As living the American Dream seems impossible for Indian skilled professionals because of the stringent policies around various US visa programs, Canada welcomes them with open arms. Canada’s Express Entry program has played a pivotal role in attracting highly skilled workers from all over world. Introduced in January 2015, the Express Entry is a point-based system that allows qualified professionals to immigrate to Canada and apply for its permanent residency.
Express Entry is an umbrella program that covers three major economic migration programs for Canada. They are- Federal Skilled Workers, Canada Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Class. It comprises a comprehensive ranking system (CRS) that considers various factors into account of an applicant, such as age, work experience, language proficiency, education, arranged employment, etc. All profiles under the Express Entry Pool are ranked against each other, and profiles with the highest CRS scores are granted an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
The Express Entry system is quite popular among aspiring immigrants from India who want to work and settle in Canada permanently. In 2017, out of the 86,022 invitations sent, 36,310 were Indians under the Express Entry system. Additionally, out of 65, 401 permanent residents that were admitted to Canada recently, 40% were Indians. In fact, a total of 31,250 applicants were granted invitation in an express entry draw held on May 1, 2019. Though, it’s a bit difficult to provide country-wise allocation, one can clearly say that Indians did grab a significant share in the aforementioned draw.
David Cohen, a well-known Immigration attorney said that, “this aggregate figure is higher by 6,750 when compared with the number of invites issued at the same point of time”. In 2018, a total of 89, 800 invitations were issued by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to applicants who had applied under the Express Entry System. The figure was 5% higher as compared to 2017, where the total number of invites were 86, 023.
The primary reason why so many professional Indians are drawing towards the Express Entry system is that it does not require a candidate to have a job offer before applying. However, a minimum one year of professional work experience is required in Canada or anywhere else. The system is complete online where applicants are given CRS scores based on the information, they provide at the time of profile creation. Once a profile is created, it is placed under the pool and ranked against other profiles. Candidates with the impressive scores are invited to apply further.
As per some of Canadian immigration experts, the CRS score will continue to revolve around 450 in the upcoming draws. As the demand for skilled workers continues to spur across different parts of Canada, there will also be an increase in the quality of talent that comes into the country.
Cracking the Code of Canada Express Entry System
According to experts, the cut-off points under the Express Entry during 2019 will stretch not more than 450 points. Though it’s not possible for the candidates to alter their date of birth or age factor, they can definitely fetch additional scores in other parameters, such as language proficiency and Canadian work experience or education.
The Express Entry system for Canada is designed is a way to predict an applicant’s possibility to succeed in Canada. Language skills, education in Canada, nomination from a Canadian province, or a job offer from a Canadian employer are some of the factors where candidates can improve their chances of getting an invite.
If someone has a job offer before moving to Canada, they by default obtain 200 points, and a bonus of 30 points is reserved for those with French proficiency. Additionally, candidates with a valid provincial nomination certificate garner 600 points along with an ITA.
