Canada is one of the most sought-after destinations to settle down as it offers a high quality of life, better healthcare, excellent education, and numerous job opportunities. Canada is one of the most prosperous countries with a thriving economy, so moving to Canada can be a chance to improve your life. Moving to Canada is a challenging task; it requires knowing about the potential ways to move to Canada, their eligibility requirements, essential documents, and how to apply and succeed in getting permanent residence in Canada.
One of the most efficient ways to get Canadian immigration from Pakistan is through the Canada Express Entry program. The Canadian Express Entry system efficiently manages immigration applications for various programs. To enter the Express Entry pathway, you first need to check the eligibility requirement to see if you qualify to apply through this program. If you are eligible, then you can make an Express Entry profile and submit it to the candidate pool. Once you submit your profile, the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System will evaluate and rank all profiles against each other. Each candidate is scored out of 1200 points.
This article will provide details about the Express Entry system, its requirements, eligibility criteria, and how to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence through express entry pathways.
Express Entry
This is a system used by the government of Canada to process and organize applications for skilled workers. It is an online system for skilled workers who wish to acquire Canadian permanent residence status through immigration. This system not only offers a pathway to Canadian PR but also represents Canada’s commitment to building a dynamic, diverse, and skilled workforce.
Express Entry works by managing three immigration programs, which are:
- Canadian Experience Class: This Canadian immigration program is for skilled workers who have eligible work experience in Canada. This experience must have been gained in the three years before you apply through Express Entry.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: This program is for skilled workers with Canadian or foreign work experience. The applicant must meet the criteria for education and other factors.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program: It is for skilled workers qualified in a skilled trade. They must have a valid job offer within Canada or a certificate of qualification.
Criteria of eligibility for Express Entry
To be eligible to apply for permanent residency in Canada through Express Entry, the applicants must have
- University or college degrees
- Skilled work experience
- Proficiency in English or French.
Requirements for Express Entry
There are specific requirements of the programs mentioned above to be able to apply through these programs. Each program has its requirements, but some standard requirements apply to all three Canadian immigration programs. These requirements are:
- Work experience in a skilled occupation (Have at least one year of continuous full-time or part-time work experience in the last ten years).
- Must be able to show proficiency in an approved language test, a minimum of seven (CLBs) in either English or French.
- You have completed post-secondary education that is assessed against Canadian standards.
Express Entry Cost
The cost of immigrating to Canada through Express Entry is about CAD 2,300 for a single applicant or about CAD 4,500 for a couple. Apart from Govt. fees, other expenditure includes:
- Language tests: Average cost – $300
- Biometrics: $85/person
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA): Average cost – $200
- Government fees: $1,525/adult & $260/child
- Police clearance certificates: Average cost – $100/Country
- Medical examination fees: $450/adult and $250/child
Besides these expenditures, Express Entry candidates must provide proof of funds to immigrate to Canada permanently. The amount of funds required for each family member or the total number of family members is given below.
Number of Family Members Funds Required
Number of Family Members | Funds Required |
1 | $14,690 |
2 | $18,288 |
3 | $22,483 |
4 | $27,297 |
5 | $30,690 |
6 | $34,917 |
7 | $38,875 |
If more than 7 people, for each additional family member | $3,958 |
Processing time for Express entry program
The processing time for Express Entry application ranges between six months to twelve months. Applications are usually processed quickly, however, not all cases will be processed this quick. Even if you do not receive an invitation to apply, your Express Entry profile can stay active in the pool of candidates for 12 months. To stay active in the pool after 12 months, you can resubmit your profile.
Canada uses the CRS score to rank all candidates against each other in the pool. The Canadian Government holds an Express Entry draw approximately every two weeks and set a minimum CRS score cut-off. Candidates with a score above the cut-off will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence in Canada.
How are Express Entry points calculated?
The Canadian Government has devised a system a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), through which they assign scores to candidates. On the basis of these scores, Candidates are ranked in the Express Entry pool. The scores are assigned on the basis of the following factors:
- Level of education;
- Age;
- Foreign and Canadian work experience;
- Proficiency in French or English;
- Connections to Canada
- Spouse or common-law partner factors
These score are also known as Canada’s Express Entry points. CRS calculator tool is available on their website through which you can estimate your score. There are other factors to that can boost your score, these are
- Canadian work or educational experience
- Proficiency in two languages (English and French)
- A Master’s degree or Ph.D. education
- An arranged employment offer from a company in Canada.
- A brother or sister residing in Canada.
- A nomination from a provincial nominee program
How to apply for Express entry
This step-by-step guide will teach you about how to apply and complete the Express Entry process to immigrate to Canada.
Create an Express Entry profile.
The very first step is to create an Express Entry profile. For that, you must first create an IRCC secure account on their official website, Canada.ca. You can create your own profile, but if a representative is submitting on your behalf, they submit the profile through their Authorized Paid Representatives Portal.
Find out your eligibility.
After creating an account, you can find out your eligibility by filling out an eligibility questionnaire. This will determine if you qualify for an Express Entry program.
Complete your documents.
In order to fill out a profile, you’ll need documents, like education certificates, proof of language proficiency, to show you’re eligible for Express Entry. At this point, you are not required to upload documents to submit a profile. These documents are needed to fill out the information correctly to avoid making any mistake.
Required Documents:
- A valid passport
- Language test results
- Proof of education (Canadian) or an educational credential assessment report (for education outside of Canada) for immigration purposes if you want to get points for the education you got outside of Canada (If you’re applying through the Federal Skilled Workers Program).
- Provincial nomination, PNP (if you have one)
- Proof of work experience, Written job offer from an employer in Canada, or a certificate of qualification in a trade occupation (whichever applies to your immigration program)
- Proof of funds
Fill out your profile for the express entry application.
After completing your documents and finding out your eligibility, the next step is to fill out an online form. Fill out all your information, including details on your
- age,
- education
- work experience,
- language test results.
Submit an Express Entry profile.
Once you fill the form, submit your profile, and you will be added in the Express Entry pool. The Express Entry system will then automatically determine your score and which program you are eligible under for permanent residence through Express Entry. Candidates for Canadian immigration process are ranked in the entry pool using the comprehensive ranking system.
Get an invitation to apply.
The candidates with the highest scores will be sent invitations to apply.
If you are invited to apply, you’ll get 60 days to submit your application.
Apply for Permanent residence
Once you get the invite to apply, you must submit your application for permanent residence with complete documents in 60 days. The Canada immigration authorities (IRCC) process the applications that are complete and have all supporting documents in 6 or less than six months.
Besides the copies of the documents you used for your profile, you will also need to upload the following:
- medical exams
- police certificates
- birth certificate (If you have a dependent child)
- proof of funds
- use of a representative form (If you’ve hired a representative
- Marriage certificate (If you’ve declared your marital status as “married.”)
Conclusion
Immigration to Canada form Pakistan can be a long and hectic process, but the best way to do it is through Canada Express Entry. It is one of the most efficient methods of obtaining permanent residence status in Canada. Going through the Canada Express Entry system requires a lot of patience, preparation, and planning. You must be aware of all the details needed in the process, like profile optimization or potential changes and opportunities. You can also hire an experienced immigration consultant like HSA consultants, who has experience dealing with this and can guide you through each step. Hiring a professional consultant can save you from exhaustion through the process and can significantly increase your chances of succeeding in your goal of immigration to Canada.
