Express Entry

On January 1, 2015 Citizenship and Immigration Canada has launched a new recruitment model known as the "Express Entry" system to manage applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Provincial Nominees Program (PNP) in part. The first invitations to apply has been issued on January 31, 2015. CIC will invite candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply on a regular basis. Every round of invitations will have a set of instructions the electronic system will use to invite candidates from the pool. These instructions will be posted on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website before each round of invitations..

These instructions will include:

• The date and time of the round of invitations
• The number of candidates that will get an ITA, and
• if it applies, which specific immigration program(s) will be included.

If the instructions do not specify which immigration program the candidates must be eligible for, the invitations will be based solely on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

Express Entry: how it works

Express Entry will work in 2 steps:

• 1. Express Entry Profile

  Prospective immigrants will indicate their interest in coming to Canada by providing information electronically through an online Express Entry profile about their skills, work experience, and other biographical information.
  Candidates will be assessed through their profiles on:
  • Language proficiency
  • Education
  • Canadian work experience
  • Other factors that lead to success in Canada
  Candidates who successfully meet the criteria through their online profile will then be placed in the Express Entry pool of candidates.
  If the candidate does not already have an offer of employment in Canada, he or she will be required to register with Canada's job bank which will help them to connect with Canadian employers.
  Candidates in the pool will be prompted to promote themselves to employers in order to receive a job offer.

• 2. Invitation to Apply

  Canadian and Citizenship Immigration (CIC) will evaluate and rank candidates in the pool based on their chances of economic success in Canada. Those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations will be ranked highly.
  Candidates ranked the highest will then receive a letter of invitation to submit an electronic application for permanent residency.
  Would-be applicants to the FSWP, FSTP, and CEC, will not be allowed to make an application for permanent residence unless invited to apply.

Processing Time

CIC aims to cut back the time it takes to process applications in the Federal Economic Programs through Express Entry.
Immigration candidates who have successfully been invited to apply for permanent residency will have 60 days to do so upon receiving their invitation. CIC aims to processes all Permanent Resident Applications within 6 months from the date of their submission.

If the application is approved, candidates and their spouse and children will then be allowed to land in Canada as permanent residents. If candidates in the pool do not receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency within 12 months, they may resubmit their online profile and enter the pool again.

Who Can Apply

Anyone is eligible to submit an online profile for Express Entry. Unlike the Federal Skilled Worker Program there is no cap on the amount of candidates who can apply to be in the pool.

There is also no requirement to have a certain occupation to apply: all valid occupations are eligible to receive an invitation for permanent residency.

Preparing For Express Entry

Global Vision Immigration Office will prepare you to take steps to better prepare yourself as a potential candidate for the Express Entry system. We will prepare your online Express Entry profile to maximize the probability of you receiving a letter of invitation from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to submit an electronic application for permanent residency. If you receive a letter of invitation, Global Vision Immigration Office will then professionally prepare and submit your permanent application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for processing.

After submission of your application, Global Vision Immigration Office continues to be your legal representative with Citizenship and Immigration Canada right up until a final determination has been made by the visa office on your FSW permanent resident application.

Federal Skilled Worker Class

The Canada Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) program is a great opportunity for you as a foreign national to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

As of January 1, 2015, potential candidates interested in applying to the Federal Skilled Workers Program, must go through the Express Entry system. These people have to complete an online Express Entry profile, and meet the criteria to get into the pool of candidates.

As an employer, if you want to hire a skilled worker using this system, you can greatly improve their chances of success by making a qualifying job offer in a skilled occupation.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada ("CIC") assess an application for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, use a grid of 100 points to assess how well an applicant will adapt to Canada's labour market.

The grid looks at six selection factors including:

• English and/or French skills
• education
• work experience
• age
• arranged employment
• adaptability

In order to qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, applicants must meet:

• The pass mark of 67 out of 100 points and
• admissibility requirements.

Send your curriculum to Global Vision Immigration Office will determine if you are eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence under the FSW category.

After submission of your application, our office continues to be your legal representative with Citizenship and Immigration Canada right up until a final determination has been made by the visa office on your FSW permanent resident application.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

The Federal Skilled Trades (FST) category is one of several ways that you as a foreign national can apply for Canadian permanent residence. Citizenship and Immigration Canada selects foreign nationals in the FST category for Canadian permanent residence based principally on their work experience as a skilled tradesperson.

As of January 1, 2015, potential candidates interested in applying to the Federal Skilled Trades Program, must go through the Express Entry system. These people have to complete an online Express Entry profile, and meet the criteria to get into the pool of candidates.

As an employer, if you want to hire a skilled worker using this system, you can greatly improve their chances of success by making a qualifying job offer in a skilled occupation.

Send your curriculum to Global Vision Immigration Office will determine if you are eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence under the FST category based on the factors set out below:

• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec
• Meet the required levels in English or French for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing, and listening),
• Have at least two years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) *in a skilled trade within the five years before you apply,
• Meet all job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), and
• Have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a provincial or territorial body.

Business Classes: Self-employed persons, Start-up Visas, Entrepreneur, Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program (IIVC)

The Business Immigration Program seeks to attract experienced business people to Canada who will support development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy.

Business immigrants are expected to make investment or to own and manage businesses in Canada, and must meet certain experience and/or net worth criteria.

Each application can be made for only one class and the class cannot be changed once the application is submitted. The criteria you must meet to qualify are different for each class.

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class Immigration Program (CEC) is one of several ways that you as a foreign national can apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada selects foreign nationals in the Canadian experience class category for Canadian permanent residence based principally on their work experience in Canada.

As of January 1, 2015, potential candidates interested in applying to the Canadian Experience Class, must go through the Express Entry system. These people have to complete an online Express Entry profile, and meet the criteria to get into the pool of candidates.

As an employer, if you want to hire a skilled worker using this system, you can greatly improve their chances of success by making a qualifying job offer in a skilled occupation.

If you meet the requirements set out below please call Global Vision Immigration Office for a free consultation. Our office will determine if you are eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence under the CEC category based on the factors set out below:

• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec;
• Have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply,
• Have gained your experience in Canada with the proper authorization
• Meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing, and listening).

Our office will help you through the entire permanent resident application process.

You cannot use work experience in the following occupations to qualify for the CEC:

• Cooks (NOC 6322)
• Food service supervisors (NOC 6311)
• Administrative officers (NOC 1221)
• Administrative assistants (NOC 1241)
• Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 1311)
• Retail sales supervisors (NOC 6211)

Provincial Nominee Programs (all provinces and territories)

Information about the Provincial Nominee Program in Canada....

Most provinces and territories in Canada have an agreement with the Government of Canada that lets them nominate foreign nationals like you who want to immigrate to Canada.

If you want to immigrate to a particular province in Canada you must apply in two stages.

First, you must apply to the province or territory where you want to live.

They will review your application based on two things:

• Their immigration needs and
• If you really plan to live there.

The criteria vary and can change without notice.

You should visit one of the websites below for the most current information.

• Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) Stream, Category and Initiative
• British Columbia
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Ontario
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

After a province or territory nominates you, you must apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. A CIC officer will assess your application based on Canadian rules.

Provinces and territories can also recruit candidates from the Express Entry system through their Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labor market needs.

As part of the process, you will have to pass a medical exam and get a police clearance certificate.

Note: As of July 1, 2012, if you apply as a provincial nominee for a semi- or low-skilled job (NOC C or D), you need to take an English or French language test.

This test will show if your ability to listen, speak, read and write in English or French meets a minimum standard. Test results are usually valid for two years from the day you take the test.

This does not apply if you applied for a provincial nomination certificate before July 1, 2012.

Family class - Spouses, Common Law and Conjugal Partners, Dependent Children, Parents and Grandparents

If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has a foreign national spouse by marriage or by common-law or a foreign national conjugal partner, you can sponsor your spouse or partner to become a Canadian permanent resident. Submitting a successful Canada Spousal Sponsorship Application is all in the detail and the knowing how to persuasively present the genuineness of your relationship to a visa officer. Our office is thorough, and yet fast in its preparation and submission of Spousal Sponsorship Applications. We know how important the application is to you and your spouse or partner and accordingly bring due care to the management of it. Once your Canada Spousal Sponsorship Application has been submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Canada our office handles all correspondence and communication with the visa office concerning your application until a final determination is made by an officer. All letters and e-mails from the visa office will be sent to our office so you don't have to worry about missing any.

Should any issue arise during the course of the processing of your application at the visa office our office will take care of it after consulting with you. If you wish to sponsor your spouse or partner, please call our office for a free consultation.

• You are being sponsored by a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
• You have been in a relationship for two years or less with your sponsor
• You have no children in common
• Your application was received on or after October 25, 2012

If your family member is a permanent resident, they can live, study and work in Canada.

There are two different processes for sponsoring your family under the FC. One process is used for sponsoring your spouse, conjugal or common-law partner and/or dependent children. Another process is used to sponsor other eligible relatives.

Between January 2, 2015, to January 1, 2016, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will accept a maximum of 5,000 new, complete applications for sponsorship of parents and grandparents.

The cap of 5,000 applications is not the first 5,000 applications received, but the first 5,000 complete applications received from applicants. Complete applications include all supporting documents included in the documents checklist found in the application guide and correct payment for the application.

Contact our office today to help you secure one of the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Application spaces that will come available in 2015 by calling our office for a free consultation.

Protected Persons and Convention Refugees

In Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) decide who is a Protected Person. If the IRB determined you to be a person in need of protection or a Convention refugee or if you received a positive decision on your Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) from CIC, you are Protected Person and may apply for permanent residence with this application.

You may also apply for permanent residence with this application if you are a member of the Protected Temporary Residents Class (PTRC). Protected Temporary Residents are individuals admitted to Canada on a temporary resident permit and who have been determined to be in urgent need of protection by a visa office.

Humanitarian and Compassionate Cases (H & C)

This application is for persons in Canada who would suffer excessive hardship if they had a return to their home country to apply for permanent residence in Canada as required by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Cost and inconvenience are not considered excessive hardship.

Live-in Caregiver

Live-in caregivers are individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities in private homes without supervision. Live-in caregivers from abroad will no longer be required to reside with their employers.

Both the employer and the employee must follow several steps to meet the requirements of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).

Refugee Sponsorships - Community, Group of 5

A Group of five (G5) is five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have arranged to sponsor a refugee living abroad to come to Canada. All of the group members must be at least 18 years of age and live or have representatives in the are where the refugee will settle.

The group must agree to give emotional and financial support to the refugee(s) for the full sponsorship period-usually one year.

Effective October 19, 2012, a G5 may only sponsor applicants who are recognized as refugees by either the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or a foreign state.