Express Entry eligibility
Express Entry is not a visa, but a back-office system for processing visas. The system was implemented in January 2015, to replace the previous "file and queue" system that left more highly qualified applicants waiting, sometimes for years, behind less qualified applicants.
Express Entry also brought various visa classes into the same processing system, to help streamline and speed-up the application process. Express Entry now processes applications for:
- Federal Skilled Worker (professionals) visas
- Provincial Nomination visas
- Work Permits (employer sponsored)
For each route, candidates who meet the minimum requirements are accepted into the applicant pool, whilst applicants who haven't prepared their application properly won't get past the initial submission.
Haskew Law specialises in preparing visa applicants for success. Use our Free Assessment tool above, and choose 'Express Entry', to discover if you qualify.
What Factors are Considered?
To qualify for Express Entry you will be required to achieve a minimum number of points based on various factors which include:
- Age
- Qualifications
- Experience
- Registration with Red Seal/Governing body
- English/French Language ability
- Spouse or partner's details
- Previous work and education in Canada
- Links to Canada or a Canadian Province
- Employer sponsorship
Each factor attracts a number of points, these points will determine whether a candidate is eligible to submit an "Expression Of Interest" - this is where a person is finally able to present themselves to the Federal Immigration Authorities, Provincial authorities and local employers.
Our UK-based Canadian emigration team can help you through the maze of forms and assessments to ensure your application has the best chance of success.
Skills Assessments
Skills assessments relevant to your profession will determine your eligibility and your chances of selection for emigration with sponsorship from an employer, province or selection by the federal government. Offers are made based on a candidate's points. Those with the highest points will be selected first.
Questions about points are often among the questions clients ask us first. Haskew Law can assist with the tips and tricks that ensure you maximise your points, and choose the right route for your circumstances.
Provincial Nomination
Canadian provinces have a great deal of autonomy from the federal government; indeed, a huge amount of governmental authority is retained by the provinces.
Recent trends strongly suggest that rather than try to centralise further, the federal government is keen to have provinces assert that authority, and lead the immigration process by choosing applicants that fit their provinces' needs.
In few places is that more visible than in the rise of provincial nominations as a key route to Canada. Provinces may have a shortage of skills particular to their regional economy, and make their own rules about who it seeks to welcome to the province. There is always competition for these visas, and rules vary for selection, and may be based on factors such as links to the region and your particular circumstances.
Provincial nominations must still be signed-off by the federal government, which comes back around to the Express Entry process. But these nominations provide an excellent option to boost your chances, and Haskew Law can advise on any opportunities that may be right for you.
Employer Sponsorship
An employer who has the necessary permission (a "Labour Market Impact Assessment", or LMIA) may offer employment to foreign national employees. However, while as a foreign national you are allowed to accept such an offer, you will not be able to begin work in Canada without first securing a visa.
Once again, the Express Entry process becomes your necessary first step, and our UK-based experts can help prepare your application to take advantage of Canadian job offers as they arise. You can start the process today by using our assessment tool above, to see if you might be eligible.
