The flow of international migrants to Canada has seen a steady growth over the last decade and the country boasts of a remarkable record of one in five Canadians being immigrants as of now. More than 80% of the demographic dividend of this country, both permanent and temporary, has grown through international immigration.
What Makes Canada An Ideal Immigration Destination?
With one of the richest stores of natural resources and a relatively low population dispersed across vast tracts of land, progress has been largely driven by enterprising and risk-taking immigrant populations. Government policies have recognized the fact that immigrants are vital to the
country’s economic growth and prosperity. At present, Canada’s population growth is one of the lowest in the world, resulting in a rapidly aging demographic profile. An injection of fresh labor is required to avoid economic stagnation. The burden of pensioners and retirees slated to boom over the next decade means a dip in the tax base and a weakening of healthcare support systems required by the seniors. Studies also show that by 2030, deaths could exceed births and this could shrink the labor force even more. A study by a polling company, The Environics Institute,
reveals that more than 75% of Canadians view immigration in a positive light and compared with other countries, people in Canada are more accepting of immigrants and there is widespread public support for them. With the job market changing rapidly and undergoing paradigm shifts in the nature
and scope of work, there are a host of factors that come into play. These include global economic events, technology advances, new areas of work and demographic changes that impact the labor market. Earlier, government policies focused on injecting temporary, short-term labor as a stop-gap to address immediate market needs. Keeping these aspects in mind, the government has instituted a slew of new policies that encourage immigration, speed up existing systems and ensure that future economic, social and cultural goals are met. Express Entry is one such initiative launched by the Canadian government in line with its plans to welcome nearly one million permanent residents between 2018-20.
How Does It Work?
Candidates who are interested in applying for the Express Entry program are required to submit an application form that decides whether they are eligible to apply under the three types of programs. The candidate has to answer questions regarding age, nationality, number of family-members, education, linguistic abilities in Canada’s official languages French and English, spouse’s education level and work experience, candidate’s work experience and give details of job offers if any. In response, the candidate gets information on which programs they may be eligible for. An online profile has to be filled out and if this is found suitable, the candidate joins a pool from which selections are made. The system automatically assigns a rank to each candidate based on this profile, other people in the pool, and predictors of success, according to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Employers, companies, different provinces and territories can directly access the Express Entry data pool and select suitable candidates according to their requirements. This can enhance the candidate’s ranking and improve their chances under the program. Other advantages include completing college/university in Canada, notification of interest from a province or a provincial nomination. A
candidate can be nominated only by a single province at a time. Nearly once every two weeks an Express Entry draw is conducted, based on a cut-off
CRS score. Highest-ranking candidates at that point will be offered an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada as a skilled immigrant. Your application is generally processed within the next six months.
Comprehensive Ranking Score
The points awarded to candidates based on their profiles are based on certain criteria. If the candidate is planning to immigrate without the spouse or common-law partner, higher points are awarded. Otherwise, the spouse/common-law partner’s profile also has a bearing on the number of points awarded.
The main criteria include:
- A. Core/Human Capital Factors: Age, Level of Education, Official languages proficiency and Canadian work experience
- B. Spouse/Common-Law Partner Factors: Level of Education, Official languages proficiency and Canadian work experience
- C. Skill Transferability Factors: Education, Foreign work experience, Certificate of qualification for people in trade occupations
- D. Additional Points: Sibling living in Canada as a Permanent Resident, French language abilities, Post-secondary education in Canada, Offer of Employment in Canada, Provincial Nomination
Points are designated for each category and the candidate may be eligible to enter the Express Entry pool based on their CRS score. The profile remains valid for 12 months.
Is It Possible To Improve Your CRS Scores?
The Express Entry system is highly competitive and completely unbiased. It depends entirely on your CRS scores and the pool that you are placed in. The CRS system is dynamic and constantly fluctuating. It’s important to understand that your scores are not immutable or locked-in. Candidates must also keep themselves aware of the categories of immigrants who receive ITA’s in each Express Entry draw. While most aspects of the scoring criteria remain fixed, there are areas where candidates can improve their scores with the right kind of professional advice. You could bump up your points by making improvements or you could enhance your additional points by as much as 500-600, taking you all the way up into the big league.
Some of the strategies that you could look at are:
- Check whether you’ve ticked all the points that you are entitled to get
- Take a 360-degree approach and don’t pin all your hopes on any one sector to give you the maximum score: Every point counts, so ensure
that you have good scores across the board - Try your best to get provincial nomination – this can give you 600 points straight away
- If possible, get admission to a reputed college and take courses in Canada
- If you’ve visited the province previously, you’re entitled to extra points
- Take language tests again if you feel you can do better
- Start taking courses in either French or English or both if you’re not a native speaker
- Try as hard as possible to get a job offer recognized by the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from a reputed employer in Canada,
though LMIA is not an essential requirement for job offers - While applying with your spouse/partner, ensure that the principal applicant is the one with better scores: Sometimes a skill/trade may
yield higher scores rather than a conventional Master’s degree qualification - Enhance language skills and if you’re lucky enough to be bilingual, it can ramp up your score considerably
- Get more real work experience so that it can give you more points in the skills transferability section
While it is technically possible to handle the Express Entry application process yourself, it’s a good strategy to get professional assistance.
It’s wise to seek the help of a well-established, reputed and experienced professional immigration consultant while seeking Express Entry to Canada. Professionals in this field keep abreast of the changes in laws and the latest information available from reliable sources.
A trustworthy consultant can help you with making sure that the paperwork is accurate and backed by the right documentation. They can also give you valuable advice and assistance to ensure that your application goes through smoothly and swiftly.