What You Need to Know About Canada Express Entry…

Based on the daily traffic of my blog since I published Coming to Canada in 6 Months a few days ago, it can be said that there is really a big number of people around the globe who are interested in coming to Canada.  Indeed, Canada is really one of the world’s most desired countries to live in.

A lot of people are very much interested in the Express Entry program… The overwhelming site views the last few days inspired me to learn more about this Express Entry.  Though Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has not unveiled the full details of the program, there are a few information that I found which provides clearer information.  Once again, I want to remind all readers, that I am not an immigration consultant or I do not work for CIC as well, the information I am posting in this site are based on what I found in various resources.

On December 1, 2014, CIC Minister Chris Alexander made an announcement regarding this new program and here are some information that I got which might somehow clarify the uncertainties that we all have since we heard about this program:

• Express Entry will launch at 12 noon EST January 1st, 2015.
• Express Entry will function as a two-step process.  Step one is where candidates express their interest in immigrating to Canada, with candidates who are eligible for one of the federal economic immigration programs entering the Express Entry pool. Step two is the part when the candidates in the pool are issued with invitation to apply  (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.
• Under the Express Entry program, CIC aims to process applications within 6 months from the date of it’s submission, however, the 6 months period starts from the date the candidate submits a complete application for permanent residence after and ITA was issued and not 6 months from the date an expression of interest to immigrate to Canada was submitted.
• Potential candidates will be able to complete an Express Entry profile at any time once the system is online and there will be no caps on the number of candidates that will be accepted to enter in the pool.
• The process of taking candidates from the pool is called “draw”. CIC will select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool through regular draws and invite them to apply to immigrate as a permanent resident.
• The first draw for an invitation to apply is expected in late January.  Draws to invite candidates to apply are expected to take place at regular intervals over the course of each year.
• Candidates in the pool will be ranked using a point-based system, which is the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), where points awarded to the candidate is based on the information in his profile. Candidates in the pool with the highest scores will be issued with ITA.
• CRS is the mechanism that will be used to rank candidates based on the information in the candidates profile, determined by factors such as age, level of education, language ability, work experience and whether the candidate received a job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial nomination.
• The candidate given an ITA will have 60 days to submit an online application for permanent residence and no extensions will be granted.
• Given the limited period of time to submit application for permanent residence after receiving and ITA, candidates are advised to ensure that they prepare the supporting documents to enable them to submit complete application within 60 days.
• A candidate can stay in the pool for 12 months, if he did not receive an ITA after this period, he may submit a new Express Entry profile and re-enter the pool provided he still meet the criteria.
• The entire process of Express Entry will be fully electronic system therefore submission of application and issuance of ITA will be conducted online.
• An applicant who accepted the ITA but fails to submit a complete application and all supporting documents the applicant will not have a second opportunity to file the an application under the same issued ITA.  The applicant’s expression of interest ceases to be valid and he will no longer be in the Express Entry pool.
• If an applicant declines an invitation to apply, he cannot re-enter the Express Entry pool until 12 months have passed since he or she was deemed eligible to enter the pool.
• Entry to Express Entry pool does not guarantee that a candidate will be issued an ITA for permanent residence.
• A candidate who is issued with ITA still needs to meet eligibility and admissibility requirements under Canada’s immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).
• Provinces and Territories will be able to use the Express Entry system to select a portion of candidates for their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
• A candidate can use both PNP and Express Entry in 2 ways: (1) applicant applies to PNP first, get nomination and complete an Express Entry profile; or (2) applicant creates an Express Entry profile first, provinces or territories can then search the Express Entry pool and ask a candidate to apply to its provincial nomination, once the candidate gets the nomination, he will then update his Express Entry profile.
• Application to Quebec will not be processed through Express Entry; instead, Quebec is scheduled to reopen its skilled worker stream in April 2015.

I will try to update my blog for more information that I may get in the coming days, however, I recommend that you visit CIC’s official website at www.cic.gc.ca for a more detailed information.

Sources:

Express Entry: Candidates.  http://www.canadavisa.com. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.

Express entry immigration points system revealed before Jan. 1 launch.  http://www.cbc.ca.  Retrieved December 4, 2014.

Express Entry.  http://www.cic.gc.ca.  Retrieved December 4, 2014.