What are my chances of migrating to Canada?
Dear Miss Powell,
I HAVE two cousins living in Alberta. They both went to Canada under the Express Entry System, but I notice that lately. nobody is being selected from outside of Canada. Do you know if they are accepting applications from international persons? I haven’t heard of anyone getting accepted lately. I don’t want to waste money getting my documents together if Canada isn’t selecting people to emigrate there. What do you think are my chances of being selected? What programmes can I apply for to go to Canada?
– KB
Dear KB,
Each week, I am asked, “What are my chances of immigrating to Canada?” My answer is, your chances are excellent, if you are able to qualify. To qualify, you need to understand the various programmes that are available for persons to come to Canada and the requirement for each programme.
Canada is still accepting applications from international persons and will continue to do so in accordance with their recovery and economic plan. The key is to be ready to take advantage when they present themselves.
There are several immigration programmes available for individuals who would like to live, visit, work ,or study in Canada. Your chances under any of the programmes depend on your overall goal, age, education, occupation, work experience, and other factors. The government of Canada has a tool called ‘Come to Canada’ that can guide you, based on the reason that you would like to come to Canada.
EXPRESS ENTRY SYSTEM
Since you mentioned the Express Entry System, it appears that your goal is to live permanently in Canada. Many individuals come to Canada via family sponsorship or self-sponsorship via one of the economic programmes. For family sponsorship, there are various factors to examine to see if you qualify. However, you should know that a cousin cannot sponsor you unless that cousin is alone in Canada and does not have any closer relative to sponsor.
The Express Entry System (EES) is the most popular tool used by immigrants to live permanently in Canada. It is a points-based system that manages applications for permanent residence to Canada for individuals who qualify under programmes such as the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, Federal Skilled Trade Programme, the Canadian Experience Class, and some Provincial Nominee Programmes (PNP). These are the economic programmes used by individuals who have the resources to self-sponsor to become permanent residents.
When an individual applies via the EES, points are given based on work experience, language skills, age, education, and other factors such as job offers, provincial nomination, and family in Canada. Candidates will be placed in a pool and are ranked by their scores. Individuals are then selected and granted an invitation to apply for permanent residence, based on their comprehensive ranking score.
You will need to spend the money to get your international education assessed and do an assessment of your language ability. An Educational Credential Assessment report should be requested for immigration purposes. This application can be easily done online. You also will need to clearly demonstrate your ability to communicate in English and/or French, which are the two official languages of Canada. You must sit the International English Language Testing System, General Training examation, or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program General examination for English language. Currently, the only accepted examination for proving French-language proficiency is the Test d’Évaluation du Français (TEF Canada). Frenchspeakers have several advantages in the Express Entry System, and so if you can speak both French and English, you should get a report for both. There are several testing centres now, and so you should not need to wait a long time to sit the examination.
Examination tip: Ensure that you prepare for the in-person testing with keen attention to the reading and listening components.
PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAMMES
Each province in Canada has its own programme based on its localised need. A provincial nominee from any of the provinces will automatically give you 600 points and, therefore, you should apply for a PNP if you qualify. Provinces usually grant a provincial nominee to individuals who wish to live in the province, and so you should choose the province that you are most connected to and would like to live in permanently.
The provinces usually outline their programmes on their websites. Some may require you to already be in the pool, previously studied or worked in the province, have a job offer, have experience in an ‘in-demand list of occupation’, have money for investment, and so on. The requirements change depending on the needs of the provinces. They sometimes have a cap on the number of applications, so when the province opens its system to accepting applications, if you qualify, you need to apply immediately so that you do not miss your opportunity.
ALBERTA PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAMME
The Alberta Express Entry Stream of provincial nomination works in tandem with the Express Entry System. This allows the province to nominate a limited number of qualified candidates to get permanent residence. You will need to first be in the Express Entry System pool. The province has direct access to the system, and they examine the pool of candidates for individuals who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta or individuals who have demonstrated by their profile that they have the credentials to help support the government’s economic development and diversification priorities. There is a list of programmes on the provinces’ website to guide you.
When considering programmes, especially the PNP, you should choose the province that best fits your qualifications and the one to which you have a genuine connection. You should also remember that there are medical and security checks that you will need to pass. I recommend that you consult with an immigration lawyer to discuss the programmes outlined above to help you choose the best one to achieve your goals.