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Old 7th February 2020, 14:09   #1
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The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

The thought of immigration to a foreign land was something that came to my mind in January 2019. Poor work culture, civic infra and general quality of life lead me to think about moving base. Since I am only 25 and unmarried, there was not too much that I had to think of, while making this decision. The biggest factor behind this being, that I have breathing difficulties and

I did visit a couple of immigration consultants, to understand the process once I had made my mind up that I would be definitely moving abroad (or at least trying to). I hired one consultant for helping me out with this process, since I was actually unaware about a lot of stuff back then.

In hindsight, that could’ve been avoided, since the PR process is quite straightforward I believe and one can actually go through it all by themselves.
I reiterate, you DO NOT need to hire a consultant or an attorney, but you may do so, if you feel your application is complex and you need help with that.

Now the Federal Express Entry Program, is the most sought-after stream for immigration, but not the only stream for immigrating to Canada. However, I will only talk about this program, since I did not have any interest neither did I go through any other program.
The Federal Express Entry Program is only valid for occupations falling under the National Occupation Classification job groups :

• Managerial jobs (skill type 0)
• Professional jobs (skill level A)
• Technical jobs and skilled trades (skill level B)

You can find out your NOC code from the following link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...tion-code.html

E.g. : The job codes for IT development lie in the range of 2171 to 2175

You need to score at least 67 out of 100 on the Federal Skilled Worker Program points grid, to be applicable for Federal Express Entry Program. You may refer to the grid at this link : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...d-workers.html

The Federal Express Entry program is purely a points based immigration system and provides you points for 4 major factors:
  • Age
Those falling in the age range of 18-29 are awarded the maximum points, while each subsequent year deducts 5 points from the score
  • Education (Canadian or its equivalent)
  1. One needs to get their education degrees assessed by any of the assessing agencies – WES/IQAS/ICAS/CES. These agencies assess the educational credential and provide the candidate a report which states that the degree is equivalent of a Canadian degree (bachelor’s/master’s etc.)
  2. Please note: Due to concerns about fraudulent degrees, most of these institutions now require that the detailed transcripts are sent to them in a sealed and signed envelope directly by the awarding institution.
  3. Also note that you would want the transcripts to be issued by the institute and not the college that you have studied. E.g. If you have a degree from MDU, the transcripts have to be sent by MDU and not the college under MDU which has awarded that degree
  4. This step is the most time-consuming step of the whole process. Current TAT from WES is about 3 months, while when I gave my credentials for assessment , I got the report within 1.5 months.
  5. Due to the sheer volume of credentials sent for assessment, IQAS has paused intake of applications from November 2019 to 19 May 2020, to clear the backlog. IQAS was the most preferred option, since it was quite liberal in awarding Master’s equivalency.
  6. WES or World Education Services , is the most popular agency for credential evaluation, while also being the fastest. However do note, they only award Master’s equivalency if your MBA/M.Tech is from IIM/IIT. Otherwise they assess it as dual bachelor’s or a bachelor and a diploma in case of PGDM.
  7. Also note that WES has an online tool for checking the validity of the degree and institute of your education. However that tool is just indicative and one should not rely on it to decide whether WES will recognize the credential or not. If your course/degree is approved by AICTE, then you will get a positive assessment in 99% of the cases
I just had a Bachelor’s degree to evaluate, hence went ahead with WES. I had initially gone ahead with IQAS, since the WES tool did not mention my university, however on checking with my University, I got to know that they do assessments for WES as well and hence I cancelled my IQAS assessment and went ahead with WES, for the sole reason that it was faster
  • Language Proficiency [IELTS(for English) and/or TEF(for French)]
One can get score for two languages in the Canadian Immigration Process –
English (IELTS/CELPIP):
One should aim to score atleast 8777 in the four modules of the IELTS exam (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) . This exam is fairly simple, with only caveat being that one needs to pay extra attention to the writing section, since they are most stingy in awarding marks for that section.
o I gave my IELTS exam on 2nd March 2019 and scored overall 8.5 bands (out of 9) and my individual scores came out to (L – 8.5, R – 9.0 , S – 8.0 , W – 7.5). This is the maximum score that is possible to attain, which is Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 10 for each of the modules.

o IELTS is offered by British Council and IDP, and it’s a personal choice over which institute does one want to go with, for the exam. Both the institutes offer option of Pen and paper based exam as well as Computer based exam

o One needs to write the General IELTS exam and not the Academic one, since that is only for educational purposes
• French (TCF/TEF):
Candidates are also awarded points for French language scores. The exact score and benchmark may be referred to at the link shared above in the post
  • Work Experience
Candidates are also awarded points for both Canadian as well as foreign (outside Canada) work experience. A candidate must have at least one year of continuous work experience in the primary NOC that is selected by them. In case one has Canadian experience as well, there are additional points awarded.

Apart from the above factors, there are few other factors that can help one score additional points in this process:
  • Blood Relative Living in Canada
  • Valid job offer from a Canadian Firm :
If a candidate has a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) approved job offer from a Canadian firm , they are awarded an additional 50 points. However this is really hard to come by as the LMIA is a cumbersome and expensive process, along with being time consuming and hence one should consider themselves really lucky If they are able to get this
  • Provincial Nomination:
If a candidate is nominated by any of the 9 provinces in Canada, they receive an additional 600 points over and above the points that they get based on the factors above. There are two kinds of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) :
• Express Entry Linked PNP:
The provinces which follow this kind of PNP, select candidates from the Federal Express Entry Pool , based on the requirements of their province. (Generally those requirements are around the NOC job codes). These Provinces send out a Notification of Interest (NOI) to the candidates and the can choose to accept or reject this.

In case a candidate accepts this, they have to submit their documents to the province for verification. The province verifies the documents and awards the candidates the 600 points. There may or may not be additional processing fee that one will have to shell out to the provinces
E.g: Ontario charges 1500 CAD for processing while Saskatchewan charges 300 CAD
• Standalone PNP :
There PNPs are where one has to file an Expression of Interest on the respective portal of the Province. If selected in a draw, the candidate will have to submit the documents for verification, post which 600 points will be awarded

I created my Express Entry profile on the 18th of July with CRS (Comprehensive Ranking Score) of 441 and got a NOI from Ontario on the 1st of August under their Tech Draw initiative (inviting certain profiles pertaining to the IT sector). I submitted my documents to Ontario on the 29th of August 2019 and got my nomination from them on the 19th of November
In case one wants to calculate their CRS, they may do so at the following link : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...d-workers.html


Note : You also get additional points for Spouses’ IELTS and education.
Post getting the nomination, my CRS became 1041, while the CRS range for 2019 had been between 438 (lowest, only touched this score once in January) to 475
The average CRS for the 2 years prior to CRS had been 441, while the increasing popularity and awareness has caused this score to shoot up. Anyone having a CRS of less than 465, should aim for one of the PNPs, based on the trend since February last year.

The Canadian Immigration authority (IRCC) conducts bi-weekly draws and invites about 3400 candidates on an average each time. The score of the 3400th (for example) candidate becomes the lowest score to be invited for that draw. In case of multiple people at that score, there is a cut-off rule applied and the older profile gets the preference.
I got an ITA (Invitation to Apply) on the 10th of December, 2019 with CRS of 1041. I have submitted my application to IRCC on the 31st of January 2020 and expect to receive my PR in about 6 months from that time.

Costs Involved
Education Credential Assessment: ~220 CAD (for WES) Some agencies charge extra fee for more than one credential, which is not the case with WES
IELTS:~13.5k INR
PNP (if Applicable) :From Free to max 1500 CAD
Medicals:~5.5k INR
Police Clearance Certificate:500 INR
Post ITA fee –
• Processing Fee (per applicant)– 550 CAD
• Right of Permanent Residence Fee (per applicant) – 490 CAD
• Dependent child (per child)– 150 CAD
• Biometrics fee (per applicant)– 85 CAD
In addition to these application cost, you also need to show that you have sufficient settlement funds to support yourself and your family after you land in Canada. This amount varies on the number of people immigrating. For a single applicant, the amount is 12,960 CAD, which is about 7.3 Lakh INR


You may refer to the link for Proof of Fund requirements :https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...oof-funds.html

Note : In case a candidate is married but is only immigrating alone initially and plans to sponsor their family later on, the proof of funds will still have to be provided for the complete family

I think this covers all aspects, as far as Express Entry – Federal Skilled Workers Program is concerned. I will add on my experience further once my file moves along the various stages of processing, right until getting the PR.

Note: I have not put specific document requirements in this post. This is only to help one understand the processes involved and the timelines around the same.
All the best to anyone who feels motivated to take on this journey.

Mods : Please move it to a new thread if necessary

Last edited by akhil994 : 7th February 2020 at 14:15. Reason: Formatting
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Old 7th February 2020, 17:43   #2
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Many thanks for sharing, Akhil . Moving to a new thread as requested. It will definitely help many considering Canada. Tons will find your thread through a Google search too.

The main emigration thread is located here.
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Old 9th February 2020, 15:49   #3
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Wow..!! This is so helpful. Sharing it with my friends so that they can benefit from it.

I'm just falling in love with beauty of Team-BHP.com. My late night boring hospital shifts are now turning out to be so interesting and informative.
Be it reading about Indian car scenes to scenic travelogues or be it a completely different kind of thread like this one. The Quality, explanation and the in-depth real personal experiences makes it all a 5 star forum.
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Old 9th February 2020, 16:26   #4
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

One of the simplest threads I have read in long time regarding immigration. Very thoughtful and well laid out.
Good luck to you brother!
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Old 9th February 2020, 17:25   #5
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Thanks akhil994 for taking pains to list the entire process.

Were there any other countries you explored during the exercise? Countries which are less than 10 hrs flight from India?
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Old 9th February 2020, 18:19   #6
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Thanks a ton for posting this information. Helps to have it all in one place for anyone who needs it. I’m in the same boat. In fact our score for IELTS are almost similar (save for the interchanging of writing/speaking score which cost me 3 points). Our age is similar too. My CRS is 438. But I was late for the tech draw and missed the train else I might’ve probably received an invite in Aug 1 draw as well. Now, however the cut-off scores only seem to be going up and up with rising popularity of this Express Entry programme. Even the Ontario Provincial Nomination Programme’s cut off went upto 460 in the 15/01/20 draw. :(

I’ve sort of lost a hope that I’ll get an invitation to apply anytime before my profile expires in October 2020. Can’t think of anything else to increase my score while I’m here other than possibly getting an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) certified job offer which is seemingly impossible from what I’ve noticed.

Rant aside, all the best to you! And hope you get to drive a bunch of cars and post some Canadian travelogues! Cheers!
Keep us posted.
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Old 9th February 2020, 20:27   #7
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Thanks a lot for this thread. At last a place where I can shamelessly ask stupid questions. I am almost 37. Should I even try for this? I have 14 plus years of work experience in IT if that gives me any brownie points?

About sending transcripts to WES, I am from Mumbai University so I don't need to go to college where I did my degree right? I directly need to go to university for getting the transcripts mailed right?

Somewhere on quora etc I read I need to also go to my college for a sealed envelope with my college Transcripts and then go to Mumbai University for their Transcripts. Confused about this part.
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Old 9th February 2020, 22:40   #8
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by raksrules View Post
I am almost 37. Should I even try for this? I have 14 plus years of work experience in IT if that gives me any brownie points?

About sending transcripts to WES, I am from Mumbai University so I don't need to go to college where I did my degree right? I directly need to go to university for getting the transcripts mailed right?
The transcripts need to be sent out by the University, under which your college falls into.

Speaking as someone who got into Canada under the easier FSW and not the EE program, i think any experience over 5 years doesn't affect the number of points you score in that category (points max out after you exceed 5 years+ work experience), but that may have changed. The easiest way to find out your total number of points is to go to their points calculator tool, fill in a hypothetical IELTS score and see for yourself.

And for anyone who needs more info on this, you can go online to the mecca/bible of the EE program, the Canada Visa forums. Just do a simple Google search for 'Canada Visa Forums' and you'll find that the forums are every much as insightful as Team Bhp.

Hope it helps.
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Old 10th February 2020, 10:06   #9
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

That is really crisp, will help a lot of people. I just got my PR stamped, moving to Toronto in march. I did all the processing myself, its pretty simple. The major reason to move is the better Car scene there. Kindly PM, so that we can connect.
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Old 10th February 2020, 10:15   #10
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by abhinavinc View Post
The transcripts need to be sent out by the University, under which your college falls into.

Speaking as someone who got into Canada under the easier FSW and not the EE program, i think any experience over 5 years doesn't affect the number of points you score in that category (points max out after you exceed 5 years+ work experience),

Hope it helps.
Isn't FSW or Federal skilled worker program a part of EE or Express entry?

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...igibility.html
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Old 10th February 2020, 10:37   #11
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by hothatchaway View Post
Isn't FSW or Federal skilled worker program a part of EE or Express entry?

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...igibility.html
Yes it is, you have meet the criteria of FSW before you're eligible for EE as explained by OP.
Before EE started in 2016, you only needed to be eligible under FSW, i.e.68 points and you would apply directly without an invitation once you meet this criteria.

The candidates would be chosen on a first cum first serve basis, so most quotas for the year would fill up by May.
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Old 10th February 2020, 10:50   #12
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by tejas.negandhi View Post
Thanks akhil994 for taking pains to list the entire process.

Were there any other countries you explored during the exercise? Countries which are less than 10 hrs flight from India?
Thanks Tejas!

I frankly did not consider any country within that distance. The only other destination that was considered was New Zealand, which I could've got into as well, but then decided for Canada, owing to better long term prospects.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunrock View Post
That is really crisp, will help a lot of people. I just got my PR stamped, moving to Toronto in march. I did all the processing myself, its pretty simple. The major reason to move is the better Car scene there. Kindly PM, so that we can connect.
I must admit that is one of the biggest factor behind my move too but then what else do we expect to find here on Team-BHP
Sent you a PM too Let's connect

Quote:
Originally Posted by pratik1992 View Post
Thanks a ton for posting this information. Helps to have it all in one place for anyone who needs it. I’m in the same boat. In fact our score for IELTS are almost similar (save for the interchanging of writing/speaking score which cost me 3 points). Our age is similar too. My CRS is 438. But I was late for the tech draw and missed the train else I might’ve probably received an invite in Aug 1 draw as well. Now, however the cut-off scores only seem to be going up and up with rising popularity of this Express Entry programme. Even the Ontario Provincial Nomination Programme’s cut off went upto 460 in the 15/01/20 draw. :(

I’ve sort of lost a hope that I’ll get an invitation to apply anytime before my profile expires in October 2020. Can’t think of anything else to increase my score while I’m here other than possibly getting an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) certified job offer which is seemingly impossible from what I’ve noticed.

Rant aside, all the best to you! And hope you get to drive a bunch of cars and post some Canadian travelogues! Cheers!
Keep us posted.
I would say don't waste time. Look for a distance learning diploma from JNU, get that and I think your CRS would be 471. I know it would delay the process a bit, but I think if you manage to top out your IELTS and do this, 474 should still be a good enough score 1 year down the line.

In the meanwhile, do create your EE profile. You never know what comes your way.

I remember I had started contemplating a 1 year diploma myself, before creating my profile, when I saw the scores go through the roof. This Ontario intervention came at the right time for me. All about lucky timing I guess.

All I would say is, you have time on your side, unlike people for whom one year delay means a loss of 5 points. If you absolutely do want to go ahead with the move, then look for a diploma or any one year course. In the long term, that 1 year of extra effort will not even be that significant

Last edited by akhil994 : 10th February 2020 at 10:53.
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Old 10th February 2020, 11:43   #13
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by raksrules View Post
Thanks a lot for this thread. At last a place where I can shamelessly ask stupid questions. I am almost 37. Should I even try for this? I have 14 plus years of work experience in IT if that gives me any brownie points?

About sending transcripts to WES, I am from Mumbai University so I don't need to go to college where I did my degree right? I directly need to go to university for getting the transcripts mailed right?

Somewhere on quora etc I read I need to also go to my college for a sealed envelope with my college Transcripts and then go to Mumbai University for their Transcripts. Confused about this part.
I think a lot depends on how much CRS score that you can attain. You may use the link posted in the thread to calculate your CRS. However, there are Provinces like Alberta, which send Invites to candidates as low as 300.

Like I said, below 465, one should aim (and wish) for PNPs majorly, unless some back to back draws take place due to which CRS falls.

One never knows when something works out for them.

Regarding your transcripts, they will have to be mailed by Mumbai University directly to WES. You can send your marksheets yourself, that is no issue, but the transcripts have to go from the University. There is no involvement of the college in this process at all, unless it is an autonomous college

Quote:
Originally Posted by abhinavinc View Post
The transcripts need to be sent out by the University, under which your college falls into.

Speaking as someone who got into Canada under the easier FSW and not the EE program, i think any experience over 5 years doesn't affect the number of points you score in that category (points max out after you exceed 5 years+ work experience), but that may have changed. The easiest way to find out your total number of points is to go to their points calculator tool, fill in a hypothetical IELTS score and see for yourself.

And for anyone who needs more info on this, you can go online to the mecca/bible of the EE program, the Canada Visa forums. Just do a simple Google search for 'Canada Visa Forums' and you'll find that the forums are every much as insightful as Team Bhp.

Hope it helps.
Under the Express Entry, one gets the same score for 1/2 year work experience (outside Canada) and the maximum for 3+ years of work experience.
Anything over that, is not scored when it comes to Express Entry.
Provincial programs do provide higher scores for more number of years of work experience.
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Old 10th February 2020, 13:05   #14
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by akhil994 View Post
I would say don't waste time. Look for a distance learning diploma from JNU, get that and I think your CRS would be 471. I know it would delay the process a bit, but I think if you manage to top out your IELTS and do this, 474 should still be a good enough score 1 year down the line.

In the meanwhile, do create your EE profile. You never know what comes your way.
What is this distance learning diploma from JNU? Can you please elaborate. I'm absolutely unaware of any points for diploma. Would happily do it if it helps. 471 seems like a great deal. Post that I think I would have to get my credentials re-evaluated by WES, right? Cause I only got my B.E. verified by them.

The only other thing I could think of to increase my points was to go for French. But that was no go from me after thinking rationally about it.

As for the EE profile, I already have one in place since October 05, 2019. I was just reading about Saskatchewan PNP. That seems like another avenue. Although I'm skeptical about job opportunities in Devops over there. Will check that. Anyone else interested in a PNP should have a look at it as well.
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Old 10th February 2020, 13:16   #15
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Quote:
Originally Posted by pratik1992 View Post
What is this distance learning diploma from JNU? Can you please elaborate. I'm absolutely unaware of any points for diploma. Would happily do it if it helps. 471 seems like a great deal. Post that I think I would have to get my credentials re-evaluated by WES, right? Cause I only got my B.E. verified by them.

The only other thing I could think of to increase my points was to go for French. But that was no go from me after thinking rationally about it.

As for the EE profile, I already have one in place since October 05, 2019. I was just reading about Saskatchewan PNP. That seems like another avenue. Although I'm skeptical about job opportunities in Devops over there. Will check that. Anyone else interested in a PNP should have a look at it as well.
Apologies, I meant to say IGNOU

Any diploma that you do from IGNOU, or any distance education institute for that matter, once complete, you may get that credential assessed too. Post which , from Bachelor's degree, you will fall under the "Two or more degrees or diplomas" segment and your points will bump up to 471.
I said IGNOU, since their credential assessment won't be an issue, as it is the most popular distance learning university and all courses are AICTE approved as well.
On top of that, if you re-take IELTS and get CLB 10 in all modules, you will max out at 474.
Please research for any one year diploma course from such universities for possible ways
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