Jul 17, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
July 12, 2017 – The most recent Express Entry draw invited 3,202 candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence. As was expected, the cut-off score of 440 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points is lower than the score of the last draw, made on June 28th. This recent draw is the second one since changes to the Express Entry system were made. These changes gave more points to candidates in the pool who have siblings in Canada and those who had French language skills. As a result of these changes, we saw the CRS cut-off score increase slightly between the May and June draws. In addition to the updates, there was a 3-week delay between these two draws, which likely resulted in more candidates with higher CRS scores entering the pool. While the current score is still higher than the draws we saw earlier in the year, we can expect the scores to continue to decrease in upcoming draws. Note that this most recent score is nine points lower than that of the last draw.
The Express Entry system has become the most popular method of applying for economic immigration to Canada. So far this year, a total of 54,487 candidates have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. This number is larger than the total number of ITAs issued in all of 2016. Individuals who are interested in applying for permanent residence to Canada should definitely look into the Express Entry system.
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 current economic immigration 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.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool with a score of 440 or higher should have received an ITA after this recent 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 your score is lower than 440, 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.
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.
Jul 5, 2017 | Blog, Express Entry, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, Permanent Residency, Provincial Nominee Program, Skilled Workers
Last week, the province of Ontario announced that it would welcome individuals with skilled work experience in a targeted Information and Communications Technology (ICT) occupation. Now, they have released a list of the targeted occupations.
Candidates will be selected from the Express Entry pool as part of the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. Candidates with work experience in one of the targeted ICT occupations may be eligible to receive Notifications of Interest (NOI) from the province of Ontario, even with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of less than 400. Typically, under this program, candidates are required to have a CRS score of at least 400 in order to receive an NOI, which is an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination. Those who receive a provincial nomination also get an additional 600 CRS points and will likely receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.
The following list of occupations was released by the province of Ontario:
- NOC 0131: Telecommunication Carriers Managers
- NOC 0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
- NOC 2133: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- NOC 2147: Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
- NOC 2171: Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
- NOC 2172: Database Analysts and Data Administrators
- NOC 2173: Software Engineers and Designers
- NOC 2174: Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
- NOC 2175: Web Designers and Developers
- NOC 2241: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- NOC 2281: Computer Network Technicians
- NOC 2282: User Support Technicians
- NOC 2283: Systems Testing Technicians
- NOC 5224: Broadcast Technicians
- NOC 5241: Graphic Designers and Illustrators
If your work experience does not fit in one of those listed occupations, you may still be eligible to apply for a provincial nomination under the Human Capital Priorities stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. However, you will be required to have at least 400 CRS points and meet the requirements of the program.
Whether or not you fall under one of the targeted occupations, the first step towards obtaining a provincial nomination through the HCP stream is to create an Express Entry profile. Individuals who are interested in immigrating to and settling in the province of Ontario should contact us to discuss your options. We can help you prepare your online Express Entry profile as well as preparing your permanent residence application, in the event that you have already received an invitation to apply. Take our free online assessment to see if you qualify to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system.
Jul 3, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers
July 3, 2017 – Updates to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) now welcome skilled workers, with experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system. Candidates are required to have an online profile in the Express Entry pool and meet all of the requirements of the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
Prior to now, applicants were required to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 400 in order to receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the province of Ontario. However, due to increased labour market demands, the province of Ontario will now issue NOIs to candidates with scores below 400, so long as they show work experience in a targeted ICT occupation. A list of targeted occupations has not yet been released.
It is important to add that the government of Ontario will continue to select candidates from the Express Entry pool who do not fit into the ICT occupations, but these candidates will need to have a minimum of 400 CRS points.
Candidates who are interested in the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program are required to have an online profile in the Express Entry pool and meet the minimum requirements of either the Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class.
If you are interested in applying for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, under the Human Capital Priorities Stream, our licensed immigration consultants can help. Whether you need help creating your online profile for Express Entry or if you just have questions about the Express Entry system, we can help. Contact us today for a consultation or take our free online assessment to see if you qualify to apply for permanent residence.
Jun 29, 2017 | Blog, Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Trades, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers
June 28, 2017 – The first Express Entry draw of the month invited 3,409 candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence. Candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 449 and up should receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Although this score is higher than that of the last few draws, it is important to note that it has been 28 days since the last Express Entry draw. This is also the first draw to be made since the recent updates to the Express Entry system, which went into effect on June 6. These updates allowed individuals with French language skills as well as those with siblings living in Canada to receive additional points, thus increasing scores. Future Express Entry draws are likely to show a decrease in the CRS cut-off as more people exit the pool.
Candidates who received an invitation have ninety days to submit a 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.
Jun 26, 2017 | Blog, Citizenship, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, New Laws
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Bill C-6 received Royal Assent. As a result, several changes are now taking place, amending the Citizenship Act, and improving the process for applicants to become Canadian citizens. Some changes have already gone into effect; others will be going into effect in the near future. For example, applicants who receive citizenship will no longer be required to intend to live in Canada. This is beneficial to those who may have to live outside of Canada for work or other reasons. Additionally, dual citizens will no longer be treated differently. Rather than revoking citizenship for certain crimes, individuals with dual citizenship will be treated just the way any other Canadian citizen would.
Changes that will take effect in the future include the reduction of time that permanent residents must be physically present in Canada. At present, applicants must be in Canada four (4) years out of six (6) in order to apply for citizenship. The new change will reduce this time to three (3) years out of (5) five. In addition to this, the age range for individuals to meet language and knowledge requirements will be reduced from 14-64 years to 18-54 years. Finally, individuals who are in Canada as temporary residents or protected persons will be able to count this time as part of their physical presence requirement in order to attain citizenship.
Our team of immigration consultants can assist you in determining your eligibility to apply for citizenship. Take our free online assessment or contact us today to discuss your immigration options.
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.
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