THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CANADA’S EXPRESS ENTRY
You do not need a job offer in order to become a permanent resident through Express Entry. A job offer will not guarantee that your application is approved.
If your Express Entry application is approved, you become a permanent resident the day you arrive in Canada.
If you’re already in Canada, you’ll need to travel to a port of entry and do what’s called ‘flag polling’ — technically leaving the country and returning. Upon re-entry, you’re a permanent resident.
As a Canadian permanent resident, you have nearly all the rights as a citizen. You can live anywhere in the country, access the healthcare system, work anywhere you’d like, start a business, or go to school.
In the future, you can apply to become a Canadian citizen.
You don’t need an attorney
The internet is full of immigration attorneys and consultants who are eager to work with you. Unless you have a situation that will raise a red flag, like a criminal conviction or a family member who’s on the terrorist watch list, you don’t need the help of an immigration attorney.
Express Entry was designed to be simple to use. If you’ve filled out those annoying job applications that make you re-type your whole resume into a hundred fields, you can do this on your own.
Neither of us are immigration consultants, but we successfully navigated the system immediately after it launched, long before there was any detailed information online about how it worked. This is the guide we wish we’d had.
Here’s how it works
- First, find out if you meet the basic eligibility requirements to apply by filling out a short questionnaire.
- You make an Express Entry profile, telling them about your skills, work experience, language abilities, education, and details about everything you’ve done in your life and every country you’ve visited in the past ten years. If you meet the criteria, you’ll be accepted into the candidate pool. This is your expression of interest in immigrating to Canada.
- If you’re accepted into the Express Entry program but don’t already have a job offer, you have to register with the job bank. Soon this step will be optional. You’re encouraged to look for a job if you don’t already have a qualifying job offer.
- If you receive an invitation to apply (ITA), you have 90 days to add more information to your profile and submit it as your application for permanent residence.
- They may request additional information or schedule an interview. You’ll get occasional email updates to let you know where your application is in the process. The process is intended to take about six months from when you submit your complete application to when you get final approval.
- Once you’re approved, you get documents allowing you to travel to the border and declare that you’re immigrating as a new permanent resident.
- You have a year from the date of your medical exam to declare yourself a landed immigrant. You don’t actually have to move the day you land, but you’re expected to move up soon after.
Is this a new program?
If you’re the sort of person to talks about immigration systems over beers, you might have heard that Express Entry is a new program. That’s not strictly true. It just brings the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience, and the Provincial Nominee Programs online. It aims to turn a first-come first-served program into one that better serves the needs of Canadian companies.
Because Express Entry was designed to help Canada build a more flexible economic immigration program, they change it frequently. Express Entry’s already been adjusted since it was launched in January 2015.
Express Entry was adjusted in:
- November 2016
- June 2017
- October 2017
This guide has been updated to reflect the current changes as of May 2018. If you’re reading information that’s older than the most recent change, it’s likely to be outdated and possibly incorrect.
You should always verify information on the IRCC website before creating your profile and submitting your application.
Eligibility for Canada’s Express Entry
Admissibility
First, you need to meet the basic requirements to immigrate to Canada.
You won’t be allowed into Canada if:
- you are a security risk,
- you have committed human or international rights violations,
- you have been convicted of a crime, or you have committed an act outside Canada that would be a crime,
- you have ties to organized crime,
- you have a serious health problem,
- you have a serious financial problem,
- you lied in your application or in an interview,
- you do not meet the conditions in Canada’s immigration law, or
- one of your family members is not allowed into Canada. (CIC)
Occupations
Second, you need to have job experience that meets their requirements.
There isn’t a list of occupations they want (or don’t want), but you need to have a National Occupation Classification (NOC) with code 0, A, or B.
- 0: Management jobs
- A: Professional jobs
- B: Technical jobs and skilled trades
- C: Intermediate jobs
- D: Labour jobs
If you manage a team, in an office, restaurant, or on a boat, you likely fit into class 0. If you sit at a desk all day and have a degree, you’re probably in class A. If you went to vocational school, did an apprenticeship, or have a degree from a trade school, you’re probably in class B. Class C jobs typically require a high school degree and/or some training. Class D jobs usually only require on-the-job training. If you’re in class C or D you can still apply to become a provincial nominee, but not through Express Entry.
In 2015, the top 10 invited occupations were:
- Information systems analysts and consultants
- Software engineers
- Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- University professors and lecturers
- Graphic designers and illustrators
- Financial auditors and accountants
- Financial and investment analysts
Food service supervisors, cooks, and retail sales supervisors were also top occupations last year, but they are no longer eligible for the Canadian Experience Class stream of Express Entry and people who were approved had likely been living and working in Canada for years.
Professors, IT professionals, and accountants often had high scores without a job offer. If you work in one of those professions (like we do) then you’ll probably have good luck with applying through the Federal Skilled Worker program.
The CIC has a quiz to tell you if you’re eligible to apply. The problem is that without having already taken your language exam, you’re told you’re not eligible to apply. You’ll also be rejected if you select Quebec as your province of choice without the additional paperwork that’s necessary to move to Quebec.
You can check out the rough scoring parameters that the CIC will use to determine if you’ll qualify for Express Entry. You can also try to calculate your score from an unaffiliated third party to get a general idea of what your score will be. We found that the score we got more or less matched up with the official score the CIC determined later, but it should go without saying that there’s no guarantee the scores will match.
What about your family?
You can bring your spouse and kids.
My wife and I will joke that we got married to move to Canada, but that’s not really true. Canada will let you bring your common-law partner, so if you’ve lived together for at least a year and can provide documents to demonstrate your commitment, you don’t need to be legally married.
If you have legal reasons why you can’t get married and can’t live together — say your partner lives in a country where being gay is an executable offense — you can still apply together, but you’ll face additional paperwork requirements and may want an attorney. This needs to be an extreme situation you can provide documents to corroborate.
Your spouse will have to submit language test results and the same security background checks that you will need to gather as the main applicant.
Children count as dependents if they’re under the age of 22 when you submit your application. If you create your profile while your child is 22, you’d better hope you get an ITA quickly so you can submit your application right away. Their age (and your age) at the time you submit your application are all that matters, since then ages are “locked in.”
All dependents need to pass a medical examination, even if they’re not coming with you to Canada.
Overwhelmed?
There are so many immigration pathways and scenarios, it can be confusing to figure out the best choice for you -- or even what programs you qualify for.
Luckily, we have a simple quiz that will help you sort through the options.
Creating your Express Entry profile
You know those online job applications that have you upload your resume and then make you type it all out, one line at a time? That’s what the Express Entry profile is like, only it wants to know a lot more about you and your family.
It took some time to find start and end dates for:
- Every job I’ve ever had
- Every place I’ve ever lived
- Every school I’ve ever attended
- Every country I’ve ever visited
There’s no clear way to account for time spent being unemployed, traveling, or bumming around. The engineers who designed this must have had a very clear life path. We improvised.
As someone who’s worked for the same companies on and off for several years and done a lot of freelance work, it wasn’t easy to complete my work history. I did my best to accurately portray my work experience in their system. Given the number of graphic designers who’ve been invited to apply, they appear to be okay with that.
Hopefully they’ve fixed this, but when I submitted my profile, they didn’t allow letters or special characters in house numbers. My previous addresses have a ½ as well as all those NYC apartments with letters, which it rejected. I also wasn’t sure how to account for that time they built a new street in front of my house, so my address changed (twice!) even though I never moved. I think I just left it out, since I didn’t technically move and I could provide paperwork to back that up if anyone asked.
Mercifully, you can save your profile and log back in. You have 90 days to complete your profile, otherwise you’ll have to start over again (this is an improvement from when we applied in 2015 and had only 60 days).
Things you’ll need
Everyone needs
- Passport or another national identity document
- Language test results
- The ability to scan and upload documents
- A credit card to pay the fees
Optional paperwork
- Education Credential Assessment
- Written job offer
- Provincial nomination
- Paperwork to immigrate to Quebec
While this is the only paperwork you need to have in order to create your profile, I highly recommend you begin the tedious process of gathering all the paperwork you’ll need before you even submit your profile. The process moved so quickly for us and the paperwork took so long to gather that we likely would have run out of time had we not had everything ready to go when we submitted our profile.
Language test results
You need to be proficient in English or French. You’ll get additional points for speaking both, but it’s not required. You won’t get any points for speaking additional languages, sadly.
Everyone needs to take a language test, even if English is the only language you speak. It’s silly, but rules are rules.
It seems even more ridiculous that they tell native English speakers to study before the test. It’s good advice. Like any standardized test, it feels more like a test on your test taking skills than on your language abilities. I imagine the test for French speakers is the same way.
We took the general training module test through IELTS (International English Language Testing System) for $225 each. They have testing locations throughout the United States, but if you don’t live near a major city then be prepared to travel. The testing slots fill up fast so schedule your test sooner rather than later. You will need to bring a valid passport in order to take the exam.
The test itself feels reminiscent of taking the SATs. You leave all of your personal belongings in a separate room including your wallet and cell phone, then you’re given a pencil (a pencil!) to take a hand written test. The test is made up of four different parts: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. This will involve listening to an audio recording of a subject matter and answering questions about what you heard, reading a short story then answering questions about what you read, writing essays about two different topics, and finally talking to a test facilitator for about 30 minutes about a specific subject.
All together, expect to spend about 6 hours getting quizzed in how well you speak, write, and understand English. It’s not necessarily difficult, but it is time consuming and somewhat stressful, especially if you aren’t used to writing things out by hand for several hours straight or needing to ask permission to go to the bathroom. The whole experience felt a lot like being back in high school, which isn’t usually a good thing.
The test results will be mailed to you about two weeks after you complete the test.
You can take practice tests online if you’d like to get a better idea of what you’re in store for. For the record, only one of us got a perfect score even though we’re both native English speakers.
Education Credential Assessment (ECA)
Canadian employers recognize US degrees, but the CIC doesn’t. You’ll need to get your credentials assessed by an approved company if you’re applying under the skilled worker class.
You can find out if your degree will be recognized using the WES preliminary evaluation tool. This won’t be recognized by the IRCC, but it’ll save you time (and money) if your degree is going to be rejected.
Applicants under the skilled trades or Canadian Experience Class don’t need an ECA, but you won’t get points for your education without it. If you need the points, it’s worth the hassle.
We got our degrees assessed by World Education Services (WES) for $205 per person for a “Course-by-Course” evaluation. It took about six weeks between when we submitted everything to when we received the official letters authenticating our degrees from U.S. colleges. The ECA that WES provides is valid for five years and you can even order additional reports through their website if you happen to lose the original copy.
WES will ask for several different documents for each degree that you are seeking an ECA for:
- Photocopy of your actual diploma or graduation certificate
- Academic transcripts sent directly to WES from your school (usually $25-$50 each)
- A legal document verifying any name change if the name on your diploma or transcripts does not match your current legal name (such as a marriage certificate or divorce order)
Getting all of my college records for the ECA was a pain. I once had a year long battle with the New School to get a copy of my transcript. The transcript office claimed I owed $25, so couldn’t get my transcript. The billing department wouldn’t accept my $25, since they had no record of my debt. Don’t assume you can just mail a transcript request form and actually get one.
You have to pay transcript fees and then pay for an approved organization like WES to assess them. For US and European schools, this requires zero work on their part, but you still have to do it. If you’re like me and didn’t keep a copy of your diploma, then you’ll also have to pay your school for them to send you a new one (which costs me $50 per diploma).
The comprehensive ranking system
Theoretically, an invitation to apply is offered to people who:
- Are among the top ranked in the Express Entry pool
- Are nominated by a province or territory
- Have a qualifying job offer
Needing to be top ranked seems a little intimidating. Living in New York City made us feel like losers because we hadn’t made our first million by the age of 30. In fact, we still haven’t made our first million. Neither of us is rabidly pursued by headhunters. Thankfully, the CIC is less judgmental than your average New Yorker.
Under 35? See if you can move to Canada Click To TweetYou can go through the comprehensive ranking system (CRS) matrix and calculate your score. Scores range from 0 to 1,200. When Express Entry launched, the maximum score without a job offer or provincial nomination was 600. They’ve since adjusted this and job offers have less weight in the evaluation.
The CRS score needed for an ITA
As of May 2018, a score of 450 is likely to result in an ITA, but people with scores as low as 431 have been given an ITA. The Federal Skilled Trades program has issued ITAs for people with scores as low as 199.
Those sound like terrible odds for anybody without a job offer or specific trade experience, but we scored just barely over 450 and were invited to apply a week after we submitted our Express Entry profile. In November 2016 they adjusted the system to make it easier for young professionals and people with experience working or going to school in Canada to make it through the Express Entry system. The CRS cut-off changes for each round of ITAs issued, so you may be passed over for several rounds and still be issued an ITA before your profile expires after a year.
There are ways to increase your CRS score, but none of them are easy.
How the CRS is calculated
You get points for your age. Age is calculated based on when you submit your application. You’ll receive maximum points if you’re in your 20s and fewer points for each year you’ve lived past the age of 29. We applied when we were 30 and 33.
The more education you have, the higher your score will be. While having a Master’s degree or PhD instead of just a Bachelor’s degree might not improve your job prospects, it will help you to immigrate to Canada. If you graduated from a post-secondary program in Canada you will be awarded with additional points.
Any Canadian work experience you have will get you points.
You have a major advantage if you speak French. Only 1% of people who expressed interest spoke French, but 2% of invited applicants spoke French. Provincial nominee programs favor those who speak French.
Speak French? See if you can move to Canada Click To TweetBeginning in June 2017, you’ll get points if you have a sibling in Canada.
You’ll know your score and the scores for the most recent batch of applications to be invited to apply, but you won’t know where you rank.
You can stay in the Express Entry pool for a year. If you haven’t been invited to apply by then, your profile will expire. You can then create a new profile and try again.
Ways to increase your CRS score
- Re-take the language exam if you didn’t score high enough.
- Increase your work experience.
- Get more educational training, especially from a Canadian university.
- Work in Canada under a work permit, NAFTA, or as an inter-company transferee.
- If you have a spouse, have them increase their language proficiency or education level.
The best way to increase your score is to get a provincial nomination or find a Canadian employer willing to offer you a job. Almost everyone with a low personal CSR score who has been invited to apply has had a provincial nomination.
Things that don’t increase your score
- Lots of cash. The CIC wants to know you have the required minimum, but they don’t care about your benjamins or your retirement stockpile. If you an entrepreneur with a low CSR score, there are other immigration options for entrepreneurs, startups, and investors.
- You might think that owning a home in Canada would count for something. It doesn’t.
- Owning property anywhere. The CIC only cares about actual cash on hand so that they believe that you’ll be able to support yourself when you arrive in Canada.
- Your current salary. See above. The only thing you need to prove is that you have about $12,000 in savings and an additional $2000 per family member. Having an income source, such a remote work or annuities, does not get you points.
What happened to the 2015 candidates?
In 2015, 191k people created Express Entry profiles. Over 31k were given invitations to apply and 10k have already immigrated to Canada.
- 88k weren’t eligible
- 1k were awaiting verification
- 60k were in the pool
- 4k were invited to apply but hadn’t yet
- 21.5k had submitted applications
- 13.5k withdrew their applications
- 2.5k had applications expire
The lowest point requirement during 2015 was 450. In 2016, the lowest CRS score was 453. ITAs have been issued in 2017 for people with CRS scores well below that.
Profiles with over 600 points are typically issued invitations to apply in the next draw after the profile is created. Most profiles submitted last year with over 450 points appear to have been invited to apply. People with scores as low as 415 have gotten ITAs.
The first year’s results were skewed by applicants who have long been living and working in Canada or had outstanding job offers and therefore had very high scores. In fact, over 78% of invited candidates were already residents of Canada. The country of origin for the remainder of those invited to apply reflects the origin of qualified candidates in the pool, according to the CIC. Only 3% of candidates invited to apply were US citizens.
Only 3% of skilled workers moving to Canada come from the US Click To Tweet
In 2016, more of the candidates who were issued ITAs were IT analytists, software engineers, and computer programmers. However, many people still got PR through Express Entry based on their experience as a cook, graphic designer, or retail manager.
My wife and I waited for the Express Entry system to launch before submitting our application, since the new system promised to be faster than the old (which was true). You can obsess over the numbers yourself. In fact, we have a friend that has been working in Ontario for years and is even married to a Canadian but got his a year after we got ours since he applied before the Express Entry system launched in 2015.
Ready to create your Express Entry profile?
Create your MyCIC account profile on the IRCC website.
When you create your account, you’ll get a MyCIC number. Save that information or you’ll have a heck of a time logging back in.
The definitive guide to Express Entry
Do you qualify for Canada's skilled worker program?
It doesn't require a job offer or even a degree if you have what they're looking for.
How Express Entry Works
Exactly how Canada's skilled worker program works, including how much it cost and the timeline for our application.
Express Entry document checklist
A comprehensive list of the documents you'll need for Express Entry, with or without a spouse.
How to improve your CRS score
These 9 ways will bump up your comprehensive ranking system points without breaking the rules.
Registering on the Canada Job Bank
After you submit your profile, you can register with the job bank. This used to be required, but now it’s optional.
Theoretically, employers can check out your resumes that you’ve posted to the job bank and offer you an interview at their company, but I’m skeptical that this actually works out for many people. After some cursory searches I lost interest in this, since it aggregates job listings from other sites. Many of these listings have been removed from the original site, but still show up in the job bank.
We did get some weird emails offering us restaurant manager positions. Neither of us has ever worked in a restaurant and probably couldn’t get hired as a server if we tried, so I’m guessing these were the start of an immigration scam story. In order to get points for a job offer, it has to meet specific requirements and you need to be qualified for the job itself.
If you do find a job through the job bank, you can get a work permit in as little as two weeks and move to Canada while you wait for your EE application to process.
The Express Entry pool
Hopefully after you register for the job bank, you’ll get an email letting you know you have a top secret message in your MyCIC account to let you know you’ve been placed in the Express Entry pool. You’ll also be told your official score.
Don’t just sit back and relax. Continue gathering your paperwork. If you don’t already have a job offer, this is the time to look for one.
If anything you’ve put in your profile changes, you’ll need to update your profile.
If one of your kids turns 22 while you’re waiting for an invitation to apply, they’re no longer considered a dependent and would require their own application. If you have a kid who’s 21 and you want them to move with you, you’ll want to make sure you have all of your paperwork ready to go the moment you get an ITA. The moment your application is submitted, their age is locked in and you’ll be able to bring them, no matter how long it takes to process.
Serious about moving?
Get the full story in my book, with everything you need to know about moving to Canada without an immigration attorney, from applying for residency, to getting across the border, and getting settled in your new life.
After you get your ITA
If your documents don’t support the points initially awarded or you’re deemed inadmissible, your application will be denied.
If you decline an invitation to apply, you’ll be placed back in the pool. If you’re eligible for multiple programs, you may be invited to apply again.
If you don’t submit your application within 90 days and you don’t decline the ITA, your profile will expire. You’ll have to start over if you’d like to be invited to apply again.
Paperwork you’ll need
You’ll need paperwork for yourself and any family members you’re sponsoring. We found it was vital that we had already gathered most of these documents before we submitted our Express Entry application:
- Police certificate
- Language test results
- Educational credential assessment
- Medical exam
- Proof of funds (not needed if you don’t have a valid job offer or if you’re already living in Canada)
- Verification of your work history
- Proof of relationship status, if applicable
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce certificate
- Death certificate if you are a widow
- Evidence of a common law relationship
- Proof of parental status, if applicable
- Birth certificates for any dependent children
- Adoption certificates for any adopted dependents
Other information
- All addresses you’ve ever lived at
- All international travel within the past 10 years
- Personal information about all immediate family members, even if they will not be immigrating (such as full names, address, date of birth)
Police certificate
The FBI record check took a very long time and they don’t provide any status updates or even proof that they received your request. They’re only valid for six months, so you may have to get two to be safe. This costs $18 per person.
You need to be fingerprinted by your local police department before you can submit the request to the FBI. Since we were living in NYC, we spent an afternoon at the NYPD headquarters getting this part done. It took about two hours, costs $25 each, and wasn’t nearly as difficult as we expected it to be. You should request this very early in the process, since the FBI website clearly says it’ll take 3-4 months to receive your identity history summary.
Medical exam
You can’t just go to any doctor, you need to see a panel physician for your medical exam. There are only three in New York State and two of them are in Manhattan. Be sure to tell the doctor you need an Express Entry medical exam.
The CIC recommends you wait until you get your invitation to apply before scheduling your medical exam. Your exam results are only valid for 12 months and need to have six months when you submit your application. If the medical exam is valid for less than six months, you’ll have to get another exam done. This doesn’t seem like the best advice when there are only two doctors and it can take weeks to schedule an appointment. We scheduled our appointments as soon as we received our ITA. The date that you get your medical exam is extremely important because the timeframe that you’ll be able to immigrate will expire exactly 1 year after the date of this exam.
When you go to your appointment, bring two passport photos, your MyCIC number application number, and your passport.
You will need to give a general medical history, get bloodwork and a chest x-ray. Our x-ray tech seemed very excited to tell us we didn’t have TB. From what we can figure, the bloodwork is to rule out HIV and syphilis.
The doctor’s office will submit your medical exam results directly to the CIC and so won’t give you any actual information to you. A few weeks after the medical exam you’ll receive an update on your CIC page letting you know that you passed the medical exam.
The doctor will also give you a sealed letter that you will need to hold onto. In theory, the immigration office might ask to see this letter when you officially move across the border. We weren’t asked to show ours, but it should go without saying that you’ll want to keep this in a safe place so there are no chances of being turned away at the border.
We each paid $300 and an additional $50 for the x-ray.
Proof of funds
If you don’t have a job offer, Canada wants to make sure you have some money to cover your living expenses when you first arrive in the country. It’s reasonable to assume you might be to be unemployed for a period of time since you will probably be moving up without a job. You will need to prove that you have approximately $12,500 CAD cash available yourself, about $15,500 CAD for a couple, and more for each additional family member, even if they won’t be immigrating with you.
If you plan to immigrate with your spouse, cash in either of your bank accounts will count towards the total amount of funds you’ll need to document.
Since they want to make sure you haven’t borrowed this money, you’ll need to prove that you have had this money in your personal accounts for several months before applying.
You will need to get an official letter from your bank printed on letterhead that includes:
- Your name
- Bank address, telephone, and email address
- Account numbers
- Total funds in each account
- Date each account was open
- Current balance of accounts
- Average balance of each account for the past six months
Getting this proof ended up being more difficult than it should have been, partly because we both have several bank accounts each plus a shared joint account. That meant that we needed to get letters from several different banks that all wanted to insist that they only needed to give us the information that the United States immigration process requires, and not whatever requirements we told them we needed for Canadian immigration. Don’t let them talk you into what they think you need, insist on what you know you need.
Verification of your work history
If you’re applying as a skilled worker, you will need to prove that you’re actually a skilled worker. Makes sense, right? This was actually one of the hardest things to put together for the application since you have to account for 10 years of work history. This means you’ll need to reach out to every employer you’ve worked for in the past decade, even if it didn’t end well. Get ready, this part might be sort of uncomfortable!
If you’re applying through the Canadian Experience Class, then you’re in luck because you only have to account for whichever jobs you’ve worked in Canada that qualify you to apply for permanent residency and which you’ve identified in your application. Since you only need a single year of qualifying work experience in Canada, this might be just one or two employers that you’ll need to reach out to. It won’t hurt though, to account for however many years of qualifying experience you have in Canada. If you’re applying through this program, you’ll also need to provide your most recent work permit, T4 tax information slips, and Notice of Assessments.
You’ll need to get an official letter from each employer on company letterhead that includes:
- Your name
- Company’s address, telephone, and email address
- Name, title, and signature of immediate supervisor or HR representative
- Each position you’ve had at the company
- Title
- Responsibilities
- Job status (if current)
- Start and end date
- Number of hours per week
- Annual salary and bonus
- Any benefit information (such as medical coverage or 401k match)
- Corresponding NOC code
I approached this by writing out a draft of what I wanted each company to verify for me, then sent it out to each employer with a request that they review and return it to me, along with any needed changes, on company letterhead. For larger companies, this will probably need to go through the HR department. Since you don’t have much control over how fast this part goes, get started on it soon so you’re not stuck waiting around for it at the end.
One very important thing to keep in mind is to try to align the responsibilities of each of your jobs with the main duties included for the NOC unit group you are claiming as your skilled worker experience. This part of your application will be thoroughly reviewed so make sure you provide plenty of background that shows you are qualified to immigrate as a skilled worker.
If you’re claiming any self-employment periods, you’ll need to provide articles of incorporation or any sort of evidence that proves you own your own business and received income. You’ll also need to reach out to clients and ask them to give you letters that verify the services you provided to them and the payments you received from them. This wasn’t always possible, since companies go out of business. In that case, I did my best to document the work I did for them and find proof that they’re no longer in business. In other cases, I got a letter from former employees.
Proof of relationship status
This part only applies to you if your marital status is married, divorced, widowed, or common law.
- Married: Marriage certificate, even if your spouse will not be immigrating with you
- Divorced: Divorce certificate if you or your spouse has ever been married in the past
- Widowed: Death certificate for your spouse
- Evidence of a common law relationship
Canada will allow you to immigrate with your partner even if you’re not married, but you will need to prove the validity of that relationship.
- A completed Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union form
- Evidence of cohabitation for at least 12 continuous months
- Statements from joint bank accounts or credit cards
- Lease or mortgage in both of your names
- Utility bills
Proof of Parental Status
If you’re a parent of a dependent child, you will need to provide information about each of your dependent children, even if they will not be immigrating with you.
-
- Birth certificates for any dependent children
- Adoption certificates for any adopted dependents
Fees
You have to pay your fees online to submit your application. It’s currently $550 for each adult and $150 for any children.
Keep your information up to date
If anything in your profile has changed since you created your profile, be sure to update it before submitting your application.
Lying or misrepresenting information on your application is a bad idea. It’s easy to fudge information on a form, but lying about something that impacts your residence in a country is messing with international laws.
If you lied on your application, you and your family can be stripped of your permanent resident status and deported.
Canada doesn’t have draconian prisons, but it’s still not worth the risk.
Don’t get ahead of yourself
Make sure you have all the information you need to make the right choice for you before you spend hours gathering Express Entry documents.
What you need to know
There are a lot of things to think about before moving to another country.
Immigration FAQs
Have questions? Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Is this the best way?
There are many different routes to permanent resident status.
Waiting
In 2015, the CIC met its goal of processing applications in six months for 80% of applications. The other 20% likely required additional background screening, had unclear family situations (pending divorces, adoptions, or child custody issues), or required additional documents.
Some successful immigrants are now reporting that their applications were processed in as little as six weeks. If you’ve been at one company for a long time, have lived in one country, and don’t have any dependents, you can expect your application to process quickly.
Application processing times are never guaranteed. Your application will probably take about three months to process, but it could take significantly longer.
You’ll get messages in your MyCIC mailbox with occasional updates or requests for any additional information. They may even request an interview.
I found that gmail was automatically sorting emails from the CIC to my trash folder, so I set up a filter rule to make sure emails from donotreply@cic.gc.ca would be marked as important and starred sot that they’d stay in my inbox. You might want to do something like this for your own email account to make sure you don’t miss any updates or requests for additional information from the CIC. Regardless, it’s probably a good idea to login to your CIC account now and then to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
Before your application is is considered complete, you’ll have to pay your Right of Permanent Residence fees and the express entry fee.
Ready for visa
About five months after we submitted our final application and all of the fees, we received an email letting us know that we were “Ready for Visa.” This let us know that our application was almost complete. Though this wasn’t an official “approval” quite yet, we took as it as a sign that we were nearly done with the process. We were asked to mail out:
- 2 photographs for our Permanent Resident (PR) cards
- Copies of our passports
- One self-addressed stamped envelope
About a month after we mailed in the pictures, we received our official travel papers that granted us the right to immigrate to Canada. All told, it was almost exactly 6 months between when we submitted our application to when we received our paperwork.
Cost of Express Entry
In addition to having $12,164 to $32,191 in your bank account to provide proof of funds, you’ll also end up paying for just about every piece of documentation you’ll need to gather as part of your application. While your own experience might be a bit different, here’s an overview of what we ended up paying along the way in 2015:
| Document | Single | Couple |
| Police Certificate | $18 | $36 |
| – Fingerprinting | $25 | $50 |
| Language Test (IELTS) | $225 | $550 |
| Education Credential Assessment (WES) | $205 | $410 |
| – Transcripts (2 per person) | $50 | $100 |
| – Diplomas (2 for just one person) | $50 | $50 |
| Medical Exam | $350 | $700 |
| – Passport Photos | $20 | $40 |
| Express Entry Fee | $395 | $790 |
| Right of Permanent Resident Fee | $350 | $700 |
| Photographs for PR card | $20 | $40 |
| TOTAL | $1,708 | $3,466 |
There are other fees that we didn’t need to worry about, but you might run into depending on your situation:
- Document translation (required for any document that is not in English or French)
- Immigration representative fees
- Copies of marriage, divorce, or death certificates
- Proof of common law partnership
- Copies of birth or adoption certificates
Timeline
Everyone’s experience will be different, but here’s how the timing worked out for us:
| Event | Date |
| Submitted Express Entry profile | March 18, 2015 |
| Confirmation from CIC that profile was received | March 19, 2015 |
| Registered with job bank | March 19, 2015 |
| Accepted into Express Entry | March 19, 2015 |
| Invited to apply for Permanent Residency | March 27, 2015 |
| Appointment with panel physician | April 2, 2015 |
| Submitted application for Permanent Residency | April 13, 2015 |
| Received confirmation that application was received | April 13, 2015 |
| CIC requested additional information | May 29, 2015 |
| Provided additional information | May 29, 2015 |
| Received confirmation that information was received | May 30, 2015 |
| Received “Ready for Visa” email | September 15, 2015 |
| Mailed out pictures and copies of passports | September 29, 2015 |
| Received travel documents (invitation to immigrate) | October 26, 2015 |
| Immigrated to Canada and declared residency | December 10, 2015 |
| Moved belongings to Ontario | January 15, 2016 |
| Expiration date for invitation to immigrate | April 2, 2016 |
Don't take my word for it
Read interviews with other people who successfully moved to Canada from countries around the world.
Moving to Canada
You get your visa to move to Canada.
What comes next?
- Declaring yourself a landed immigrant
- Getting pets across the border
- Moving your things through customs without owing duties
- Getting new IDs, enrolling in health insurance, and getting your SIN
Canada is just like home.
Except for when it’s not. I share what I’ve learned to save you some trouble.
Living in Canada
Living in Toronto
Welcome to Toronto
Toronto is Canada's largest city, it's financial capital, and a place where over 50% of residents were born abroad.
- Toronto neighborhood guide for new residents from a New York perspective
- How to rent an apartment in Toronto without a credit history and without getting scammed
- Buying a condo in Toronto as a newcomer without standard documentation
- Setting up your first home in Canada Hydro, metered internet, and how to furnish your apartment.
- How to survive your first Canadian winter It's really not that bad.
There’s more to being Canadian than watching hockey and saying ‘eh.’
Canada isn’t just a colder US, it’s got a culture and history of it’s own. They’re just too modest to brag about it.
- Becoming a Canadian citizen How long it takes, whether or not you have to give up your US citizenship, and other things you should know before making a decision.
- Canadian Federal Government A 101 guide to Canadian politics
- Understanding Canada All the Canadian history you didn't learn in school
- Canadian Travel Guides Discover the best of the Great North
Becoming Canadian
I moved to Canada without an immigration attorney or consultant and you can, too.
Now that I’ve successfully immigrated to Canada from the US using the Express Entry program, I wrote the guide I wish I’d had.
Get the full story
What other prospective immigrants have said about my book,
Moving to Canada: A complete guide to immigrating to Canada without an attorney.
If you want the step by step process on how to immigrate to Canada, here it is. I found the book easy to read, inspiring, and very informative.
Laura J.I.
This book is very well written, chock full of useful information and tips. The writing style is crisp and engaging. I enjoyed reading about the author's personal experiences with immigrating to Canada, as well as the loads of information she provided on how the process worked. Somehow she took a potentially boring and tedious subject and made it interesting. Did I still have a few questions after reading this book? Of course! But thats because each person has a unique set of needs and personal history and reasons for moving. I believe this book will provide most of the basic information you will need to start the progress of moving to Canada. It is very thorough and well organized. I feel pretty confident that I understand all that will be involved in applying for a permanent residency after having read this book. Plus I enjoyed reading the background material about Canada.
We are an American couple planning our immigration to Canada through the Express Entry program. This book has been very helpful to aid us in planning and organizing all the steps and timelines for the immigration process. It also has lots of other great information about the actual moving, landing, and transitioning process. If you are a professional looking to navigate through the Canadian immigration program this book is well worth the read. We actually are using it as a reference as well, keeping pages bookmarked and using the spreadsheets and timelines, costs, etc as a model for our own documents.
G.B.
Useful for getting a general overview of the process all in one place, rather than searching around the internet.
R. Marshall
A lot of the other books about moving to Canada talk about what it’s like to live in Canada, whereas this book talks about how to actually get there. A must have for anybody thinking about immigrating.
Carter
Get the latest information on building your life in Canada
SIGN UP
This is the only mailing list that won't send you enough emails.
hi Casey and Cori. With my wife, we have started planning our move to Canada by express entry and we are apply for pr of canada,i have work permit of canada i living here from 2012.i m married in feb 2017 i apply for pr as couple in march .i have ITA, and sixth month is completed for subbmitted the profile.i dont have any notification from cic.i m very worried.is it any solution ??accept waiting
Unless you have done something to increase your CRS, get a qualifying job offer, or obtain provincial nomination, there’s not much to do other than wait.
Hello Casey and Cori, I just saw your website and I am very grateful that there are people like you guys who are more than willing to share your knowledge and experiences when it comes to immigrating to Canada. Anyway, I was invited to apply last month for the BC PNP-Express Entry program and I am just wondering if the Proof of Funds should be strictly in Canadian Dollars or do they accept US Dollars too? I would really appreciate your help. Thank you so much!
Thanks! Your proof of funds can be in any currency.
Hello, Casey and Cori. With my girlfriend, we have started planning our move to Canada by doing the IELTS and submitting our degrees for ECAs. We are going to apply as a couple, so we will also get married in the next months, before submitting our application. We have been together for 2.5 years, but it is a fact that we are going to marry because of our immigration plans. Do you think that there is any problem with our marriage certificate being so recent? Thanks!
You don’t actually need to get married for immigration, as long as you can show that you’ve lived together for at least a year. If you do decide to get married, the date of your marriage shouldn’t be a problem. Theoretically the IRCC may ask for more information or proof of your relationship, but it sounds like that wouldn’t be a problem at all for you to provide.
First, thanks a ton for taking the time to compile all this information. This blog is a wonderful place for quick and concise info regarding Express Entry.
I have a question for you:
All my bank accounts are in bolivares currency (I’m Venezuelan, Venezuela is going through a really bad political/social/economic crisis, there is an exchange control regime here, so you can’t open US dollar bank accounts here, among much other limitations and overall bad stuff..)
However, I will be traveling to Canada on my visitor visa this October where I’ll open a bank account and transfer the required funds for my proof of funds. I will be receiving my WES evaluation mid September, already took the IELTS test, so I’m ready to create my express entry profile (as a Federal Skilled Worker).
Reading up on the requirements of the e-APR after receiving my ITA, I see I need to “prove that you have had this money in your personal accounts for several months before applying.”, must I wait for six months before creating my profile? 🙁
These savings of mine are deposited in a shared account in the US, which is (sadly) not in my name, it’s registered to a family member’s.
Sorry for the long post and thanks a lot for taking the time to read this!
The funds need to be the equivalent of whatever the required amount is in Canadian dollars (based on the number of people in your family) but they don’t actually need to be in Canadian dollars.
You’ll probably be fine creating your Express Entry profile now. If necessary, you can always provide a letter of explanation from you and the family member whose name is on the account. It’s unlikely that they’d ask for this, though.
Hey Casey,This is the greatest article so far regarding all the questions and steps!! Thanks for helping out so many people….
I have a question regarding POF-
I am an Indian Citizen currently working in USA on work visa from last 5+ years…. I keep most of my funds in my NRE Savings account in India but I can show sufficient funds either in India or US as needed. But I have Car Loan and Personal loan in US…. Do you know if CIC can ask for US credit history based on my social security number? or if there’s any instance you’re aware of. OR only letter from bank/6 months statement will be sufficient?
Thanks,
Yash
The IRCC does not request or require a credit check as part of the application process.
Is it possible to just get a Canadian PR without having to work or actually immigrate to Canada? I wish to continue living and working in the United States. Just seeking a Canadian PR as a back up or a safety net.
Nope. You can apply and be approved for Canadian PR without ever having stepped foot into Canada, however, you need to live in Canada for 2 out of every 5 years in order to maintain your PR status. You have to move to Canada and declare yourself a landed immigrant in order for your PR visa to turn into actual PR status.
If you want a backup, you’d need get PR and move to Canada for three years and then apply for citizenship. Once you’re a citizen you’d be free to live anywhere else and keep Canadian citizenship as a backup.
Hi,I have personal loan going on in my account for which my monthly installments are getting deducted from my account. So when I show them my POF, do I need to clear the whole personal loan or need to put more funds as much as personal loan I have? Will the personal loan have bad effect on POF?
Hey Casey,
This information is great, I can use this information step by step for clearing all the process.
I just have a question, it would be great if you’d reply.
I am currently working in Digital Marketing Agency in India, with 2 years of experience, I would like to Immigrate & work in Canada. My problem is that I have not received the last 2 semesters results of my graduation. There is uncertainty when the results will come out.
Should I apply for the express entry or wait for my results?
Will I not be considered as a Graduate?
Thanks for your input in advance
You will need to have your education assessed (ECA) to demonstrate that your degree is valid and equal to a Canadian one. The ECA will not be provided without a diploma and complete transcripts.
Hi great write up. One of the most detail and practically helpful that guides those who with to immigrate Canada like me. I have urgent and serious issues.
1. In my academoc certificate my name is Albert T Haokip now passport as rule require the median “T” in full. So, my name in the passport is Albert Thangkholal Haokip because T stands for Thangkholal. Will this have problem in the future job search in Canada? Which of my name academic certificate or passport shpuld I write while appkying express entry, IELTS, ECA?
2. When/in which stage is the medical test require and where to contact the approved medical panel?
3. Is there prescribed police verification form available?
4. They say new immigrants start with Zero in Canada how experience or high in their education they may be. I am PhD in Political Science how do I build my career and get the real job?
My question are many and long but I badly need the answer, please.
1. You should apply under your legal name. If any document does not match your legal name, then you should make sure that they are updated prior to submitting your application. If a document shows only your middle initial rather than your entire middle name, it will still be accepted because middle names are not required.
2. You will receive notice from the IRCC that you are eligible to schedule your medical exam after submitting your initial expression of interest and after you have been invited to apply for Express Entry.
3. Police verification is different in each country. The IRCC provides information for obtaining this in each country.
4. Assuming you have your academic credentials assessed, your degrees would be considered valid in Canada. You already have a career, it’s just a matter of finding a new job in Canada in your profession.
Thanks for the response. I have more question.
1.What are fees and their amount I am require to pay after receiving ITA?
2. When to apply for visa for Express Entry Permanent Residency (PR)?
3. Is there any interview for visa or other post ITA?
4. Is there minimum cut off minimum score in IELTS to be eligible to apply PR?
1. Fees differ depending on your specific scenario, but you can see the costs that we paid in the article above.
2. Once your Express Entry application is approved, the IRCC will issue you a travel visa.
3. The IRCC sometimes requires an interview as part of the application process. We were not asked to attend an interview as part of our application though.
4. Yes, there are minimum language skills scores that are needed in order to be eligible for Express Entry. Scores differ depending on which program you’re applying under.
Hi, thanks for the write-up – most comprehensive one I’ve found.
I’m wondering about the last point in the response I’m replying to. Once you land, do you have to get a job in the ‘skilled worker’ field you applied under? If I apply using my 3 years of experience as a laboratory technician, do I have to get a job in Canada that fits into the same job category? Or am I free to change career direction?
Thanks,
Alex
Once you’ve been approved and land in Canada, you become a permanent resident. As someone with PR status, you can take any job, go to school, etc without restrictions.
Hi Casey, I have been accepted in the Express Entry pool of candidates justthis month.
My CRS score is 345, is it enough? I mean what are the chances of me getting an ITA.
Thanks in advance.
There’s no way to know the minimum number of CSR points the IRCC will select for each round. At each draw, the IRCC invites candidates to apply based on differing criteria.
You can check the previous rounds and the minimum scores here.
Hi, I have one question regarding overlapping of years of study and job. I did my post graduation in session 2011-2013 in India. The session got started in August 2011 and last exam held in Nov 2012. After than in next 6 months we have to work on thesis. In May 2013 I started my job and also was still working on improving my thesis work. Technically the session was already over and I was working on my own to complete my thesis and I also kept my job with me. Will it be an issue. I am claiming points for my masters as well as my job that I started in May 2013 after completing 2 years of masters. I have already received ITA and is a little confused about this.
You will not receive points without having your academic credentials assessed, which can only be done with a copy of your diploma and completed transcripts sent directly from the academic institution to the third party company (such as WES) that will assess your degree.
Thank you both for this guide. It was very helpful. I do have a question though:
my Bank issued me three letters:
1. Stating that I have no debt, loans or overdraft
2. Listing my current account, date it was opened and current (at the time of printing) available balance
3. Complete statement of my actions (deposits, withdraws, transfers etc) in my account from the past 6 months (14 pages long)
I also got visit card of bank employees who issued me these letters. I will scan all these and upload them as one file.
Is this a good PoF?
So long as you are providing the documents and letters the IRCC has requested you should be fine. We submitted all required documents and letters in the exact format requested by the IRCC for proof of funds so we have no experience around if the IRCC would accept anything other than what they’ve outlined on their PoF requirements page.
Thanks Casey. I do have another question if you dont mind!
I am currently uploading my passports (Passports/Travel Documents (Multiple) (required). Now, I already have two passports from two different countries. For me in the document checklist it says Multiple but I can upload only one file in the Passport field. DO you know If I should upload only one passport or do i need to combine them in one PDF.
You’ll need to combine your passport scans into a single PDF.
Hi guys,
I received a “Ready for visa” notification. It says I must mail my passport within 30 days. However, I applied for passport renewal and currently waiting for it. There is nothing I can do to speed it up and have no control over when it will be ready. If I request to extend the 30-day period, will that negatively affect my PR processing? Do you know? Thanks a lot in advance! Good luck to everyone!
Since we immigrated from a visa-free country, we were not required to mail in our physical passports at the Ready for Visa stage. Since you don’t have your passport on hand, you’ll have few choices aside from requesting an extension. We’d love to know what the outcome is though, if you don’t mind letting us know how it worked out for you. Congrats on getting to this point of the process!
Hi Casey, Thank you for this detailed post. What will happen if I get married after receiving my travel papers? Will this affect my score?
Regards, Manu
Once you have received your landing documents, you can no longer modify your application. You would have to move to Canada on your own and apply to sponsor your wife.
Hello, hoping this thread is still checked – a huge thank you for all of your helpful info!
I am in the process of getting my University (bachelors degree) transcripts sent to WES (I am applying from the US). However, I am confused as to whether I need to also have my High School transcripts sent as well? It didn’t specifically list it when I was filling out my WES application/profile, however when I look at the “Documents to Send” list for the US, it appears as though they want them as well as they list wanting “higher education and secondary education” docs. I’ve tried to research and it seems as though sending them will give me more points. What did you do? Thank you again!
No, you do not need to have your high school transcripts assessed since the assumption is that those were assessed by your university in order to obtain that degree. You will not get any points for your high school diploma as part of the Skilled Worker program.
Hi
I submitted my PR profile on March 20, and its been almost 4 months but the profile is stuck at “Medical cleared.” No other update since. I’m a single applicant.
But I have two major issues:
1. I need to move the funds I have in my account, for a necessary payment coming up in a few weeks. Its the same funds i used for my proof of funds. Of course I can have this amount back after several weeks time, but the question is do they ask for proof of funds again after this application is submitted with proper required balances?
2. The company i worked for has shut down in May 2017, and I used their work experience. No telephone no email contacts. Nothing. What if they require something directly from my employer? Or they ask me to submit something extra? I wont be able to do that at all now. Also since my application submission date is March 2017, I felt no need to update them that I’m no longer applied, as work experience till March counts in the application? Your opinions on this changing work experience situation?
Oops last line applied* = employed**
You can theoretically be asked for proof of funds at any time, but it’s most common to be asked to provide it with your application and potentially on arrival in Canada. Most people don’t need to provide this at other points.
Sometimes this happens and the CIC seems to understand this. Make sure you have documentation ready to show that the company is real and be able to provide as much documentation necessary to show that they’ve shut down. It’s very helpful to have former coworkers or clients who can verify your work history. However, you may not need any of this. Once your application is submitted they will let you know if they require additional information, but they may be satisfied with what you’ve already provided.
Something interesting has happened with my profile. My AOR was 20 March as I mentioned before, but I’m still stuck at NA2 (My IP2/background check has not started and its been 7 months since AOR). Apparently my eligibility is still under review as per the GCMS notes I ordered. The agent reviewing my case was confused. He wrote in the notes that my work place is fine but the job duties cannot be verified for the NOC I applied for because the company letter I provided did not have too many details (company refused to give any other form of letter). So this agent did not pass my eligibility and forwarded by profile to another agent for a second review. Now what should I do? Last update on my file was May 28 as per the notes generated on Sep 22. But no other agent has asked me to submit anything till yet to prove my job duties or anything. Should I contact them on my own? But at this point I dont even know what I can send them, the company has closed for good, all supervisors not in contact or I cant find them. I’m totally confused here and feel like my profile will be rejected. Agent wrote he has verified 428 CRS points for me correctly, but my draw was at 447 points (my own total CRS was 478)
If you have the original job posting, you could provide them with that. The best bet would be to track down someone from the company to verify that the work you did lines up with the NOC code. If you dealt with clients or vendors, they might be able to help.
Hi Casey, thank you so much for all of the great info on this website and on the book. Its been a great help to us in our process to becoming permanent residents. Quick question, currently we are waiting for the coPR documents for me and my wife, woohoooo! ( We live in Brooklyn, NY by the way 🙂 We got the “Your visa has been approved” email about three weeks ago and we mailed our pictures and passport copies about two weeks ago. So my question is can we still travel to canada without declaring landing as permanent residents? Or do you have to declare landing once you are in the system? The reason im asking is because we still need to go to canada to find a place to live before we make the move. Unfortunately we wont have all of our stuff categorized or packed in boxes until we actually make the move. So it would be impossible to fillout the B4 form until we are ready to drive all of our stuff up to Canada.
Thanks for your help.
Congratulations! This actually happened to us, we traveled to Canada after the CoPR was issued but before we actually immigrated and declared landing. You can travel to Canada without declaring your landing status, but it might get a little confusing since you will be listed in the system as having been granted the CoPR. You should expect to spend some extra time with customs at the Canadian border. Just be honest and clear about your situation.
Good day!
I highly appreciate your generosity to share your experience of getting Canadian PR. I wish you to succeed in such a nice country. I would like to ask you the following:
In order to get 50+50 scores in Skill transferability factors CLB 9 equivalents in IELTS are required –
Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Listening 8.0, Speaking 7.0.
I took IELTS 2 times scoring in reading 8.5, writing 6.5, listening 8.0, speaking 7.0 first time and reading 8.5, writing 7.0, listening 6.5 speaking 7.0 second time. So, in both cases one of the abilities (writing and listening respectively) was lower than needed for 50+50 (education and foreign work experience).
Does IRCC accept ability scores from 2 different IELTS certificates or from only one that has higher scores (both certificates have 7.5 overall scores)?
Thank you in advance.
Kind regards,
Kandemir
We submitted only a single set of results for our language test. I haven’t found any information about submitting multiple results for a single language.
Thanks a lot for all the above great information.
I’m applying for Canada immigration in skilled worker category with my wife and my wife is the primary applicant.
I have a child from my previous marriage and she is 3 years old and in the legal and physical custody of her mother. Do I still need to get the medical examination of that child and Do I need to include information of that child in my application form?
Yes, you are required to submit the medical exam results for all minor children regardless of their custodial status.
Thanks Cesay !
Is there any alternative/ way to avoid the medical exam of minor as she is not accompanying us and in the full custody of her mother(ex wife) for lifetime and her mother will definitely not allowed the medical of that child.
Thanks!
In this sort of tricky situation it’s wise to speak to an immigration attorney.
Dear Casey,
I must say thank you for this write up.however I have an issue applying as it says I am not eligible, even thoug my husband and I have have 10yrs working experience.scored 7 and 6.5 respectively in the english test.is there somthing we arent doing right?Your urgent assistance is required please.thank you
The IRCC has a brief quiz to determine if you would be eligible to apply for one of the immigration programs. There are many reasons that you may not be eligible to apply for Express Entry including lack of funds, beinginadmissible to Canada, non-qualifying work experience, age (most programs are geared towards young professionals), or lack of advanced degrees.
Hi Casey,
We have recently received our ITA, I would first like to thank you because we couldn’t have gone through this process without this page. I have a question that I can’t seem to find an answer to. When filling in my spouse personal history in full, however two of his past employers have closed down and do not exist anymore. I don’t want to exclude them from the work history in case it is viewed as misrepresentation, but I really can’t get the required company info and letterhead. I have written to IRCC but I was wondering if you have an opinion on this. Thank you, Graziella.
Provide a letter of explanation for any work history that can’t be verified by a letter from the employer. Do your best to verify the employment through other means such as letters from colleagues, pay stubs, and tax documents.
Thanks for the reply.
Hi Casey, Do Primary NOC and Intended NOC ave to be same while filing the express entry profile? In my application i wrote Primary NOC as 6322, since the CiC states that it should be wherein i have the most work experience and in intended NOC-6321,
( which my job offer letter from Canadian employer mentioned). what worries me now is will this create any problem to my profile or will they assess me based on the Primary occupation NOC and what will happen to my job offer letter with NOC code -6321.
No, the NOC associated with your existing work history does not need to match the NOC associated with your future employment.
Hi Casey, Thank you for the clarification.
Hi Casey, I am super excited received ITA on 26th may. I am yet to fill the application and considering to gather the necessary documents first.I have a query again, in my past 7 years of work i have lived in 3 different cities of India i.e, Jaipur, Delhi and Kolkatta (my present stay). My passport address is of Delhi, so for PCC do i need to gather the documents from all the cities that i have lived or just the clearance from my present stay Kolkatta will suffice.
Police certificates are required for any country you’ve lived in for 6+ months since you turned 18.
Hi Sentsu,
In India, PCC is issued by Ministry of External Affairs which is at the Center (Federal) level. Hence, regardless of the number of state(s) in which you have stayed in India, you can get PCC from any of the passport offices and that will be acceptable. The only catch here is that there will be a conflict of address as the one in your passport is from Delhi and you will be applying for your present address at Kolkata. Hence, it will be wise to pay a quick visit to your nearest Passport seva kendra or Regional passport office to have this sorted out before you apply online for the PCC. Cheers!
Hi Casey/Cori,
I am Siddharth and I need a small clarification. We are married have applied for FSW with me as the primary applicant and with my wife as a dependent .We have received our ITA already. I have all our documents ready except for the proof of funds. We just got married and we don’t have enough cash. But my father in law is ready to do a gift deed to his daughter for this purpose as he had kept some money for this process during our marriage. Now if my FIL does a gift deed to my wife, can she transfer 50% of the money to my account and can we both show 50-50 of the required funds?(Although a lot of people suggest its should be in the primary applicant’s account). Secondly, If suppose she sends the entire money to be shown in my account, will that create an impact that the entire money has been gifted?
And for the 50-50 funds part, should my wife do me a gift deed to transfer the 50% or it isn’t neeeded? And if I am showing 50% of funds using my wife’s account, should i need to provide any document?
Please clarify.
If you’re married, all monies in either of your accounts counts towards the total minimum funds required for Express Entry. You will need to show 6 months of financial statements for all accounts that contain funds towards the minimum required. For us, that meant a total of 6 bank accounts between the two of us. The IRCC may seek further clarification if the funds appear to be a gift.
Hi Casey. Well done on the good job done here. Please I need clarification on some issues:
1. I read on a forum that we are to indicate the IME number for the medical test somewhere on the eAPR forms. I have not seen where it was asked and I have already filled out all required details pending upload of documents.
2. I have read a lot of different views as to how long one should have the POF in the account for. In the past 2 months, there have been transfers in and out of my account (not huge lumpsum transfers) but I now have the required funds. Will this suffice to apply now or do I necessarily have to keep that money in place for 6 months?
Please help clarify. Thanks.
Always follow instructions required by the IRCC on your application, worry less about what others have mentioned on forums. If the IRCC requires additional information or clarification, they’ll follow up with you after reviewing your application details.
The IRCC requires bank statements for the previous 6 months. If the required funds have not been in your account for at least 6 months, you may want to include a letter detailing where the funds came from and to verify that they are not borrowed from another person.
Hi Casey, I’m not sure if you would be able to advise but I recently submitted my EE profile and I received less points than expected. For the last year or so we have been in contact with an immigration consultant and they had put our points at around 30 more than what we have. We didn’t end up using the consultant in the end so is there anyone I can talk to to discuss the difference in the points? I’m worried I’ve filled something out incorrectly which has led to the lower points and at this rate we wouldn’t be chosen this year as the points as they stand are too low 🙁
Since representatives are not affiliated with the IRCC and the IRCC does not require you to use one in order to apply, you should reach out to the consultant that you were working with to discuss the discrepancy.
Hi Casey,
First I would like to thank you for such an informative blog. I am pretty sure you are helping many people like me to get the desired info.
I need your advice on my case is not the ideal one and I know you have nailed the PR deadlines and formalities.
I am currently in New York working with a major bank. My US visa expires early 2020 and my future in US is uncertain (thanks to the current administration). I did my MBA from schulich school of business Toronto in 2016 and am eligible for the PR at current scores. My question is as below –
Once I get the invitation to apply, how much longer can I delay sending the documents ( I assume 3 months).
Then once I submit the documents and receive the medical request, how much time do I have before I enter Canada. Put differently, you have shared your timeline timeline, but can you share a timeline with deadlines/delays that I can force in but still get my PR.
The reason I want this is because I want to apply for PR in the current rules but want it delay it as much as possible as I wont be able to move before 2020. Could you give me a high level timeline with max time durations under which I would need to act so that I do not have to start over. This will really help me.
thanks a lot.
You are correct that you have only 3 months to submit your full application after getting the ITA. Then, assuming your application is accepted (typically within 1-6 months) and the IRCC issues you travel documents (CoPR), you have exactly 1 year from the date of your medical exam before those documents expire. With the current processing times for Express Entry, that would mean you’d probably need to plan for moving to Canada within about 12-18 months of getting your ITA (possibly sooner). These processing times are always changing, so it might be different 2 years from now.
Thanks for the reply Casey. I have further question- once I get the visa stamped, how many days do I have to enter the canada (to start my PR). AlsoI know one have to stay for 2 out of 5 years in Canada to renew PR. In worst case if I stay for only one year out of 5, is there a way to still renew the PR? Apologies if my question doesnt make any sense.
As a new permanent resident, the CoPR acts as your visa to enter Canada, so you’d have 1 year from the date of your medical exam. If you do not reside in Canada for at least 2 years out of a 5 year period, you do not automatically lost PR status, but you may not be eligible to return to Canada as a PR or to renew your PR status. If you lost your PR status, you would have to re-appply through the IRCC.
I somehow stumbled on your website and i am amazed on the amount of infos you have on here.
Good work.
Hi Casey,
Thank you for this awesome blog that breaks down everything there needs to know about the express entry process to Canada.
I do have a question about the work experience requirements in the past 10 years and CIC requirements not to list out volunteer or internship jobs. In the last 10 years, I have had a mix of work experiences. 3 years employed,1 yr traveling around and doing menial work, 1 year participating in a voluntary service year in my home country (which includes volunteering at a school), 1 year starting my business and currently back to full time employment.
How do you advice I treat the documentation and accounting for the periods I wasn’t working full time in my application? For the business, what happens if you don’t have any clients? What documentation do you provide in this regards?
Thanks
For the things you did that don’t count toward your work experience points, you’re mostly accounting for your time.
For the year of voluntary service, I imagine there is documentation you can provide about the requirements (if any) to do so, the placement, and what you were responsible for doing. It’s helpful to get a letter from the school you volunteered with or the supervising organization to confirm your work.
For the time when you were traveling abroad, you can write a letter stating such. You’ll need to include this in your travel history, also. Plenty of people travel, so this won’t be a problem.
For the time when you started a business, you likely have paperwork registering your business, a business plan, etc. You can write a letter to provide a brief overview of what you did while you were running the business. It’s better if you can provide letters from clients or income statements, but since you’re not relying on this experience for points it should be fine.
Hi Cory/Casey
I am in a fix. Please help. I am the primary applicant in my case and we have just received an ITA. But at the time of submission, i was mulling resignation from the current company and move into free lancing for a few months. Now that we have been invited, is it okay to resign at the moment? My resignation would not affect any job ex.points that I have claimed. Please suggest
Since the ITA is based on your previous work experience and not your future work experience, you are under no obligation to retain your job as you move forward with the application process.
Hi Casey,
I have received an ITA in Feb 2017. I just got all my documents in place and am about to submit the application.
In the profile that was made I had mentioned that I have a certificate of qualification from Canada. This is a CPA, CGA (Chartered Professional Accountants, Certified General Accountant).
Now this is not a skill trades certificate. I didn’t get any points for mentioning this, however I wanted to mention that I had a certificate of qualification. Since I didn’t get any points for it, I thought it was okay to mention it.
My personalized check list in the ITA also has a requirement to upload my certificate of qualification.
Hopefully, with no points received for it, it would not be considered a misstatement for not being a skilled trades certification or can it ? Or would it be better to decline the ITA and get back in the draw (I am at 460 points).
If the application asks for a specific document related to a trades certificate, then I would upload a copy of your certificate of qualification from Canada for the CPA, CGA into that field.
First of all, thank you for all the info in this blog, it’s wonderful and telling about your personal case is more useful for people than just looking for standard immigration info.
I have a question in regards to landing and then coming back without PR card, maybe you can help me, I’ll explain you my case…
My wife and me received the “Ready for Visa” email 12 days ago and we sent the pictures and copies of passports 1 week ago. So right now we are waiting for the invitation to immigrate and CoPR. We are from Spain and we would like to immigrate just after we get these papers but my wife has some things to arrange in Spain during May and June. She is the main applicant and I know I can’t arrive before her but we would like to know if we can arrive together in late April and 1 or 2 weeks later she would come back to Spain while I stay in Canada. She would arrive to Canada again in July and I would have arranged everything in Canada while she could finish her stuff in Spain.
I’ve read about your case and I’ve seen you came back to USA to finish your move but I still don’t know if my wife could have any problem getting back to Canada if she leaves the country without a PR card, I’ve checked times and it usually takes about 2 months to get your PR card after arriving for first time. Did you have a PR card when you came back to USA or just with your CoPR was enough? Can you get out of Canada before getting your PR card then or you must wait until you get it?
Thanks so much again!
Until you receive your official PR cards in the mail, you can use your CoPR paperwork in order to re-enter Canada. We both left the country in the time in between landing and receiving the PR cards. There is a chance you’ll be pulled in for additional screening at the airport when you re-enter Canada, but so long as you have the original CoPR paperwork you should be ok. I’d suggest being as up-front as possible with the border control agent so that they can let you know the best way to proceed since entry into Canada is always up to their discretion.
Congrats at making it through the application process!
I have been reading your website and wanted to ask a question.
My wife and I have been invited to apply for Express Entry and although really excited really didn’t think it would happen this quickly. I’m a mature student at Uni in the UK and am in my last year next year. I won’t finish till maybe the middle of June.
I read on your site that you have to move by the time your medical exam becomes a year old. Our invitation expires at the end of June this year so our medical would have to be done before that and would expire before I finish Uni next year.
Are there any other options you can suggest. We don’t really want to decline as I’m 35 next year and may not get the chance again.
You actually only have to declare landing before the expiration date listed on your CoPR paperwork (which is generally one year exactly from the date of the medical exam). However, you are free to leave Canada after landing in order to get your affairs in order and get ready for the move (which is what we did). You’ll need to have your CoPR documents on hand in order to re-enter Canada. As always, it’s up to the discretion of the border patrol agent that you speak to, so it’s probably a good idea to be as up front as possible with them when you declare landing and each time you return to Canada.
I am in a fix and need help. We have just received an ITA (with I as the primary applicant). However, at the time of filing application, i was also mulling a resignation from my current job. Is it okay to quit job after receiving an ITA and moving into freelance position for 6-8 months. My experience is already 6 years, so it doesnt affect my points in any way. Please suggest if you can.
Since the ITA is based on your previous work experience and not your future work experience, you are under no obligation to retain your job.
Thank you Casey. I appreciate your responses. I hope it turns out well for me.
Good luck!
First of all, thank you so much for this wonderful blog! i recommand it to anyone i meet and they want to move to Canada.
My husband and i are also planning on doing so, already started preparing WES+IELTS to create our profile, our concern is that he is working in the US, he’s the main applicant and i live in Morocco, the paper process for the US is very long so i can’t join him for good but i do visit and i can do so when we are about to apply, but the question is where do we apply when we get the ITA?? Can we do it from the US together and im just on a tourist visa or do we apply separately?? and also, for the proof of funds, i have some funds in my account in morocco, and he has some in his home country, can we submit more than one bank statement??? or do we need to move all the money to one bank in one country ?? Thank you so much for your reply!
He can include you as an accompanying spouse when he applies as the main applicant so long as you are legally married and have a valid marriage certificate. As far as I know, there is no IRCC requirement that you currently reside in the same country. If anything, include a letter with the application explaining your situation and why you don’t currently live in the same country and that you do plan to live together once you immigrate to Canada. Since the application is all entered online, there’s no need to be in the same place in order to submit it.
We had about 6 bank accounts between the two of us (both personal and joint accounts) and provided info from each institution. So long as you can verify that you’ve had about $1532 CAD between the two of you for about the last 6 months, you should be ok.
Good luck!
Thank you so much dear Casey for your help! it’s so nice of you, im sorry but i also forgot to ask you if the employers letter should definitely in the format you said, we do have recommendation letters but they don’t show the annual salary and stuff, and how did you get your employers to put the correspondent NOC in the letter please?? if you can share with us the example of the email you sent them i would be so grateful. Really thank you so much for your help.
If you scroll up, I wrote a bit about how I gathered my employment verification letters in the section above called “Verification of your work history.”
Thank you so much for your very informative blog on Canadian Immigration. Detailed and easy to comprehend. Your experience highlights planning and forethought. I have a few concerns regarding my application.
1. WORK EXPERIENCE – I have just received an ITA. My EE profile was setup by a friend as i provided all the details for her. She made an error in the work history. I worked for a company for 1 year and 6 months+ and went for a masters and did not return to the company after my MSc. My work history showed that i continued working with the company after MSc till date. Please what do i do regarding this?
2. POF – I was unemployed for a 7 month period but i have been in between freelance and IT development jobs. Customers and businesses pay me to run some jobs and they just transfer the money to my account. No payslip or contract agreement. I have used this means to save a lot of funds over 9-10 months as reflected in my bank statements. I also have online investments. Will this be a problem for my application as my bank statements are running into 20 pages and i dont have payslips or contracts?
3. My bank only gives a letter showing an average balance for 3 months, what do I do in this case?
Thank you for your generous response and I apologize for making this so long. I didn’t mean to.
1. Enter your exact work experience into your profile. Remember that you’ll have to upload employment verification to back it all up.
2. We provided letters from clients to support freelance positions.
3. We had to speak to several bank employees, including the manager in order to get the correct letter from the bank. There is no standard form so they will need to draft a custom letter for you.
Thank you, Casey, for your informative reply.
1. I will modify the work history section immediately.
2. Also, the freelance positions were unrelated to the NOC under my required work experience. I have only included them in my personal history. Do i need to provide reference letters for unrelated NOC work experience too?
3. I will call and write to them again. It’s actually a pain when you have to ask for what’s yours?
4. Sometimes when you’re in the freelance business, you get recommendations and when the job is done, you have no contact with the client afterward. If there were times in the past where you were paid a good sum and no payslip to show…and your bank statement history shows regular inflow and outflow of funds for over 9 months…would this be a problem for me? I don’t have any contact with my clients. The money is mine and hard-earned!
Thank you so much for replying.
You’ll have to account for and provide proof for all periods of employment you’ve had for the last 10 years, even those that don’t pertain to whichever qualifying job you’re seeking entry for as a skilled immigrant. For us, this was the most difficult part of the application since one of us had been a freelancer for most of the previous 10 years. You don’t need letters from every single client, just one or two that can account for each period of freelance work you’re claiming on your work history. There’s an NOC code for just about any job you could have, so you’ll also want to find the corresponding NOC code for all those freelance gigs as well.
Good luck!
Hi Cori
Your responses have always been great help. I have a query: I will be the primary applicant. I have just received my ECA. But my spouse who will also be secondary applicant is still waiting for ECA. Can we go ahead and submit our application and update his results once they come in? We want to do this so dont we can be eligible in the coming draw as our score nears present cut off. Please advise.
You’ll only get points for your spouse’s education if they have their ECA and you’ll have to upload the ECA documents in order to submit your profile. So, there’s no need to get the ECA after you get the ITA because the IRCC has already invited you to apply. If you aren’t invited to apply, you can always update your profile with the ECA documents to increase your score.
Thank You Casey. That makes lot of sense. We, however, are hoping to get my husband’s ECA soon so that we can add and improve our score.
Thanks Casey for putting all this great information together!
My spouse and I have taken the same approach that it seems you did, in that we have been collecting all of the relevant documentation and information required before submitting our interest in entering the Express Entry Pool and trying to get an invite. We didn’t want to take a chance on missing the 60 day deadline once you receive an invite to apply.
My question is – when you submit all your information and documentation, both initially as part of the Entry Pool, and after receiving an ITA, do you have to submit anything via post, or is everything scanned and uploaded digitally?
I’m just a little concerned at the idea of having to send documentation by post that has taken a lot of time, effort and expenditure to accumulate.
Thanks again for all your help!
As a follow up question to this as well if I may:
Would you happen to know how an application for Permanent Residency corresponds to existing Visa situations?
For example, my spouse and I already reside in Canada on temporary work visas which will expire this year. Having settled here so well we’re of course interested in applying to make our move more permanent. If we receive an ITA it is likely (given the up-to-6-month processing period for Permanent Residency approval) that our current visas will expire before our approval comes through (presuming we’re lucky enough to be accepted of course).
Would we have to apply for extensions on our current visas regardless, or would the fact that we would have Permanent Residency in process put us in “visa transition” for want of a better description?
Thanks so much again!
It looks like you can apply to extend your visa so long as you submit the request 30 days before your current permit expires.
For our application, we were able to upload scans of everything to the online application until the very end when we mailed our pictures for our PR cards. We were also nervous about hitting the deadline! A recent change to the Express Entry process gives you 90 days versus the 60 days allotted previously, so you’ll have a bit of extra time to pull everything together.
I am completing the initial EE profile – for work history would you include jobs you did from 15 yrs old (currently 25 yrs old) all the way up to present, or only jobs post uni, or only jobs that have the same noc as present? I have over 3 yrs continuous work experience with noc 1223. Prior to that it is a mix of customer service and retail roles. I am aware later in the process you will have to account for 10 yrs in personal history, but i just want to know for the initial profile?
Thank you.
The IRCC asks for you to include everything for the past 10 years. Skipping anything could raise a red flag and cause delays in processing your application.
I believe 3yrs of full time work experience will do just fine and give you the max points.
First of all, god bless you, because you give us such an important information about our life goal 🙂
I have 3 questions:
1. Does CIC ask for 6 months bank account report about saving of 13k dollars?- Because we are married couple, can we just give the bank report of our join bank account?
2.What do you think is better. Applying on my wife profile we have 485 points (because she is younger), but her NOC is A, mine is NOC – 0, and I have 10 years of work experience- points 465.
3. All the documents you provided can be with date before E.Entry profile except medicine exam?
As long as your joint bank account shows the minimum funds for the previous 6 months, then you wouldn’t need to provide statements/letters from other accounts.
Without a valid offer of employment, the IRCC doesn’t differentiate between which NOC code your job history falls within, only that your job history matches a relevant NOC code. When we applied, the main applicant was the one that had more CRS points, but it’s up to you which of you should be the main applicant.
We gathered most of our documents before submitting our EE profile. The bank report(s) should be as recent as possible to when you submit your application to show that the funds are currently available.
Hello Cori,
Could you please help me with some information on the submission of our educational certificates. Unfortunately, I am unable to pull anything relevant on the CIC website. I have the following questions:
1) Is it a mandate for MSC students to submit both their Bachelor and Master degree transcripts?
2) Do the transcripts have to come directly from the college or can the candidate courier in the transcripts to the Canadian Immigration Office/or the concerned office?
Any help will be greatly appreciated:)
Many thanks
Svetlana
An ECA through WES cost the same amount if you’re having 1 degree evaluated or 2. So you might as well get them both evaluated. The CIC states that “you may want to have both your secondary and post-secondary credentials assessed, and not just your highest completed foreign credential.” Depending on which country your degrees are from, you may be required to provide all degrees, not just the highest. My approach is that it’s better to have too much rather than too little.
WES requires that transcripts be sent from the schools directly to their address in Canada, so I only had to send transcript requests out to the schools. WES even provides a request form to send to your school.
Hey,
Thank you for sharing your experience, much appreciated. I had a query on processing time after submitting a complete application. Your experience suggests that it takes 6 months. I am a bit confused since the CIC website mentions that processing time for a new PR card is currently at 49 days… am I missing something here?
I have an ITA and planning ahead… could you please shed light on the processing time?
When we applied, it took about 6 months from when we submitted the application after receiving the ITA to when the application was accepted, processed, and we received our Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) papers which are needed in order to immigrate. The IRCC strives to process 80% of Express Entry applications within 6 months or less.
You are not eligible for your first PR card until after you declare landing upon immigrating to Canada as a new resident. After landing, the IRCC will automatically send you a PR card within their stated processing times.
Appreciate all the info shared. One question, I worked for 3 years for one company in the past and I do have a letter with below info but not all required details you mentioned:
-My name
-Company’s address, telephone, and email address
-Name, title, and signature of immediate supervisor or HR representative
-Title
-Start and end date
Now, the company closed down and I won’t be able to get further details for my work history. Do you think my application will be rejected?
You can include additional supporting information (paystubs, taxes, proof that they’re out of business, etc) along with the letter.
Working in IT since 2002. Do i need to get employment letter for all these years since 2002? or Just last 10 years is okay? Good thing was i am with my current employer for last 9.5 years. Is 9.5 is good enough?
You’ll only need to account for the last 10 years. While it’s a hassle to get a letter for the other half a year, you’ll still want to do that.
thank you! true especially when no one I know working atm.
After getting into the Express Entry pool does Diversity factored into ITA? like Citizenship or country of birth increase the change of PR – I don’t think so but wanted to confirm.
Express Entry is a points system. If you don’t see it listed on the points matrix provided by the IRCC there are no points associated with it.
thank you! true especially when no one I know working atm.
Wonderful site to know all about CA PR information. Well done guys!
Though i’m eligible (Work in IT, 15 years experience) to apply but score is 391 (maximum i can get for now including max IELTS score). At this stage, I’m not sure this score is considered to be eligible in the pool. -ve are age 36, no french skills (impossible to learn before i turn 37 lol, even if i do, next year i loose 6 points in age and again 5 in french (wish i could stop ageing 😉 as everyone wish)), and no immediate relative in Canada or studies in Canada. My clock is ticking and must apply before 37 (got 10 1/2 months to go).
Is my CSR too low? at this stage my only hope is state/province nomination
How state/province nominee works? Does it only apply to people studied in that state/province?
What’s the likelihood of state/province nomination opening for 2017?
My understanding was most are closed or either available only to people studied or who have relative etc?
After reading your information, I have great confident to can handle all the paperwork and apply myself (know it’s pain). But, is it worth considering the lawyer as my points are low and to increase some odds?
You’re eligible for the pool at 391, but you may not get an ITA before your profile expires and you age another year.
The PNP programs change all the time, so you’ll want to check to see what programs are open now. Lots of them have been designed to keep students from Canadian universities in Canada or help anyone with a job offer get PR, but there are plenty of others. Take a look at this: http://15miles.info/increase-express-entry-score/
A lawyer can only help make sure the paperwork is filled out correctly. They can’t increase your score, since it’s based on your personal factors. Any way they could boost your score would be fraudulent (and would strip you of PR if they’re caught).
very clever point system. I may have to try with a very little hope(may be something happens – Job offer). thanks for the link.
When I went to get my medical exam the doctor wouldn’t do the x-ray because I’m pregnant. He said the IRCC won’t approve my application until the x-ray is done. What am I supposed to do?
I’m surprised the doctor performed the exam, since you’ll need a new exam once the baby is born. You’ll want to contact the IRCC and let them know that you’re pregnant. They’ll let you know how to proceed.
They’ll likely have you submit everything but your x-rays. Other people have said the IRCC gave them 30 days after the anticipated birth date to submit x-rays. Once x-rays were sent in, their passports were requested and they were issued travel documents.
If you are required to show proof of funds, be sure you have enough for your new family size.
First of all, thank you for such an amazing guide. I’m sure a lot of people including me who want to immigrate to Canada have found your blog to be extremely helpful.
I do have a couple of questions:
I have 3 years work experience in the same company, out of which the maximum period of continuous employment was just less than 2 years in a row. In India the work week is 48 hours. Would that count in EE/FSWP as more than 3 years work experience (Since the work week requirement is 30 hours per week according to CIC)?
I also would like to know if smaller work stints count toward the points for work experience for EE/FSWP? For example, in my case, a graduate assistantship at my university for working part time for 6 hours per week, for a year?
Working at a single full-time for a year counts only as a single year of full-time work, regardless of the hours in that work week for that job. Work is calculated as far as it can be calculated on a full-time basis. So, if you work just 6 hours per week, you’d have to work at that job for 5 years in order for it to be calculated as equivalent to a single year of full-time work at 30 hours/week. The IRCC states that “part-time work experience must have been accumulated over a continuous period.”
Thanks for your response! I read the definitions, yet I’m still a little confused. I worked part time for 1 year with 6 hours per week. That is equivalent to around 2 months full time work. Will the 2 months count towards my points for work experience in EE/FSWP? To word it a little differently, is any work experience less than a year considered for additional points?
Work is calculated on a yearly basis, so that seems very unlikely. The IRCC explains that:
Okay, cool. Thanks again!
Hi,
First of all I would like thank you for putting such an informative and helpful blog. I have received my ITA. I am also planning to move from the USA to Canada. I have a question in regards to the settlement funds, I do understand that I have to get a letter from my bank however my question pertains to the statements. Do I still need to send the statements with the letter and in addition if you don’t mind me asking, did they ask you guys to submit the statements at a later stage. I also wanted to know what other types of additional requests can CIC make?
Congrats! In addition to the letters from each bank, we also included statements for 6 months to support the verification letters from each bank. Maybe this was overkill, but we didn’t want to take any chances. In the application, you’ll have a chance to upload a single document for each section, so just a single upload section for all documents that verify your proof of funds. You can get around this by merging all of your pdf files into a single document. We weren’t asked to supply any additional information about our funds after the application was submitted, so I’m not sure what additional requests they might ask.
Thank you so much for your quick response and it was very helpful. I also have another question in regards to the work reference letter. Besides the letter, what type of supporting documents should be supplied with it and whether you believe the letter in itself would be sufficient to prove my work experience.
For myself, I had worked at only a single company for 10 years so I supplied only a single work letter outlining each position I had worked at the company. I wasn’t asked for any additional information so that must have been good enough. Cori, who had worked various contract jobs, she supplied letters from employers/clients, pay stubs, and 1099s.
Hi, thank you so much for this post. I see that you applied for permanent residency very shortly after receiving an ITA. Does it mean that you had your FBI record done in advance? I just got my ITA and mailed my FBI request. I am not sure whether I should wait till the last minute of the 90-day period CIC gives you to apply and hope that the FBI response will arrive by then or should I just submit my application without having the police record yet?
We sent away for our FBI records before submitting our expression of interest after we read that it would take 4 months for the FBI to process the request. This was back when you only had 60 days to submit your profile after receiving the ITA so we didn’t want to miss the deadline. We found that the FBI records were delivered about exactly on schedule, so check current processing times before making any decisions. If you’ve sent away for the FBI records and don’t have them before the IRCC deadline, you can show that you’re still waiting and request an extension of the 90 days.
Thanks a lot!!! That´s amassing for someone like me who is just beginning with this process!! Impressive work!!! Thanks!!!
Hello, i just got married and all my documents are still in my maiden name, i just want to ask if i can still go ahead registering for the test and also creating a profile on the express entry in my maiden name since my passport carries my maiden name, i also want to ask if it won’t pose a problem for my husband because we are migrating together too, or i just use my husband’s name directly since i have my marriage certificate already, or what do you suggest.
Apply with your current legal name. Applying with any other name (even your maiden name) could result in your application being denied. You’ll have an opportunity to upload whichever legal document explains your name change (in this case, your marriage certificate). I suggest updating your passport immediately so that that will match your current legal name because the travel documents will be issued in your current legal name and must match your passport.
For non-official documents in your maiden name, such as academic records or letters from previous employers, the name change will be explained by way of your marriage certificate.
Hi,
Thank you for all the information.
I would like to know how to apply as a married couple for express entry ?
1 app or 2 ? Which IMM is required?
One of you could submit an application as the primary application and declare that your spouse would immigrate with you.
Thank you Casey for your reply.
So, Could we submit one application even if we are admissible for a different program(CEC, skilled worker…)?
And for the professional experience, is it possible to cumulate some experiences from different countries within the same NOC, for example 8 months in France as a financial analyst, 6 months in Canada as a financial analyst too and cumulate both for example to have 1 year or more as a skilled experience or we need absolutely to have, as a skilled worker one year of experience in only 1 job ?
You submit only a single expression of interest to apply for immigration through Express Entry. Then, you’d receive only a single ITA for a single program (CEC, FWSP, PNP, FST) that the IRCC determines to be the best fit for the information you provided about yourself.
Work experience is calculated differently per program. The general interpretation is that you need to work full time for a whole year at a single job (or part time equivalent) in order for it to count as an entire year, but it’s up to the IRCC to determine how many years of experience you have based on the information you provide. If you visit this page, you’ll be able to find more information about how the IRCC calculates your experience.
Thank you so much for all the information.
Your website is amazing.
Thanks! Good luck!
Wow this has been a really informative post, and both your lives seem so exciting! I’m currently waiting for my language test results and thought I should get the ECA done at the same time. Did you only get your university degrees assessed? Or should I include my high school results as well. I’m from Malaysia if it makes any difference.
Technically you only need your highest degree assessed. However, if you include your other degrees you’re ensured that you’ll get the highest available number of points if your highest degree isn’t recognized.
when applying for express entry under federal skilled worker. do I need to be registered as a professional in my home country?. I have a bachelor’s degree and currently running a master’s program in my home country… but am not a registered professional yet… please what are my options having in mind I am still going to be under the workmanship of a registered professional in Canada. thank you
There is no registration, but you would have to provide documentation verifying your work experience for a valid NOC code. The FSW program requires at least 1 year of full time work experience (or equivalent).
Dear Cori,
I submitted my express entry profile as a single candidate. I have a wife and a kid who I have mentioned as my dependents.
I did the application while I was waiting for my wife’s education credentials from WES.
However, I got the ITA this Jan 2017. I was at 460 points.
My query is if this ITA is only for me (since I applied as a single candidate) or also my dependents ? If not then should I decline and wait for a next time when I apply with my wife (my points remain the same even if I apply with her till my next birthday).
Alternatively do I wait for my wife’s credentials and then accept the invitation. They have an option to recalculate your points if your situation changes.
If you’ve already received your ITA without your wife’s ECA, then there’s no need to wait for it or to re-submit your application. If you are married, you are required to include all information about your family members in your application, regardless of whether or not they will be immigrating with you. So long as you indicate that your wife will be accompanying you when you immigrate, then you will both receive a visa at the same time once your application is fully processed.
Dear Casey,
Thanks for your response.
Much appreciated !!
I did mention all details about my family in my application.
However I chose the option of “my wife not accompanying me” when I made the profile using the come to canada tool which is the tool we use to make the application.
If I had not chosen this I would not have been able to apply as a single candidate.
Now that I have shown her as not accompanying me, and you have also mentioned that you need to indicate that my wife will accompany you, will there be a problem ?
Or from the point of getting an ITA onwards, will there still be an option of indicating whether the dependents are coming along with you. I have not seen that in the ITA that I have received.
There is however a mention of the fact that if your personal situation changes, you must re-calculate your points to check if you are still getting the same or more than the minimum in the draw.
Does my situation fall under the same category of a change in the personal status or not. Since my points if I apply with my wife are the same as if I apply as a single candidate.
I believe that once you accept the ITA you’ll be able to enter information for dependents and again indicate if they’ll accompany you or not but I can’t say for certain. The CIC does allow for changes to your personal situation so you’d be able to indicate that your wife would accompany you in your application. Before accepting the invitation, they suggest that youre-calculate your score with your wife included. If your new score is lower than the latest round of invitations (459), then you probably wouldn’t get approved with her included as accompanying.
Hi Cori,
Wishing you a very happy New Year.
The information provided is much appreciated.
I am in a dilemma which I am sure you would be able to help me with.
My fiancé and me are planning to migrate to Canada. Both of us are graduates with 6 years of work experience.
Our marriage is planned for November this year. But we really want to kick off the process as we turned 28 yearsjlast October.
1)Should we both file an application as individual applicants.
2) should we 1st get married and then apply
3) should he start off with the application (he is an engineering graduate and has matching NOC) and later add me as spouse post ITA (if everything goes well)
I understand sponsoring after PR takes about 15 months which is a loooong time.
Do you advice any other option.
Please advise.
Kindest regards.
It’s all up to you how you apply, be it as a married couple or single applicants. Applying separately is twice as much work and you’d each have to demonstrate individual proof of funds of at least $12,164. There’s no guarantee that you would both receive ITAs or that your applications would be processed in the same timeframe. Applying as a married coupled would mean a single application and combined proof of funds of only $15,143. Adding a spouse after submitting an Express Entry application would likely delay processing.
The goal of the IRCC/CIC is to process Express Entry applications within about 6 months from when you submit your full application after receiving your ITA. Spousal sponsorship takes about 12 months.
Hi, thanks for this, it is definitely helpful and really informative. The only one Q i have which I can’t seem to get a clear answer from anywhere is how to apply as a couple – do both of you do separate profiles, and therefore both have to have the language and education assessment results available? I tried to fill out my profile before I had my education results and got rejected because of it, and nowhere was there a place to enter my partner’s details (we are not married) except to say I would be coming with one other person. I haven’t got passed that initial application, so I don’t know whether the next stage is when they will need my partner’s details. I would be the principal applicant, so again I don’t know whether it just goes off my details? Any help would be much appreciated as I am keen to try to undergo the process without using an immigration consultant.
When submitting an Express Entry profile for a couple, you choose who will be the primary applicant. The primary applicant creates a profile and the spouse is included in that.
You need to have education assessments and your language test score in order to complete your profile, unless you have enough points without an ECA.
You have to qualify when creating a profile before you can enter your partner’s information.
Thank you for your write -up……My case is a bit complicated, am a female and still single, my partner/fiancee doesnt live in the same country with me and we want to apply for the express skilled program. My partner does not have a degree certificate but i do, so it’s wise if am the primary applicant but my question now is should i start with the process since the process takes time or i just wait till we get married since we dont have a marriage certificate yet, am just so confused because i dont want to apply alone leaving him behind
If you don’t qualify as common-law or conjugal partners, you’ll need to be legally married in order to have a joint application.
Hi Casey, I was wondering how being married would increase your points ? could you please elaborate on that ?
If you’re married, you’re scored differently since your spouse can get points for language, education, etc. It doesn’t necessarily increase your points, since the total number of available points is the same regardless of your marital status.
Hi, Thanks for providing such helpful information on the portal. I being a software professional with an overall of experience of 10+ years want to explore in Canada, is this a good proposition for me to make a move into that Express Entry Program. I was evaluating the my score on a 3rd party calculator and right now it came up around 381. How good is this score or how much can i improve upon it further.
While there is no set minimum score required to apply for Express Entry, a good goal is to get close to 450. Some ways to increase your score are to obtain a valid job offer or transfer to a Canadian office, obtain an additional degree, increase your proficiency of both English and French.
Thank You, this information is really helpful and narrating in a personal tone makes it easy to grasp as well. We would be applying for the programme very soon and I am confused if I should be looking for a job first or apply for Express Entry first. Also, I am a qualified teacher in India but my 6 years of experience is in working with non-profits. Would you have any idea if I can move to Canada as a teacher or pursue a teaching programme there if I get my PR?
You do not need a job to apply for Express Entry. You can get a good idea of your total points by using a 3rd party calculator. If you end up with near or over 450 you’ll probably be invited to apply, but there is no stated number of points needed. If you are invited to apply for Express Entry and are granted PR status, you would be eligible to apply for any job without any work permit and would be able to pay domestic rather than international tuition for any academic program.
Thank You Cori! I sae this response very late. We have started the process with IELTS and university transcriptions. So in a nutshell, I may not ncecessarily pursue a job in domain in which I show my experience. I can pursue something else too and also study further if needed. Hope I got it right?
Express Entry would grant you permanent resident status, which allows you to legally work for any job in Canada. It is not a visa that is dependent on your job or student status.
Hi,
My wife is the primary applicant and she received PR invitation. In the documents section of “Proof of Funds”, do we need to give details of the accounts in which she is either the account holder or a joint account holder (there is sufficient money in her account) or do I have to provide details of all my accounts (e.g. investments, credit cards and car loan) as well?
(help description there appears to say that we only need to provide details of her accounts)
thanks.
If the principle applicant has enough funds in solo or joint accounts to meet the minimum amount of funds for your family size, then that would be sufficient. You should only include your own accounts if the funds in her accounts are less than the minimum amount required.
Side note: proof of funds includes only cash at hand. You do not need to include any details about debt such as credit card balances or loans.
yes her account and our joint account has sufficient fund , so Its clear that We only need to provide details of those accounts. thanks.
Hi do you know if children also have to take the language test? Thanks for the info! Its super helpful!
I’ve been unable to find anything online stating if children do or do not require the language test for Express Entry, which seems to imply that they would not require it. However, we did not apply with children and so can’t say for certain what requirements you will come across. Children 14+ do need to demonstrate language ability in order to obtain citizenship if you decide to go that route in the future.
Do you have to relinquish your American citizenship when you immigrate to Canada or can you apply for dual citizenship under the same process?
Permanent residence status, which Express Entry gives you, does not change your citizenship. You’d still retain whatever nationality you start with.
If you decide to apply for Canadian citizenship in the future, once you’re eligible, you can retain your American citizenship.
Hi there, thanks for the info, you have pretty much covered all the important factors, I just had a few questions though, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and I have done my Master’s in International Business, I approximately have around 1.6-2 years of work experience in the field of Marketing and Business Development, but I was self employed, worked for about a year in my family business and then I took up a franchise of another company and was involved with it for around 6 months, but due to differences at work, I called it quits, I am looking for a job right now, as I have started my process for the PR and it will help me get a better experience too before coming there. I calculated my CRS score and it comes to around 440-450 depending on IELTS, which is scheduled this month, on the 19th . I am awaiting my WES result, due this coming week. And I will be putting in my application somewhere in the month Of January. So what would you suggest about my Professional documents, how should I get them, since you mentioned they can be tricky to get, I dont wanna have any glitches in that, and since you also mentioned that you got the invitation in almost a week’s time, I would wana start getting all the documents in place as soon as i am done with my IELTS. Also if by any means you may have the knowledge or info related to the job scenario of my profile, and you can share that with me, it would be great.
Thanks 🙂
You’ll need to collect similar verification from any previous employers within a valid NOC code, which is outlined above in the “Verification of your work history” section. Self-employment periods can count towards your professional experience so long as it matches up with a valid NOC code. You will need to provide articles of incorporation or any sort of evidence that proves you own your own business and received income. You’ll also have to provide supporting documentation from clients that help to verify the services that you provided to them, which should be in line with responsibilities associated with the NOC code. Basically, the verification from clients should be at least equivalent to the information required from employers. When in doubt, always supply more information since proving self-employment is harder to verify. Then you’ll have to work on finding a job in Canada.
Hi Myself Logeshwaran. I had filled EOI 1 Month before. I got 371 Points only for me(Completed Master degree with 2 years of experience) . Still I have to add my Spouse details. She also completed Master degree with 2 years of experience. Whether our points will rose up to double ?
Married couples are scored differently from single people applying, but applying with a spouse won’t double your score. You can see the differences in how factors are weighted with or without a spouse here.
Thanks for the information firstly, I have 2 yrs of experience now as Senior software engineer can I take up my IELTS test and create Express Entry Profile?
Yes, you’d be eligible to create an Express Entry profile with 2 years of professional experience.
I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays.
Hi Casey,
First of all,I wanna thank you for all the information provided, it has been really useful for us to get a much better understanding of the all process. I got a question in regards to the secondary applicant. If we wanna get extra points with my partner education, Do we need to get his degree assessed to claim those points?. I already got mine assessed by West. He has his grades and diploma but we are having a rough time trying to make his grades sent directly to West by the University. Can we still claim extra points without assessing his degree?. if not, Can he still be included in my application?
Many thanks
You’ll need to have your partner’s education assessed in order to get points for it. Some universities make this more difficult than others, but there’s no way around it.
Not sure if you’d be able to answer this one. I’m currently going through the FSW EE visa process. I have a potential future employer. The position would be a Computer Systems Analyst and from what I read that occupation, since it is covered under NAFTA would be LMIA exempt. Is this correct?
A NAFTA covered job would not give you the 600 points as a qualified job offer in Express Entry.
Thanks for the most insightful info on EE. I’ll be glad to know what province(s) a Social Development Worker with over 10 years working experience with Orphaned and Vulnerable Children has a greater job prospect? Also, it may take over 2 years to painstakingly save up the required savings for a family of 4…I’m concerned about the odds of a succesful application by then as the PA will be 42years then…pls advice. Thanks
You should take our quiz to find out which immigration programs might work best for your specific history and experience.
This is such a great post! Thank you. I have a question – if you get the PR through Express Entry without a job offer, once you’ve moved to Canada, do you have to work for an employer? I want to be a writer/artist, so I was wondering if I can just get my PR, move to Canada, and just do my own writing/art… Thank you!
Once you’re a permanent resident there are no restrictions on what types of jobs you can have or where you can live in Canada.
Hi Casey and Cori,
I have been looking around forums but thats a nice website, explains much more
than what I gathered already. I am a software dev, living in UK on a visa (originally from Russia)
with a BSc Comp Science and 1 year experience after degree. Quick few questions: I often hear about
PNP program yet going on websites of British Columbia or Ontario it is not clear do I need to have a job offer already
from this province? Also I wondered how do I know who to contact as in a lawyer or immigration officer CIC has no phone numbers,
I can look for consultants in UK but not sure who to trust..
Kind Regards
None of the immigration programs require you to have a job, but if you do have a job offer then that employer would be able to sponsor your work permit so that you would not have to apply for immigration since you’d be eligible to live in Canada with just a work permit.
Immigration lawyers are not associated with the CIC and are not required. You can apply for immigration programs without a representative. You can learn more about what the CIC has to say about using representatives here.
The CIC does not make itself available to answer questions about individual interests in immigration. Instead, they encourage you to use their online tool to see if you meet the criteria to apply for Express Entry.
Did you study for your English Language Assesment? I’m taking mine tomorrow, bought the Barron test study book, but looking over it quickly makes it seem like studying isn’t really necessary for a 33 year old English speaking American citizen.
You’ll do just fine as a native English speaker without any sort of studying. Think of it more as a test on how good you are at taking tests rather than a test of your ability to speak, read, and write in English.
Hi there, thank you so much for this guide, what I still find confusing is the number of applications that we need to send out. If we both intend to work in Canada, but neither of us or only one of us has a job offer, do we both apply for permanent residency or does one person sponsor the other? Are sponsored spouses not able to look for work? Thank you again and best regards. Graziella
If you’re married, only one of you needs to apply as the main applicant. Assuming PR is granted to the main applicant, it will automatically be given to your spouse as well. If only one of you gets a job offer that is willing to sponsor you, your spouse would not automatically be granted a work permit to work legally in Canada. The spouse would need to find a job willing to provide a work permit.
Check out these immigration FAQs.
Hi Casey, thank you for the quick reply 🙂
Thanks for taking the time and care to put this incredibly informative website together Casey.
On the back of your response to Graziella’s question, does the same apply to a common-law couple? (We have official Common-Law Spouse documentation and proof of co-habitation for over 3 years.) I imagine only one has to apply as the main applicant, and the other is tagged onto that same application as the spouse?
When you also mention “job offers” in this context, does this have to be a specific job offer with an LMIA, and do both spouses have to have one of these to be granted Permanent Residence status?
Also, if you are granted Permanent Residence on the back of a job offer and/or LMIA, are you then tied to that specific company and/or job/position for a certain period of time?
I was under the assumption that Permanent Residence status, once granted, gave you the freedom to immigrate fully to Canada and thus live and work freely wherever you may choose (which makes me question why an LMIA is necessary in the first place for both spouses)?
As a bit of further relevant information, we both already live and work in Canada on temporary work visas. One of us (main applicant) has their work permit currently tied to a specific job and company and would easily be able to acquire a new permanent job offer from this same company, and the other (spouse) currently has an open temporary work permit.
Thanks so much again and best wishes!
Hi, Kyle. Common-law partnerships are treated almost the same as a married couple, assuming you’re able to adequately prove the relationship. The primary applicant can can include the other in their application the same as a married couple and both would receive PR status at the same time once the application is approved.
Job offers are not a requirement in order to apply for Express Entry so you’d be free to find employment anywhere once you have PR. However, if one spouse had a valid job offer willing to sponsor an LMIA, then that person should be the primary applicant in order to get the highest CSR score to qualify for an ITA. PR status is not at all dependent on a job, so you’d be free to find other employment once you have PR. You’d only be tied to a specific job if you are living in Canada on a work-permit.
Thanks Casey that’s a great help!
Thanks for the detailed article Casey. I would appreciate if you could help me understand my chances of migration to Canada. I’m 35 with 4 years of B.E and 2 years of MBA educational qualification. I’m working with an Indian I.T. major and am presently working in U.S. on deputation. My total experience is 8+ years of which almost 6 years in IT (no breaks). We are a small family of 3 with a small 3 year old kid.
I don’t know any attorney who may help us with this process or would you recommend going ahead without an attorney?
Since this is a huge decision, would appreciate if you could advise how the job market is in Canada and how difficult is it to find a job in IT (Information Technology). I don’t know French but are fluent in English. How long does it typically take for the end to end process?
Please advise.
You should check out our Immigration FAQ post that has answers to all of your questions. You can also take this quiz to find out which immigration programs you might qualify for.
What is the minimum cut off score required to expect an invitation?
Is there a chance to expect a call if the score is below 400?
Is there any PNP available for people who don’t have a job offer from Canada, however have work experience outside Canada?
And how can you get a job offer from outside Canada? Won’t the employers expect you to be there for interviews?
Take a look at the Immigration FAQ page for answers to your questions. Then, take the quiz to find out which immigration programs might work best for you.
Greetings from the other side of the globe! I’m 25 and I’m in India currently. I’ve read your guide on what it took for you to immigrate to Canada. First and foremost, congratulations!
I have some queries about moving to Canada myself. I’ve recently graduated with a 4 year Bachelor’s of Pharmacy degree and wanted to move to Canada to pursue dreams of becoming a pharmacist. I’ve already read up on requirements of becoming a pharmacist there but what I do wish to know is how I can go there and obtain a PR.
I have B. Pharm degree, I have a high school diploma from the United States, I speak 4 languages (English, 2 Indian, and Spanish and am even currently learning French), I believe I can do well on the IELTS exam and I should have sufficient funds to support my application. I even have friends there. I don’t have any work experience besides doing a few odd jobs like catering or training in a pharmaceutical industry ( that too for a month). What chances do I have for getting into Canada for a PR? I’ve always wanted to move there but waited till I got my degree before making any moves. I’ve gone to the cic.gc.ca site and read up on their requirements and also plan to contact them soon. Still I read up on your blog and wanted to just get your perspective on my situation. I’d welcome any and all suggestions in order to make a strong case for myself.
I hope you can get back to me soon! Thank you for taking the time to read this.
All situations are different, so it’s hard to say exactly what program would be best for you. Without at least 1 year of full time work experience you probably would not qualify for any of the Express Entry programs. Don’t be discouraged yet though, we created a quiz to help you to narrow down which immigration programs you might be eligible for. You can take the quiz here.
If you still don’t think you’d qualify for any of the programs, the best option would be to find a job in your field and work for two years. Find your NOC code on the CIC website and review the main responsibilities associated with that code. Make sure whichever job you find has an overlap of responsibilities with that unit group. After working in that field for two years, you would probably be eligible to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker program.
I took a look at the NOC and think this might be the code that you’d fall under as a pharmacist, but don’t take my word for it, take a look yourself and make sure.
Well articulated. Thank you.
This is a very helpful guide – thank you. We’d been reading various websites, focusing on whether or not we *wanted* to move to Canada, without even considering whether we would be *allowed* to (being solvent, healthy, crime-free, professionals, we blithely assumed it would be quite easy). Now we find that with only 230-odd points as things currently stand, we’ve little hope, so need to re-read your article carefully and look into what options are left.
We put together a quiz to help identify which immigration programs you’re likely to qualify for: the “Can I Move to Canada?” quiz
Do you have Canadian work experience? I’m 34 and have two degrees and 6 years of work experience in the US I don’t see how it’s possible to get to 450 points without a job offer if you haven’t lived or worked in Canada before. Am I understanding that correctly?
We immigrated to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Program when we were 31 and 34 without any Canadian work experience or job offers. We wrote about the FSW program in more detail here. Chances are that if you’re under 35, have an advanced degree, and 2+ years of work experience in an applicable NOC field, then you’re likely to get over 450 points. You can check with a third-party calculator tool to see how many points you’re likely to get with your specific qualifications.
Try out our “Can I move to Canada?” quiz which helps to identify which immigration programs you’d probably qualify for.
This info is very helpful.
Thanks a lot.
Please does WES evaluate certificate of participation from business schools too and can a personal copy of that be sent?
Thanks
You can see what your degree will be worth on their free assessment tool. They’ll send you the report with a code to enter into the Express Entry system.
I was curious about your experience using WES for your education credentials. I’m assuming you sent them to the location in Toronto- I wondered about your turnaround time and if you had any issues. I see that the location in NYC hasn’t gotten very good feedback, but it didn’t sound like you had any issue. Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
The only paper documents that needed to be sent to WES were transcripts from each academic institution that I was having evaluated. WES requested that transcripts be sent from the schools directly to their address in Canada, so I only had to send transcript requests out to the schools. WES even provided a form for me to use in order to make the requests: http://www.wes.org/ca/required/International_Transcript_Request.pdf
You can see the specific requirements for whichever country your degree was completed in on the WES website: here:http://www.wes.org/ca/eca/requireddocuments/index.asp
I found that my evaluation was processed within their stated standard of 20 business days of when they received all transcripts from each institution that I was having evaluated. You can see an overview of their processing time and fee schedule here: http://www.wes.org/ca/eca/fees/
Throughout the process, WES provided me with email updates letting me know when they received each item and sent me reminders of what they were still waiting for. In all, I found their services to be straight forward and easy to use.
Hello! Thanks for the guide! Super helpful! I am an American Citizen living in the United States and applied for Canadian Permanent Residency via the Federal Skilled Worker Express Entry Option.
On July 11th, I finally received my “Ready for Visa” email. However, I’m confused by this part of the message:
STEP 2: DETERMINE IF YOU NEED TO SUBMIT YOUR PASSPORT(S)
· Determine if you are holder of passport(s) from countries whose citizens need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada, by checking this website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas-all.asp.
· If you are holder of passport(s) from countries whose citizens need a visa to travel to Canada, you will need to submit the passport for you and for each accompanying family member. Your passport(s) should be valid for at least 6 months and have at least two blank pages. If a child is included on your passport, you must have one blank page per accompanying child. Please note that you STILL need to submit the passport even if:
o You have a valid Canadian temporary residence visa. o You are a permanent resident of the U.S.A AND holder of passport from countries whose citizens need a visa to travel to Canada.
· If you are holder of passport(s) from countries whose citizens need an eTA to travel to Canada, you will need to submit one photocopy of the photo page and any pages containing amendments of the passport for you and for each accompanying family member. Please do not send your original passport(s). Your passport(s) should be valid for at least 6 months.
Please note that Confirmation of Permanent Residence and permanent residence visas cannot be issued to holders of Diplomatic, Official or Military passports. You must have an ordinary passport.
Now as an American Citizen and a holder of a U.S. Passport, I neither need a Visa nor an ETA to visit Canada. So I’m confused as to whether or not I need to submit my actual Passport now or just a copy of it. The email isn’t clear to me.
Can you please advise? Thank you so much!
You don’t need to submit your passport, since US citizens don’t require a visa or an eTA.
Thanks so much for my reply! That’s how I interpreted it, but I just wanted to be absolutely sure! I submitted two passport photos, a copy of my passport picture page, and a copy of the email today. 🙂
Good luck!
Thanks a lot for this info! I have question – can I show 401k savings in the Proof of Funds? I can liquidate that, so can it count?
Retirement savings don’t count, since they’re not technically money you can use to support yourself while you look for a job.
Just to piggyback on this, Do you know if they count if you liquidate them? Say I cash out a 401k, and deposit it into my bank account so that I can use it to support myself while I look for a job. It’s not a gift, and it’s my money, so I’d assume it would be okay?
That would be fine, since then it’s cash you can access readily. The CIC does require you to provide 6 months of bank statements to prove that the funds are your own and not just borrowed temporarily. Suddenly having money in your account could be a red flag when your application is being reviewed. So, keep that in mind if you decide to go in that direction. You can also include a letter along with your bank statements explaining where the money came from to avoid confusion.
Hi, I am confused on proof of funds. Do I need six months of bank statements; or can I get a letter from bank on its letterhead that shows:
Details like my name, bank address etc.
Current balance: $xxx
Avg. balance (6 mo.): $yyy
The CIC requires you to provide letters from your bank(s) confirming proof of funds for the previous 6 months. The CIC may also request additional documents such as bank statements if they have any concerns about the official letters from the bank. It is common for banks to provide letters that do not include all of the information requested by the CIC, such as 6 months of average monthly balance. If this happens, then you should provide bank statements to highlight your savings and an additional letter to explain your situation.
Hi and thanks for this great write up on the gist. I have one question on which I would need clarity. So as proof of funds for myself, as per my understanding, we cannot show a joint saving account (As i have one with my father) and that the money has to be on the applicants name only. So transferring the money from the joint account to my personal account and getting the bank statement of my personal account along with the joint account would work for me? Attaching the joint account statement so that they know the trial of money and that I have not borrowed any money from anyone.
Please suggest
Your plan to transfer to a personal account sounds like a good one. You might also provide a letter from your father stating that the money is not borrowed from the joint account and belongs to you alone and is not borrowed from the joint account. The sooner the move the money into a personal account, the better since you will need to provide 6 months of statements when you submit your application after receiving an ITA.
Did you hire immigration attorney to help you out with this process? Or would you recommend anyone or feel like we can do this on our own?
We immigrated without an attorney. The CIC makes it clear that Express Entry is designed to be navigated without an immigration attorney or consultant.
Hey would you also give some information on getting jobs in software field in Canada?Is it so difficult to get a job?
Here you go: http://15miles.info/finding-job-canada/
Do you have any information or stories about the likelihood of moving to Canada having gotten a DUI in the states? I read online a bit and it seems like most people who stay out of trouble can move to Canada after some time has passed (5-10 years) and you can prove yourself rehabilitated. Also do you have information about moving to Vancouver? This seems tailored to Toronto. Either way thanks for this resource, you’re amazing!
Thanks! Moving and getting settled into any province in Canada is basically the same, with the exception of Quebec which has slightly different rules. I’m not sure about immigrating with a DUI on your record though. This would be one of the few times that I would suggest checking with an immigration lawyer for advice before applying. You should be able to talk to a lawyer about your specific circumstances before moving forward with the application process AND before providing them with any payments for their services.
It’s nice information.