Do you want to apply for Canada PR but don’t know where to begin? Or have you started your application but have tons of questions?
Here is a simple, easy to use guide if you wish to apply for Canada Immigration Permanent Residence (PR) Visa. It is an attempt to help you save time and some monies which you will give to an immigration consultant.
Tip: Once you hire an immigration consultant you will realize that the process wasn’t all that difficult and the consultant got you to do most of the legwork.
Where Do I Start?
First, let’s understand which program you need to apply to. Canada has three immigration programs where skilled immigrants can apply as permanent residents.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program – For working professionals who have at least one year of full time paid work experience in a skilled occupation.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program – For individuals with an employment offer in Canada with 2 years of qualified work experience in a skilled occupation in the last 5 years.
- Canadian Experience Class – For foreign workers already working in Canada looking to become a Permanent Residence.
So if you are looking to move to Canada, look for a job once you get a PR than you will be part of Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Another term you will come across is Express Entry. It is not an immigration program in itself, but rather a system to apply and select candidates for immigration to Canada.
Check If You Are Eligible To Apply
The first step you should take is to check if you are eligible to apply for this program.
The quickest way to check if you are eligible is to use Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Calculator. In this tool, enter your details for each question and get your CRS score within few minutes.
So what is Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)?
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) ranks eligible candidates for immigration to Canada through Express Entry under the various components like skills education, language ability, work experience and other factors.
There is a total of 1,200 points available under the Comprehensive Ranking System.
- 600 points for core human capital factors like age, education and work experience.
- 600 points available for additional factors like the provincial nomination, an offer of arranged employment, Canadian study experience, a sibling in Canada, and/or French language ability.
Average CRS scores for 2017 was 438 and for 2018 is 443 (as on Feb 21, 2018 draw). Note: I have excluded scores PNP and FSTC scores because they skew the numbers. More about PNP and FSTC later.
So what score is good enough? So you can say that a score of 445 or more should be a good score.
Once you get your score you can go to the Government of Canada site and use their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) tool to confirm your eligibility.
For latest and past cut-off scores check out this page.
More details about CRS here.
The Government of Canada has complete details on who can apply for aFederal Skilled Worker program.
Yay!…I Am Eligible…What Next?
So, if you have a good score and eligible to apply, then its time to move to the next step.
There are two main tasks you need to complete before you can create your profile and submit your application.
- IELTS Score
- Education Credentials Assessment (ECA)
1. IELTS Score
You should immediately sign up for IELTS test because you will need to enter your IELTS score in the application when you create your Express Entry Profile. It takes anywhere between 1-2 months to get an exam date in India.
In India, there are two institutes that conduct IELTS – British Council and IDP Education. You need to select General Training module and not Academic.
Results: You get results 13-15 days after the test date.
Tip: IELTS score is one of the most important variable factor influencing your score. A low IELTS score will drop your score dramatically.
You need a minimum of CLB level 7 to be eligible. However, you enter various CLB levels (from CLB7 onwards) in the calculator for all four abilities and see the difference in overall score.
2. Education credentials Assessment (ECA)
You will also need to get your education degrees verified from any of the recognized organisations listed by Canada Government. ECA tells you what your education is equal to in Canada.
In India, most applicants use World Education Services (WES) for their ECA. Here is the link to know the required documents you need submit.
Timelines: 7 business day completion time once you apply and all required documents have been received and accepted (20 business days for ECA evaluations for Canada immigration).
Tip: If you do not get a response from WES, you should contact them over the phone. Here is their Toronto, Canada helpline number – +1 416-972-0070. Avoid trouble with sending emails or feedback form as you will get templated responses.
Creating Express Entry Profile
Once you receive your IELTS score and ECA report you are all set to make an application and get into the pool.
You can create your account and submit your application at My Immigration or Citizenship Application.
Once you create the application you will need to wait for the next Express Entry Draw. The Government of Canada releases cut-off CRS scores every fortnightly (dates not fixed) and invites applicants to apply for permanent residence.
If your score is more or equal to the cut-off score of that entry draw you will receive an invitation to apply.
This is where you can check the latest Express Entry Draw Figures. I will also recommend signing up for Canada Immigration Newsletter to keep up to date with latest cut-off scores, provincial nominees programs and other news.
All the best!
Canada PR Guide 