If you’re looking for a quick way to legally immigrate to Canada, the Express Entry draw is your best option. The Canada Immigration Express Entry draw is the fastest and most common route for immigrants to secure permanent residence status in Canada.
Let’s dig deeper into this draw, including all steps and requirements involved.
What Is The Canada Immigration Express Entry Draw Program?
Express Entry is an online system used by the government of Canada to process immigration applications. More specifically, the Express Entry system is used by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to choose and screen skilled worker immigration candidates looking to move to Canada.
There are three main immigration programs managed through Express Entry:
- Federal Skilled Workers
- Federal Skilled Trades
- Canadian Experience Class
Candidates may be eligible for all federal economic immigration programs and chosen based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, or they will be selected for just one program. The CRS assesses and scores immigrant applicant profiles and ranks them in the Express Entry pool. Your CRS score is based on your skills, education, and language ability.
When Does The Canada Immigration Express Entry Draw Happen?
About every 2 weeks, top Candidates are invited to apply for permanent residency.
Check out this page on the Canadian Government’s website for information on the current round of draws.
If you’re interested in previous draws, check out this page.
How Can You Apply For The Canada Immigration Express Entry Draw?
To apply to Express Entry, follow these 2 simple steps:
Step 1. Submit Your Profile
You’ll need to supply a few documents to submit your profile, including the following:
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
- Language test results
- Travel document
Step 2. Complete Your Application
Once you’ve submitted your profile along with the required documents, you’ll be invited to apply for permanent residence status in Canada. At this point, you must complete a more in-depth application that includes police clearance certificates, reference letters, medical exam results, and proof of identity documents.
How Do I Enter The Canada Immigration Express Entry Draw?
You need to create and submit your profile in the Express Entry pool to get into the Express Entry system. Your profile is ranked based on your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which is determined by the following:
- Age
- Education
- Language proficiency
- Work experience, both in Canada and abroad
- Canadian certificate of education
You must meet the minimum CRS score to get included in the Express Entry pool. If your profile is chosen from the pool, you’ll get an invitation from the government of Canada. Then, you can start the documentation process for your permanent residence.
How To Increase Your Chance In The Canada Immigration Express Entry Draw
Your ability to qualify for the Express Entry system is based on your CRS score. The higher your CRS score, the better your chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence.
Factors To Increase Your CRS Score
Your total CRS score will be out of 1,200, which includes a core set up to 600, and another set of additional points up to 600. The first 600 points are based on the following:
- Your skills and experience
- Your spouse or common-law partner’s factors, including their education and language skills
- Your skills transferability
The additional 600 points are based on the following:
- Canadian educational credentials you may have
- A valid job offer
- A provincial or territorial nomination
- A sibling living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident
- Strong French language skills
The following are important components involved in your CRS score calculation:
Education
You can get a maximum of 25 points for education. If you have a degree, diploma, or certificate from a secondary or post-secondary institution in Canada or a foreign country, you must include these credentials and your Educational Credential Assessment report when you apply. The more educational credentials you have, the better your CRS score will be.
Work
You can get a maximum of 15 points for your work experience based on the number of years in full-time paid employment in a skilled occupation. You will need to identify your National Occupational Classification (NOC) for each job you want included in your Express Entry profile.
How Much Does Express Entry Cost?
The average cost to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry program is as follows:
- Individuals: $2,300
- Couples: $4,500
The majority of these costs come from government fees. The remainder of these costs includes the following items (on average):
- Language tests: $300
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA): $200
- Biometrics: $85 per person
- Medical exam fees: $450 per adult; $250 per child
- Police clearance certificates: $100 per country
How To Finance Your Stay In Canada
Moving to Canada is expensive. There are all sorts of costly expenses to cover, including housing and transportation. Until you get settled, you’ll need a big chunk of change to help you find all these expenses. If you don’t have access to liquid cash, there are options available to consider.
Apply For A Government Loan
The Canadian government offers the Immigration Loans Program (ILP) to immigrants moving to Canada. There are several loan types available under this program to help newcomers cover the costs associated with settling in their new home, including the following:
Transportation loans to cover the cost of travelling from their home country to Canada.
Assistance loans to cover the initial costs associated with resettling in Canada.
Right Of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) loans to cover the cost of seeking permanent residence.
Apply For A Personal Loan
A personal loan provides you with a lump sum of money that can be used to cover various debts and costs, including expenses related to settling in Canada. You’ll need to repay the loan via installment payments over a specified loan term, along with interest and applicable fees.
Most personal loan amounts range from $500 to $50,000, on average, and loan term lengths range from 6 to 60 months. If you have good credit, you can get a personal loan from a conventional lender at a low-interest rate.
However, as a recently arrived immigrant, you won’t have had the chance to build your credit history. As such, you’ll have better luck securing a loan with an alternative lender.
Final Thoughts
The Express Entry draw offers a fast track to permanent residence status in Canada. If you meet the skills, language, and education credentials, you can boost your chances of being selected for the draw and expedite the immigration process. Then, you can begin your new life in Canada sooner rather than later.
