In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada launched a new electronic system to better manage immigration applications. That electronic system is known as Canada Express Entry System (EE system). Please note this is not an immigration program like - Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee.
It is purely an information management tool. I like to think of it as a dating website or Facebook. Both require you to set up a profile except you are dealing with the government of Canada for immigration purposes. You simply enter all your information and if it matches the required ranking score then you are given an Invitation to Apply.
I won't go into a great detail of how the EE system works but I will touch on a few basics and then move on to describe how the EE system might impact current and future international students in Canada.
The current EE system gives the following advantages:
In the previous application process (before January 2015), all the applicant had to do was meet certain requirement and then proceed to apply whether through a federal application or a provincial nominee application.
However, in the new system, even though you meet all the requirement, you cannot just go ahead and apply. You will first be assigned a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). If your score is above or meets the minimum score required from the round of draws conducted monthly then you will receive an Invitation to Apply.
Yes! it is the waiting game no one likes especially if you are on a Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) that is expiring soon.
In the new system international students with a PGWP and 1 year Canadian experience, will need a PGWP backed by a Labour Market Impact Assesment (LMIA) to rank high in the CRS or obtain a provincial nominee certificate to rank high.
If you get a job that the employer is not willing to apply for LMIA on your behalf then you could have a hard time applying for permanent residence. That never used to be the case in the previous system.
As it sits now, a worker outside Canada with years of work experience and maybe a Canadian post graduate program stands a better chance of getting an Invitation to Apply than an International student with just B.Sc and 1 year experience within Canada. This new wave of competitiveness within the EE pool leaves a lot of PGWP holders with low scores.
So what is the way forward?
All international students should find a way to boost their score through the following:
- Consider taking or re-taking the language test - English and / or French. A combined English
and French scores should add to your ranking. **Many applicants do not take the French
Proficiency language test. If your English is already perfect, you can take a few French courses to boost your score for Express Entry.
- Complete a post-graduate program after your B.Sc, e.g diploma, masters, Ph.D, trades cert.,
etc.
- Use a combination of work- experience
Although your coop/internship work experience does not count towards EE system make sure
to use it later to find work in your field and obtain your 1 year Canadian experience. Your
3 years PGWP does not give you enough time to look for work.
For example, some people I know used the first year of their PGWP (due to no previous
experience) for job search and then got a job in the second year. Between the 2nd year
and 3rd year they have to gain a 1 year experience and then apply for Permanent Residence
in the 3rd year. Having a previous work experience during your studies might just help
get you a job in your first few months after your graduation.
Besides, some coop / internship students do get hired full time after graduation
so keep an eye for this. You essentially save time if you do this.
A foreign experience is highly valued so make sure to indicate that you have it.
Your Canadian and foreign work experience combined should fetch you good points.
- Consider asking your employer to apply for an LMIA through ESDC if your PGWP
is not backed by an LMIA. There have been stories of a high refusal rate for LMIA as
of recent but I think it is worth applying regardless. While some employers may
not consider you valuable enough to go for an LMIA, others may
simply be reluctant because of the amount of information
they have to give up to the government. It is tricky getting an LMIA yes!
If this is your case then try the provincial nominee option. By the way an LMIA
gets you an automatic 600 points.
- Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
While some Provinces have not officially kicked off their PNP (under EE)
this remains the most viable option for people with low CRS scores.
You stand a better chance with PNP than LMIA.
LMIA essentially says that no available Canadian can do your job which
is quite hard if you think about it. Out of 33 million-plus people, no one in
the whole country is available? - hence an LMIA so you can fill the void?
In PNP, the Province where you reside nominates you based on their criteria but
CIC still makes the final decision. The requirement for PNP application is easier
than that of an LMIA. A PNP nomination certificate also gets you an automatic 600 points. **Some Provinces award points for applicants with siblings already living in the Province. This might be an opportunity to score some good points if you have a sibling living in the same
Province.
See the ranking system here.
There are speculations that this is an election year so the immigration rules are more strict due to uncertainties in the Canadian economy. Some people say this has been done to appease the voters and protect Canadian jobs while others say the government just want to appear tough on immigration issues. Whatever the case is, Express Entry has come to stay and it is the new way of handling immigration applications so make sure you are prepared if you intend to immigrate to Canada as an international student.
Click here to join a forum that discusses Express Entry issues on the canadavisa website. Although I must warn that there are lots of sentiments on the forum so be careful not to fall for the noise that is ever present.
As always email or leave a comment.
*** see current update from CiC below. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/reports/ee-midyear-2015.asp
It is purely an information management tool. I like to think of it as a dating website or Facebook. Both require you to set up a profile except you are dealing with the government of Canada for immigration purposes. You simply enter all your information and if it matches the required ranking score then you are given an Invitation to Apply.
I won't go into a great detail of how the EE system works but I will touch on a few basics and then move on to describe how the EE system might impact current and future international students in Canada.
The current EE system gives the following advantages:
- Setup your EE profile any time
- No deadlines for setting up your profile
- No restrictions on the number of applicants accepted into the EE pool of candidates.
- Permanent residence applications will be processed in 6 months or less.
In the previous application process (before January 2015), all the applicant had to do was meet certain requirement and then proceed to apply whether through a federal application or a provincial nominee application.
However, in the new system, even though you meet all the requirement, you cannot just go ahead and apply. You will first be assigned a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). If your score is above or meets the minimum score required from the round of draws conducted monthly then you will receive an Invitation to Apply.
Yes! it is the waiting game no one likes especially if you are on a Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) that is expiring soon.
In the new system international students with a PGWP and 1 year Canadian experience, will need a PGWP backed by a Labour Market Impact Assesment (LMIA) to rank high in the CRS or obtain a provincial nominee certificate to rank high.
If you get a job that the employer is not willing to apply for LMIA on your behalf then you could have a hard time applying for permanent residence. That never used to be the case in the previous system.
As it sits now, a worker outside Canada with years of work experience and maybe a Canadian post graduate program stands a better chance of getting an Invitation to Apply than an International student with just B.Sc and 1 year experience within Canada. This new wave of competitiveness within the EE pool leaves a lot of PGWP holders with low scores.
So what is the way forward?
All international students should find a way to boost their score through the following:
- Consider taking or re-taking the language test - English and / or French. A combined English
and French scores should add to your ranking. **Many applicants do not take the French
Proficiency language test. If your English is already perfect, you can take a few French courses to boost your score for Express Entry.
- Complete a post-graduate program after your B.Sc, e.g diploma, masters, Ph.D, trades cert.,
etc.
- Use a combination of work- experience
Although your coop/internship work experience does not count towards EE system make sure
to use it later to find work in your field and obtain your 1 year Canadian experience. Your
3 years PGWP does not give you enough time to look for work.
For example, some people I know used the first year of their PGWP (due to no previous
experience) for job search and then got a job in the second year. Between the 2nd year
and 3rd year they have to gain a 1 year experience and then apply for Permanent Residence
in the 3rd year. Having a previous work experience during your studies might just help
get you a job in your first few months after your graduation.
Besides, some coop / internship students do get hired full time after graduation
so keep an eye for this. You essentially save time if you do this.
A foreign experience is highly valued so make sure to indicate that you have it.
Your Canadian and foreign work experience combined should fetch you good points.
- Consider asking your employer to apply for an LMIA through ESDC if your PGWP
is not backed by an LMIA. There have been stories of a high refusal rate for LMIA as
of recent but I think it is worth applying regardless. While some employers may
not consider you valuable enough to go for an LMIA, others may
simply be reluctant because of the amount of information
they have to give up to the government. It is tricky getting an LMIA yes!
If this is your case then try the provincial nominee option. By the way an LMIA
gets you an automatic 600 points.
- Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
While some Provinces have not officially kicked off their PNP (under EE)
this remains the most viable option for people with low CRS scores.
You stand a better chance with PNP than LMIA.
LMIA essentially says that no available Canadian can do your job which
is quite hard if you think about it. Out of 33 million-plus people, no one in
the whole country is available? - hence an LMIA so you can fill the void?
In PNP, the Province where you reside nominates you based on their criteria but
CIC still makes the final decision. The requirement for PNP application is easier
than that of an LMIA. A PNP nomination certificate also gets you an automatic 600 points. **Some Provinces award points for applicants with siblings already living in the Province. This might be an opportunity to score some good points if you have a sibling living in the same
Province.
See the ranking system here.
There are speculations that this is an election year so the immigration rules are more strict due to uncertainties in the Canadian economy. Some people say this has been done to appease the voters and protect Canadian jobs while others say the government just want to appear tough on immigration issues. Whatever the case is, Express Entry has come to stay and it is the new way of handling immigration applications so make sure you are prepared if you intend to immigrate to Canada as an international student.
Click here to join a forum that discusses Express Entry issues on the canadavisa website. Although I must warn that there are lots of sentiments on the forum so be careful not to fall for the noise that is ever present.
As always email or leave a comment.
*** see current update from CiC below. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/reports/ee-midyear-2015.asp
