Thinking about immigrating to Canada through the Express Entry draw? You’re not alone! Each year about a million people around the globe apply for entry through the Express Entry draw. The whole process of applying can be daunting for most people. But here at kfaconsultant.com, we’ve simplified the entire process into six essential steps. Read on to find out.

1) Education Credential Assessment

An ECA is a report by an independent company that evaluates your foreign education. This report is used to make sure that your foreign degree, diploma, or certificate is valid and equal to a Canadian one. Please note that the ECA is not carried out by the government of Canada, instead it is outsourced to reputable institutions. Following is a list of ECA institutions:

Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
ICAS – International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
IQAS – International Qualifications Assessment Service
ICES – International Credential Evaluation Service
WES – World Education Service

They require your Original Transcripts in a sealed envelope and a copy of your degree/diploma. All degrees, diplomas, and doctorates of both primary and secondary applicants must be assessed before you can proceed to the next step. The ECA is valid for 5 years, and it costs about 200-250$. The processing time can be anything from 1 to 4 months.

2) Language Proficiency Test

Next, you must prove your Language skills by taking an approved language test in all 4 modules of communication: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The test needs to be given in English or French. Although, if you want, you could give test for both languages and you’ll be awarded an average grade.

For English language tests, the following are recognised by the Canadian Government:

Ielts – General Test (anywhere in the world)
CELPIP – General Test (Canada, India, UAE, USA, & the Philippines only)

And for French language tests, the following are recognised by the Canadian Government:

TEF Canada
TCF Canada

The test results are valid for 2 years. The cost is around 200-250$. And it may take from anywhere between 1.5 to 3 months to receive your results.

3) Profile Creation

Before proceeding with the third step, which is Profile Creation at www.canada.ca, you must have your ECA report and Language test scores ready with you. You will also need to give particulars of certain parameters such as age, education, job experience, spousal factors, etc.
And based on your particular job duties, the correct NOC (National Occupation Classification) code also needs to be chosen.

After your profile has been successfully created online, you will receive a certain number of points based on the parameters you provided. You must not lie, as fraud and cheating is not tolerated in Canadian virtues. These points are known as CRS, Comprehensive Ranking System, and once the ‘cut-off’ score equals or goes below your CRS, you will receive an ITA, Invitation to Apply.

If your CRS score is well below cut-off scores, you can apply through different PNPs, Provincial Nominee Programmes. Each province has its own scoring system, so a different EOI, Expression of Interest, profile needs to be created for each province. Winning a provincial nomination would add 600 additional points to your CRS score.

The ITA draws are generally conducted every 15 days. You must wait for your ITA before proceeding to the next step.

4) Arranging Documents

Once you receive your ITA, you will have 60 days to collect and submit your documents. This can be a tedious process, so it’s better to anticipate and start early. Following is a list of documents that are required:

Reference Letters for each Work Experience Declared
Medical Certificates
Police Certificates
Proof of Funds on Bank Letter Head
Marriage/Divorce/Death Certificates of Spouse (If any)
Birth/Adoption certificates of Children (If any)
Passport (Scan of all pages)
Photographs (Specified Format)
Language Test Report
ECA Report
Provincinal Nomination Letter / Job Offer with LMIA Approval (If any)

5) Submitting your Application

You must submit the above mentioned documents in a scanned copy online, within the 60 days time frame. If you miss the 60 days deadline, you’ll have to wait for the next ITA. At this step, you will also need to provide a detail history of your past travels and residences in the last 10 years. After you have uploaded the documents and provided the relevant information, it’s time to pay the visa and PR application fee, which is about 1100$ per independent applicant, and about 200$ for each dependent child, if any. The processing time can range from anywhere between 1 to 6 months. So be patient if you don’t receive a response straight away from the IRCC: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

6) Visa Stamping

Once you receive the confirmation email from the IRCC, you will have 30 days to get your single entry visa stamped on your passport. You will have to pay a small fee at the VFS centre. Only passports and photographs need to be submitted. But you must bring along a print out of the confirmation email received from the IRCC. The processing time is usually about just 1 week. You will need to travel to Canada before your single visit visa expires. Once you reach Canada, you will be given your PR card.

And that’s it. Looks simple isn’t it? But you’d be surprised to find out that only about 25/100 applicants receive their ITA. The competition is tough, since Canada is an attractive destination for people all over the world. Book your appointment with our seasoned consultants today to begin your journey to Canada.