May 24, 2023

Best Ways to Immigrate to Canada through Express Entry

Express Entry is an online fast-track Canadian immigration program that helps to organize and process applications of skilled workers who wish to immigrate to Canada and acquire Canadian permanent residence status.

Under this system, the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) evaluates, selects and recruits skilled immigrants who possess relevant qualifications under the federal economic immigration programs based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Here are the three primary economic Canadian immigration programs:

  1. – The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
  2. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
  3. The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

If you’re eligible for one of the above programs, you can also apply through Express Entry for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). If you’re nominated, you’ll get extra points so you can be invited to apply quickly.

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The Federal Skilled Trades program allows eligible workers from foreign countries with relevant and essential work experience in a particular trade to apply to immigrate to Canada.

Your placement will be determined based on the results of your eligibility test within the NOC (National Occupational Classification) system. The NOC is Canada’s national system for describing in-demand occupations, including defining main duties, educational requirements and more.

The NOC organizes occupations by assigning them a Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category. These categories define relevant work experience and education required for each occupation making the recruitment process more focused and target oriented.

FSTP is one of the most popular and accessible means to obtain permanent residency in Canada. It has consistently employed a number of skilled workers in Canada. There’s still a major gap in Canada’s labor market in relation to trade jobs such as welding, plumbing, electricians etc., all of which are vital occupations. So, if you possess one or more of these competencies or a combination of them, we strongly encourage you to apply through this immigration visa program.

Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP)

The Federal Skilled Workers Program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to move to Canada on a permanent basis. Those applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program must meet the minimum immigration visa program requirements.

You need to have work experience in managerial jobs (skill type 0), professional jobs (skill level A), Canada skilled trades and technical jobs (skill level B) and meet the pass mark (67 points) on a points-based assessment. If your application is successful, you will be granted permanent residence in Canada to live and work.

Besides the aforestated NOC requirements, the other qualifying criteria for FSWP include:

  • Age
  • Educational Qualification
  • Work Experience
  • Arranged Employment (Whether you have a valid job offer)
  • Validated Language Ability (Proficiency in English and/or French language)
  • Adaptability (ability to establish yourself in Canada)

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The Canadian Experience Class is intended for permanent residence applicants who have gained Canadian work experience via a temporary work permit.

Given that Canadian temporary foreign workers are already established in Canadian society through support networks, they can easily transition into becoming permanent residents and eventual citizens of Canada. The CEC plays a significant role in leading them in that direction.

Here is a quick breakdown of some of the requirements to apply in the Canadian Experience Class:

Work experience: You must possess at least one year of skilled, professional or technical Canadian work experience within 36 months of the application date.

Education: There is no educational criteria for this program. However, you can earn a higher certificate, a foreign credential and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).

Language skill: You must take the English or French language test designated by IRCC and obtain the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirement.

Admissibility: You must be authorized to enter Canada by law.

Provincial Nominee Program

Under the Provincial Nominee Program, provinces and territories can nominate individuals for a Canadian Permanent Residency. The Canadian government has made an agreement with 11 such provinces and territories.

To obtain a visa through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the applicant must select the province in which they want to settle and then apply for a nomination.

The selected province then reviews the application based on labor market needs and also evaluates the applicant’s inclination to settle in a specific province.

Here’s the list of 11 Provincial Nomination Programs in Canada:

  1. Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
  2. British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
  3. Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
  4. New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NW PNP)
  5. Newfoundland & Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NL PNP)
  6. Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)
  7. Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NS PNP)
  8. Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (OINP)
  9. Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)
  10. Saskatchewan Provincial Nominee Program (SINP)
  11. Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)