to reside in the province of Nova Scotia may be interested in the Nova Scotia Demand stream. Interested applicants must meet the minimum eligibility requirements:
- Have at least one year of skilled work experience in a target occupation;
- Have a Canadian high school credential or equivalent;
- Prove language ability in either English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7;
- Score a minimum of 67 points on the stream’s six selection factors;
- Show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia; and
- Have a profile in the Express Entry pool.
Considering it takes time to prepare a complete application, we highly recommend that you get a start early. Individuals looking to settle in Nova Scotia should contact us or take our free online assessment to see if you qualify for this or one of the other provincial nominee programs.
Apr 19, 2017 | Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
April 19, 2017 – For the third time this month, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made an Express Entry draw with the lowest score requirement of 415 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. This is the lowest score requirement since the start of the Express Entry system in January 2015. Candidates in the Express Entry pool who had a score of 415 or higher have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA). So far, there have been 35,973 ITAs issued in 2017 alone, with over 100,000 invitations issued since the very first Express Entry draw was made. As the CRS requirement continues to decrease, we can expect that more candidates with lower scores will receive ITAs in the coming draws.
If you received an ITA in this draw, you now have ninety 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.
Apr 14, 2017 | Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, In the News, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers
Lowest Score Ever & Highest number of invitations issued yesterday.
April 12, 2017 – For the second time this month, the Express Entry selection system breaks the record for lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points required. Down from 431 on April 5th to 423, this is the lowest score to date. Candidates in the Express Entry pool with 423 or more CRS points received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. A total of 3,923 candidates received an ITA in this draw; this is the largest number of invitations issued in one draw. The trend of inviting more candidates with lower CRS scores means that more candidates are now able to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
These recent draws fall between two major changes to the Express Entry system. In November 2016, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changed the number of points awarded for a job offer from 600 points to 50 or 200 points depending on the position of the job offered. This change was meant to balance the system and expected to lower the CRS point requirements. The second set of changes have already been announced and are due to go into effect on June 6th of this year. These new changes will award more points to French-speaking candidates and those who have a sibling living in Canada. In addition to this, applicants will no longer be required to register for the Job Bank prior to entering the Express Entry pool.
These updates to the Express Entry system should allow a wider range of skilled individuals and their families to realize their dream of settling in Canada. With the increasing number of ITAs issued this year, it seems there is no better time for interested individuals to create an online profile and enter the Express Entry pool. It is important to make sure your profile is accurate and up-to-date. Incorrect or missing information in your profile could result in your application being refused. Applicants who received an ITA in this recent draw are now eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Express Entry system. Keep in mind that you only have ninety days from the date you received your ITA to submit your complete application with all required documents. 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.
Apr 5, 2017 | Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
April 5, 2017 – This morning, Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made an Express Entry draw inviting 3,753 candidates to apply for permanent residence. Candidates in the Express Entry pool with 431 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points received an Invitation to Apply (ITA). This is ten points lower than the previous draw and is the lowest score requirement seen since Express Entry was first introduced in January 2015. This decrease in the CRS points requirement means that more candidates are now eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Did you receive an ITA? This means you are now eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants who received an invitation can choose to include their spouses or common-law partners and any dependent children in their PR applications. Keep in mind that you must submit your complete application with all required documents within 90 days of receiving your ITA. To prevent delays or refusal of your application, it is important that you prepare your application 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.
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