Canada Express Entry - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

On January 1, 2015, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officially introduced an electronic arrangement, on the lines of a similar system already in operation in Australia, called Skill Select. The Canadian electronic system is known as Express Entry, even as it has been started to administer the petitions submitted for the prized and the much sought after Permanent Residence (PR), through these federal economic immigration schemes, namely, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Understanding key Features of Express Entry Program will help the candidates and this FAQ is a step in that direction.

It is hoped that this FAQ will help the Express Entry candidates and they would be able to make the most of the scheme without being troubled by any doubts and uncertainties. 

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Question: What exactly is Canada Express Entry program (EEP) and how it functions?
Answer: EEP directs and supervises the permanent residence petitions presented in these current economic immigration schemes of Canada the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). In additional to skilled immigrants chosen by the federal government, various Canadian provinces & territories are also enabled to enlist applicants from the Express Entry pool for a segment of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), with a view to fulfill the particular requirements of their local labor market.

Via the system, individuals, who cater to the conditions for any of the above given schemes, are put into a bank of aspirants called Express Entry Pool even as the Canadian administration, the various provincial & territorial administrations, and Canadian recruiters/firms are enabled to choose individuals from the given pool.

Express Entry together with the Job Bank of the Canadian Administration lets qualified recruiters/firms in the Maple Leaf Country and qualified nationals from abroad develop links with one another in a better manner, in the process, making integration swifter after aliens land in the nation. And, Invitation to Apply (ITA) is given to the aspirants meeting the points cut-off announced under the CRS ranking, from time to time.

Question: How is the program proving helpful for Canada?
Answer: Through the Express Entry, the CIC only entertains petitions from those it sends the invites, to immigrate to Canada, via certain particular economic immigration schemes. It discourages the growth of application inventory build-ups, by making certain that only the applicants who are most expected to do well and not just the first to present their petitions are in a position to put forward an application to move to the nation.

Question: Which specific immigration schemes are parts of the Express Entry structure?
Answer: The program is applicable to these economic immigration plans Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The various Canadian provinces & territories are now in a position to employ aspirants from the Express Entry system, for a part of the PNPs, with a view to fulfill the requirements of the local labor market.

Question: Does the EEP change or amend the scheme’s immigration conditions?
Answer: Express Entry is just a method for the CIC to administer and run the submission of the economic immigration petitions made online. The Federal points selection Criteria whereby minimum 67 points out of a maximum of 100 points is required continues to be applicable.

Question: Is it mandatory to have a confirmed work offer to find a position in the Express Entry bank?
Answer: No. The key competition for selection from pool is to be amongst candidates without confirmed job offer, based on their rank in the CRS. Priority should be to get into the EE pool, submitting profile into the Canada Job Databank and let the opportunities unfold; that now is the way forward to immigration to Canada. Only those who are in the pool can have an opportunity of taking advantage of sudden drop in cut-off points under CRS ranking or being noticed by an employer or for that matter presence in the pool is even a priority for filing an application under the provincial nomination program. So if one is interested in migrating to Canada, then to be in the express entry pool is the first and unavoidable step.

Question: Is there an upper limit on the number of applicants given entry to the pool of Express Entry?
Answer: No, there is no cap whatsoever on the number of aspirants who could file their applications into the pool of Express Entry. And this leads to a range of applicants with a superior mixture of expertise & experience from which the many Canadian recruiters, territories & provinces can choose to fulfill their particular requirements. However, there is as annual quota CAP on number of federal skilled permanent resident visas for skilled workers and professionals that are issued every year. Hence sooner, one gets into the express entry pool and submits the profile into Canada Job Data bank, more are the chances for them to be accepted under the Canada express Entry Program.

Question: Job Bank - How does it function with Express Entry?
Answer: Canada job Data Bank offers an opportunity to recruiters in Canada and foreign based skilled, to develop links with one another in a superior manner. After the application is successfully submitted in the express entry pool, a personal reference number is issued. The candidate should lodge personal resume in the Canada job Bank making mention of this personal reference number. That opens up the profile for review of Canadian Employers, federal agencies and provincial government’s.

Question: How does the Express Entry process works?
Answer: To begin with, the candidate shows the interest in moving to the nation, via generating an online profile for Express Entry. Under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), candidate shares information associated with work experience, language skills, education, and other particulars that may play a key role in his success in the Maple Leaf Country with the CIC. And, in case the candidate makes the cut-off in the draws, an invitation to apply (ITA) is issued to him.

Question: How does Express Entry prove useful for the possible applicants?
Answer: The program provides several benefits, and this comprises swifter processing times: Majority of the petitions that receive ITA will be fittingly processed in a maximum of 6-12 months, from the time the CIC obtains an all-inclusive petition submitted for permanent residence to a decisive, final decision; and it opens up possibilities of obtaining an employment offer from an qualified recruiter in the Maple Leaf Country prior to landing in Canada or receiving nomination from a province.

Question: Is there a charge to present a profile for Express Entry?
Answer: There is no such charge whatsoever to put forward a profile for Express Entry. However, to be able to file the application in the pool, the candidate must provide key information related to educational credentials, IELTS tests etc. In case of married applicants such expenses must be incurred for both the spouses, especially if the application is being filed with an accompanying spouse. In addition, once the candidate is chosen from the pool and invited to apply for Permanent Residence Visa, he is required to pay required application fee, RRPF, medical costs and any other related incidental expenses.

Question: For how long does the profile of an applicant, filed in the express entry pool remain?
Answer: A profile for Express Entry stays valid for 12 months, from the date an applicant successfully submission in the pool and in case the candidate fails to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) within this period and is still wishes to arrive in Canada as a skilled immigrant, then he is required to file a fresh profile into the pool.

Question: How do various Canadian territories & provinces make use of the Express Entry structure?
Answer: They are in a position to offer nomination to a certain number of overseas people, via the Express Entry structure, to cater to their particular local labor market immigration & requirements. In case a candidate receives a nomination from a specific Canadian territory or province, he will get adequate extra points to get an invite, to submit a petition for the permanent residence status at the coming skilled draw of applicants.

Question: What is the procedure for the probable applicants who wish to utilize both Express Entry & a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)?
Answer: The applicant must successfully submit the Express Entry profile. The many territories & provinces can afterwards explore the Express Entry bank and ask an aspirant to submit an application for their PNP Canada , and when the latter obtains a certificate for nomination, they will duly bring up to date their profile for Express Entry. This will surely mean that the candidate will move up in the ranking in the CRS, because he will get 600 additional points and almost certain selection for an ITA in subsequent draws from the pool.

Question: How is the scheme will prove useful for recruiters/firms in the Maple Leaf Country?
Answer: It offers them more recruitment choices and assists them to act in response to labor scarcities in a superior way where permanent residents or citizens are not accessible.

Question: How does recruiter/firms in the Maple Leaf Country utilize the Express Entry?
Answer: It is vital that the recruiter/firms in the nation first make every possible attempt to discover either a permanent resident or a citizen to fill unoccupied work-opportunities. Qualified recruiter/firms who are unable to find a Canadian or permanent resident, for a permanent job are encouraged to think about aspirants from the Job bank who cater to their particular requirements. Express Entry & Job Bank permits qualified Recruiters/firms in the nation and entitled trained nationals from abroad to develop links with one another without any problems.

Question: Can a recruiter who presently hires a temporary foreign worker (TFW) make use of Express Entry to shore-up his petition for the permanent residence status?
Answer: Yes! As long as the TFW is in Canada working, under a positive Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), the recruiter can provide him with a permanent job, to prop-up his petition for permanent residence. It is essential that the TFW generates an Express Entry profile and incorporates his work offer particulars. An employment offer duly backed by an LMIA will offer a candidate with adequate extra points and be positioned high enough to be sent an invite to put forward an application, at the coming eligible draw of aspirants.

Question: Does the danger of fraud from candidates or recruiters exist?
Answer: As already stated, the Administration of Canada has a zero tolerance for such cases even while it takes the scheme reliability incredibly seriously. The CIC expects the aspirants to be honest in their Application for Permanent Residence and for self-stated profile for Express Entry. At some point in processing, an immigration official will appraise & authenticate all information. Those who have furnished false details may be found inadmissible for distortion of facts, and might be prevented for a period of 5 years from submitting an application for permanent resident position.

Question: Is it possible for an Express Entry applicant to arrive in Canada and begin working prior to he obtains his PR Permit?
Answer: No, the applicants for Express Entry cannot typically arrive in the nation, for job purposes, until and unless he is armed with his permanent resident permit. In some specific situations, applicants will already be in the nation with an impermanent work visa.

Disclaimer: Here, some frequently asked questions involving Canada Express Entry Program, and their answers have been provided so that the aspirants for the well-liked program do not have any doubts, and are not plagued with any uncertainties about the scheme. This has been prepared by Ajay Sharma, Founder, ABHINAV for general information and is not to be copied for commercial use. While efforts have been made to confirm correctness of all information, it is strongly recommended that the candidate check with all available resources before taking any steps.
 

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