As per the latest reports, the immigration minister confirmed that the Express Entry programs are being resumed starting July 6, Wednesday after a complete pause of 18 months.
The FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) and FSTP (Federal Skilled Trade Program) draws have been paused since December 20, 2021. The Canadian Experience Class Draw has also been paused since September 2021.
IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) held back the Express Entry draws amidst the closing of borders and travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
The pandemic resulted in a huge backlog of permanent residence applications.
Let’s examine a few common queries concerning Express Entry.
What is meant by Express Entry?
IRCC chooses the best candidates to live and work in Canada through the online application system called Express Entry.
Immigrants arriving in Canada through Express Entry are economic immigrants. They are in their prime age of working and will flourish economically in Canada and contribute to the Canadian economy and workforce.
Express Entry candidates get their applications processed faster than those applying through Refugee or Humanitarian Class and Family Sponsorship.
What is Express Entry’s work process?
Each program associated with Express Entry has its eligibility criteria, and candidates must fulfill those requirements to apply for them.
The foremost step for a candidate is to analyze if he is eligible for the Express Entry programs. If the candidate finds himself eligible for a program under Express Entry he will have to create and submit his Express Entry profile on IRCC’s official website.
Post-completion of the profile IRCC ranks the candidates by providing them with score points based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). CRS scores are given to candidates by evaluating age, work experience, language skills, occupation, additional points, and educational qualification.
Candidates scoring higher points have greater chances to receive invitations to apply. Candidates get a timeframe of 60 days to submit their permanent residence applications after they receive an ITA.
On July 6, Wednesday, the Express Entry programs will return to normal. This means that the standard time of six months, which was applicable during the pre-pandemic, will resume.
Which programs does Express Entry include?
Express Entry programs are classified into three programs developed explicitly for skilled workers, including education requirements, work experience, age, language abilities, and NOC codes.
Federal Skilled Worker Program
The Federal Skilled Worker Program applies to skilled workers with experience in occupations listed under NOC skill types O, A, or B.
Candidates must fulfill the following requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program:
- Work experience should be paid equal to one year in the last 10 years.
- They should meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in official languages French or English.
- Reports such as the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) and a Canadian educational credential including certificates, diplomas, and degrees.
- They must prove that they have sufficient savings to financially provide for dependents living in Canada.
- As per the FSWP grid, they should receive a score of 67 out of 100. This score will be based on factors such as education, work experience, and age.
Federal Skilled Trades Program
The Federal Skilled Trades Program applies to candidates skilled in a specific trade, and the eligibility requirements for FSTP vary greatly from the FSWP. The requirements are as follows:
- Candidates must hold a minimum of two years of experience on a full-time basis for FSTP or should have worked equally part-time in the last five years.
- They must also hold a job offer in continuation and on a full-time basis or also hold a qualification certificate from a Canadian authority.
- A CLB score of 5 points relevant to the speaking and listening abilities while a CLB score point of 4 for reading and writing abilities.
Canadian Experience Class
The Canadian Experience Class is exclusively designed for candidates who already have experience living and working in Canada.
- Candidates should also hold a complete year’s skilled work experience in Canada in the previous three years.
- Language requirements will differ depending upon the NOC classifications of the candidate.
- NOC A or O will require a CLB score of 7.
- NOC B including skilled trade professions will need a CLB score of 5.
- Candidates must show an intention of living and work outside Quebec.
What do all-program draws imply?
An all-program draw selects candidates from the Express Entry pool irrespective of any specific program they are eligible for. All-program draw selects candidates based only on the CRS score.
With the arrival of the pandemic, only one draw per program was conducted.
How much time does it take to attain permanent residency through Express Entry?
Mr. Sean Fraser, the immigration minister, assured us that the Express Entry draws will resume starting Wednesday and the applicants will have to wait for more than six months to get a response on their permanent resident application’s approval.
How many candidates will be able to enter Canada as immigrants in the next three years?
The Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 targets to welcome more than 110,000 new immigrants under the Express Entry and also grant them permanent residency status by 2024.
What will be the impact of TEER change on the Express Entry?
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will bring forth a newly revised NOC system with the changes made in the already existing NOC system.
NOC system is based on five types of classifications including 0, A, B, C, and D. The TEER system includes skill levels and experience applicable to each occupation.
Now, there are 6 TEERs based on Management occupations representing 0 and a bit of work experience along with formal education (five).
The new TEER system includes 16 new occupations with three existing ones that have been removed.
Will Ministerial instructions bring changes in the Express Entry?
A new law by the government of Canada was passed on June 24 which will allow IRCC to choose and send invitations to candidates based on in-demand criteria. However, according to the federal government factors such as occupations, and specific language abilities will be considered while making decisions on sending ITA’s.
What should Express Entry candidates expect now?
Sean Fraser has announced that he will commit to making substantial investments in modern technology and also recruit more staff members to fasten the process. The Prime Minister of Canada even introduced a new task force to review the government’s services for further improvement. Services such as application process, passports, and the service speed.
