WHY MIGRATE TO CANADA?

Here’s a list of approximate expenses that you may have to meet for Canada immigration through Canada Express Entry and PNP:

Immigration fees by Canadian provinces are as follows:

If you are bringing a family of 4 along with you to immigrate to Canada, you will need to spend an approximate amount of CAD 30,000. In this case, the average costs you may have to meet include the following:

Immigration fees by Canadian provinces are as follows in cases involving families as mentioned above:

To immigrate to Canada you have to apply for a Canada PR visa. This can be done via immigration programs like Canada Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program. The visa applications are accepted in 4 main categories. Among economic immigrants, who are the major types of immigration candidates, the following classes of people are included:

Skilled Worker Class

The FSTP is for individuals willing to become Canada PR visa holders on the basis of their qualifications and work experience in a certain skilled trade. The FSWP applicants get the eligibility as Canada PR on the basis of their ability to settle in Canada. They can take an active role in developing the economy.

The immigrants under this category have skills, education, and experience in an occupation that is highly desired in the Canadian labor market.

Canadian Experience Class

Potential immigrants who already are in Canada can participate in CEC and change their status from temporary to permanent residents. Those individuals who have resided in Canada for a while, including TFWs (temporary foreign workers)/international students can settle in Canada through the CEC program. They require to have a certain level of abilities in the English and/or French language. They have adjusted to living in Canada too.

Business Class

Under this class individuals such as entrepreneurs, investors, are self-employed people who are foreign nationals can participate. These are immigrants who have the funds, skills, as well as experience needed to run a business in Canada.

If you score 67 points or higher (out of 100), you may qualify to immigrate as a federal skilled worker through the Canada Express Entry system which is managed by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Yes, you can apply for permanent residence through Canada Express Entry.

Under the 67-point eligibility calculation, the factor of ‘age’ is worth a maximum of 12 points.

The age between 18 to 35 years is worth 12 points. Being 47 years old or more will get you no points for age. You can, however, still apply under Canada Express Entry.

Yes. IRCC accepts both CELPIP and IELTS to verify the applicant’s English proficiency. While IELTS is one of the standardized tests of the English language, IELTS is not mandatory for Canada immigration.

IRCC accepts the CELPIP-G test for immigration and citizenship. The “CELPIP-G LS” test is only carried for Canadian citizenship purposes and not for migrate overseas to Canada.

There are various Canada immigration programs available under through which you can apply for Canadian permanent residence. Some popular programs are:

• Canada Express Entry Program
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
• Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP)

Each of the Canada immigration programs has its own set of eligibility criteria. But there are some general eligibility requirements common to all. Applicants must:

• Be above 18 years of age
• Have the minimum educational qualifications equal to higher secondary education in Canada
• Score the minimum marks in language proficiency tests such as IELTS or CLB
• Have a minimum work experience of one year

There is no upper age limit for applying for Canadian permanent residence through the federal Express Entry system. An individual 47 years old and above will not score any points under the age criteria when applying for Canada immigration via Express Entry.

However, such individuals can still gather enough points on other factors like skills, language proficiency, job offer, education, etc.

The minimum CRS score cut-off varies from draw to draw. The highest-ranked are issued invitations in the IRCC draws held from time to time.

Here, CRS has a 1,200-point matrix used to rank profiles while in the IRCC Express Entry pool of candidates.

If applying under the Express Entry system, your English language ability will get you marks at two separate stages of the immigration process.

Your first official language ability can get you a maximum of 24 points on the 67-point eligibility calculation. A CLB 9 and above is worth 6 points each on the four abilities assessed, amounting to 24 points altogether.

When your profile is in the Express Entry pool, your first language ability is worth a maximum of CRS 136 points (when applying without a spouse/partner).

The specific IELTS score you should aim for will be as per the pathway applying under. The higher your score in IELTS, the more points you can hope to get as Canada immigration points.

The higher your CRS score, the better your chances of being invited by IRCC to apply.

Some ways of improving your CRS score are:

• securing a nomination by a province/territory
• getting arranged employment in Canada

A PNP nomination is worth 600 CRS points in itself. To find out the right PNP for you, talk to Y-Axis, the expert Canada immigration consultants in Dubai.

To work in Canada foreign nationals will require a Canada work permit. However, in some cases, migration candidates may get eligibility to work in Canada without obtaining a work permit.

Canada work permits are of 2 types:

• Open work permit: This permit lets you work for any employer in Canada. The availability of an open work permit is subject to certain conditions and situations.
• Employer-specific work permit: This Canada work permit has the name of an employer in Canada attached to it for whom you will work. The permit will have clear specifications for the location and tenure you can work.

Another way for foreign nationals to legally work in Canada is to apply for IEC (International Experience Canada). This is also called Working Holiday Visa.

International students in Canada may also get the eligibility to work in Canada. The permission to work on or off-campus comes along with certain study permits. This is applicable during the tenure of study in Canada.

In such cases, after graduation, you have the option to either:

• apply for a work permit in Canada or
• apply for a PGWP (Post-graduate Work Permit) or

apply for permanent residence

Here are some tips to prepare for the IELTS test:

• Familiarize yourself with the format of the test, tasks, and questions for every section.
• After familiarizing practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English.
• On the basis of the reason for moving to Canada, you can practice answering sample test questions for both the IELTS General Training test and IELTS Academic.
• Practice by keeping timed limits so that you can get accustomed to the real test scenario.

Review your answers by comparing them to the model answers available on the IELTS website.

It’s your ability to communicate in one/both official languages in Canada that decides your language points. The points for language skills are determined on the basis of your ability to write, read, speak, and listen in English and/or French.

Without undergoing and scoring sufficiently in an approved language test, you cannot go ahead with Canada immigration. This is because it’s necessary to prove your language skill levels.

CLB (Canadian Language benchmarks) for English and NCLC (Niveaux de compétence Linguistique Canadiens) for French are the approved tests for proving your language proficiency.

The maximum score possible for potential immigrants is 28 points. In case you are able to speak only one of Canada’s official languages, it will still be possible for you to earn up to 24 points.

In order to qualify, you have to score a skill level of CLB 9 or NCLC 9 in all 4 areas of language proficiency. If you want to obtain 28 points, it’s necessary that you meet the minimum skill level of CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in all 4 areas of language proficiency.

The processing time of Canada visa with IRCC is affected by many factors of which even the number of backlogs of yesteryears will count. But, IRCC manages to keep up with the optimal processing time for economic-class programs including Express Entry, CEC, and FSWP.

Here are the visa processing times for applications with IRCC as of March 31, 2022.

If you are married, it’s better to file a visa application via Express Entry with your dependent applicants. These include your spouse and kids. The reason why it’s recommended is that if not, you will need to apply for them yet again in the future. This will add the burden of extra costs on you in the future.

In case you go ahead with including your spouse, it will be necessary for you to prove how you are related to your spouse. For this you must provide sufficient documents like the following:

• Bills for shared utility accounts
• Joint leases or rental agreements
• Driver’s licenses
• Important documents for both of you mentioning the same address like:
  • Identification documents
  • Shared ownership of residential property
  • Insurance policies

The 67 points system dictates that you must have earned at least 67 points on a 100-point scale to qualify to enter into the Canada Express Entry pool. In other words, you must first go through the 67 points system so that you are eligible for filing an application for a Canada PR visa under FSWP.

CRS comes into the picture after you enter the Canada Express Entry pool. The CRS score is calculated on a 1,200 points scale. This score is determined considering a lot of factors and Express Entry candidates competing for priority to be invited to apply for Canada PR based on how high their scores are.

If a Canadian province chose to nominate you for Canada PR, you get 600 additional CRS points that give you a lead in applying for a Canada PR visa.

The main point you have to understand is that under Canada Express Entry you will be selected for immigration via a federal immigration program by the federal government. This pathway is best for you if you are confident that you have skills and other factors that fetches you a high CRS score while in the Express Entry pool.

Under PNP, Canadian provinces select suitable candidates from amongst you as you fulfill some labor requirements they have. The criteria for selection for a provincial nomination that leads to Canada immigration are also determined by the respective province/territory.

The provincial pathway, though it stipulates that you settle in a certain province, provides you the advantage that some of the immigration streams accept CRS scores that are low. Also, along with a provincial nomination, 600 extra CRS points are granted which leads to your leading in the line of potential Canada immigration candidates during the next federal immigration draw.

Both PNP and Express Entry are great Canada immigration pathways. But you will be required to stay in the province you selected for 2 years after getting Canada PR.

One wise thing to do is to seek jobs in Canada’s Job Bank. The Job Bank is a job repository that features millions of jobs in Canada each year. Find one that matches you and apply.

For this, you can use the “Job Seeker validation code” that you got at the time you submitted your Express Entry profile. Once you arrive in Canada you can continue using Job Bank to look for the best jobs you can enter into.

English and French are the 2 official languages of Canada. While most Canadian provinces accept English skills as an essential requirement, Quebec has most focus on inviting francophone immigrants. So, to immigrate to Canada and settle in Quebec, it will be essential to learn French to a certain skill level as counted through CLB/NCLC.

Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto have the largest expat population in Canada.

If you are already in the Canada Express Entry pool and have a registered account, you can start looking for a job for which you have to follow these steps:

• Create a Job Match account with Canada’s Job Bank
• Promote yourself to employers in Canada using private-sector job boards

In fact, you can use both options while you are in the Express Entry pool. After you arrive in Canada you can continue using these services in case you still need to find a job.

Job Bank

Have a Job Match account with Job Bank. This process is easy and can be done online. This online tool helps you match your credentials with employers seeking workers possessing your skills. For doing so you must

• Go to the sign-in page of the Job Match tool
• Click the button named “Sign up now!”
• Read the privacy notice
• Click “I agree” if you are ready to accept the privacy terms
• Do as per the instructions to create an account

To create a Job Match account, you will require your Express Entry profile number as well as the job seeker validation code.

Job boards

You can access Canada’s private-sector job boards. These are job advertisement services available online. They also give you tools for finding work. There are services that are given for free and the ones provided for a small fee. You must do research to find what suits you.

In your best interest, so that you can settle in Canada well, Canada immigration system will require you to give proof of the amount of money you need to settle in Canada. This information must be given in your Canada Express Entry profile. By this, you will demonstrate that you can support yourself as well as any family member who arrives in Canada with you. It also helps IRCC assess which programs you may have eligibility for.

Meeting the settlement fund requirement will be required only in case it applies to the program you have received an invitation to apply to.

In case you receive an invitation to apply under the FSWP or FSTP, you will have to show that you meet the requirement for settlement funds unless you:

• Have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
• Are currently authorized to work in Canada

For proof, you have to get official letters from any financial institutions/banks where you have deposited your money.

The letter(s) have to list:

• Outstanding debts such as loans and credit card debts
• All current bank and investment accounts

The system currently requires all applicants to provide a document for proof of funds. In case you don’t have to present proof of funds, you have to upload a letter that explains that

• You have been invited to apply under the CEC or

You have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer

To enter the Express Entry candidate pool, you need to score at least 67 out of 100 points on the points grid. These points are calculated on the basis of several factors including:

Language skills – Maximum 28 points

The points for language skills are calculated on the basis of abilities namely speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The 2 approved language tests for finding language proficiency are CLB for English and NCLC for French.

Education – Maximum 25 points

For Canadian educational qualifications, you have to present a certificate, diploma, or degree from one of the following:

• Canadian secondary institution (high school)
• Canadian post-secondary institution

Work experience – Maximum 15 points

You can score points for the number of years you have spent doing full-time paid work (min. 30 hours per week, or part-time of an equal amount [15 hours per week for 24 months]). This must be for skill type 0 or skill levels A or B of the 2016 NOC.

Age – Maximum 12 points

The points will be calculated based on your age on the day IRCC gets your application. This ranges from 18 years (12 points) to 46 years (1 point).

Arranged employment in Canada – Maximum 10 points

To get points for this factor, you must have a job offer from a Canadian employer that’s valid for at least a year. The job offer must be obtained before you file the application to arrive in Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.

A valid job offer means

• It’s paid, continuous, full-time work (at least 30 hours/week) that’s:
• for at least a year
• not seasonal

It’s an occupation listed as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the NOC.

You can use the Canada points calculator that will guide you through by asking specific questions related to the factors that govern the assignment of points. These include age, education, work experience, language skills, and arranged employment in Canada.

You have to score at least 67 points to qualify to enter the Canada Express Entry candidate pool. You may improve your CRS score (the score assigned in the Canada Express Entry system) by

• completing another degree, diploma, or certificate
• improving your language skills
• receive an offer of arranged employment in Canada

You can know your eligibility to immigrate to Canada by using Y-Axis Canada Immigration Points Calculator.

Here are the steps involved in obtaining a Canada PR visa:

• You have to first receive an invitation to apply for applying for a Canada PR visa.
• Apply within 60 days of receiving the invitation.
• Go online to the IRCC site and submit your application online using the login you already have while joining the Canada Express Entry pool.
• While applying, ensure that
  • You have submitted all of the required documents
  • All of your answers are complete, honest, and factual
  • All the compulsory fields are completed
• Upload all scanned supporting documents (translated by a certified translator where required)
• Pay required fee items including
  • processing fee (for you and your family members if applicable)
  • biometrics fee
  • right of fee for permanent residence
• Provide your biometric information.
• Check your application status on the IRCC immigration portal using your login.

If your visa application is approved, you will receive COPR (Confirmation Of PR). You have to arrive in Canada before the expiry date in the COPR. Once you reach Canada, you have to obtain your PR Card.

Applying for a Canada PR visa under the FSWP stream of Canada Express Entry is the best visa pathway to becoming a permanent resident in Canada. Here are the reasons:

• FSWP offers opportunities to skilled foreign workers in a range of industry sectors.
• It’s the most taken (80% applicants for PR) Canada PR visa pathway.
• The minimum requirements are comparatively easier to meet.
• The possibility of scoring the minimum point of 67 is high and hence the demand for this pathway.
• You can apply for Canada PR from outside Canada.

FSWP draws have resumed in Canada after their pause since December 2020 due to COVID-19.