How to get Canadian residency the ‘Express’ way BY CRISPIN R. ARANDA

THE journey towards permanent residency in Australia and New Zealand is littered with hurdles and detours; several roads and pathways now have restricted access, or altogether closed.

Professionals and skilled workers intending to emigrate to the US through the employment-based preference categories on the other hand, see the immigration freeway opened. As of July 2019, the cut-off date for EB3 and other skilled workers is current.

 

Across the US’ northern border, Canada has kept the residency expressway open to all starting in January 2015.

Express Entry (EE) is the current immigrant selection system of Canada. In 2018, close to 280,000 applicants worldwide submitted their candidate profiles through the system, an increase of more than 10 percent from 2017, according to the recently issued yearend report by Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada for 2018.

Intending immigrants or those seeking to apply for permanent residency in Canada must accomplish and submit a complete candidate profile.

Once completed, a candidate’s profile is valid for one year. During that time the profile is available for selection or invitation from the federal government, any provincial government and Canadian employers.

Every two to three weeks, the Immigration Minister issues instructions specifying the number of invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residence that will be sent to candidates in the Express Entry pool on a specific date.

Candidates are invited to apply according to their ranking in the pool. “Invitations to apply (ITAs) are issued in descending CRS score rank order, until the maximum number of invitations specified in the associated ministerial instruction is met.”

In 2017, 86,022 ITAs were issued. The next year the total increased to 89,800.

Profiles of uninvited candidates remain in the pool for up to 12 months. Candidates who receive an ITA but do not pursue the application are withdrawn from the pool.

Candidates overseas with completed profiles in the EE pool are at disadvantage from their counterparts who are either already working temporarily or are studying in Canada.

 

Why?

Temporary workers in Canada are in the best position to seek sponsorship from the current employer for a job offer in support of his or her permanent residency application. Of course, the worker’s performance and relationship with the employer and co-workers are critical elements for an arranged offer of employment.

International students come up close behind because they are authorized to work for 20 hours a week (while school is in session) and able to work full-time when not. For example, a Filipino RN taking up an international graduate certificate in nursing practice may study for three alternating and work full-time in between.

 

And the best part?

The common-law partners or spouses of international students are authorized to work full time for the whole duration of the student’s academic program. Then there are two added benefits: 1) students may work full-time after completing the course during the post-graduate work permit stage (PGWP).

Therefore, after course completion, the student and spouse/partner could both work full-time.

A student pursuing a two-year academic program is eligible of up to three years PGWP full-time employment. The same goes for the spouse or partner. Some schools actively assist enrolled students meet employers during school-sponsored job fairs. As in the previous example, RN students can easily meet Home Care Assistance certification and get paid as such for $15 per hour by a participating employer.

Take the case of Eric, a 29-year-old IT bachelor degree holder with at least two years’ experience in his field. He has an approved F-2B petition by his green card holder mother in California. However, he is looking at a 10-to-12-year wait.

Jazmin is Eric’s 26-year-old live-in partner. They have been living together for at least 12 months before Eric submitted his EE candidate profile. Eric cannot get married since that would automatically revoke his F2B petition.

Canada, however, recognizes a common-law relationship, a blessing for Eric and Jazmin (who is also a degree holder in hotel and restaurant management). They can have the best of both countries joined in the hip by a 3,987-mile border from California to New York (or British Columbia to Ontario in Canada).

Both are proficient in English and scored an average of 7.5 to 8.0 in all IELTS language components.

Eric’s total core score is 327 –100 for age,112 for education; and115 points for English proficiency. Jazmin’s total point contribution as common-law partner (CLP) is 26: education, 8; English proficiency,18.

Canada puts a premium on English or language proficiency. As an incentive, applicants with high language scores get bonus points under the skills transferability factor. Language proficiency is essential in successfully transitioning as an immigrant. Therefore, high scores in the language exam (IELTS) gets Eric 26 bonus points when combined with his education (qualification/degree – 13 points) and at least two years of work experience (another 13 points).

Eric and Jazmin’s total CRS score in the candidate pool is 379. High, but not high enough.

Jazmin’s schoolmate Larnie is a 29-year-old licensed RN in the Philippines who is taking up a one-year postgraduate certificate in nursing practice. Larnie’s school assists nursing students in getting Home Care Assistant certificates (a walk in the park) considering Larnie has RN experience and with similar IELTS scores as Jazmin.

Larnie easily got the HCA certificate, took up and passed the Licensed Practical Nurse exam. Subsequently, Larnie was assured a job offer as LPN after course completion. While still in school, Larnie is making $25 per hour.

As such, Larnie could get 360 points for her core factors: 110 for age, 120 for education, 15 for the one-year study in Canada and 130 for English proficiency.

For skills transferability factors, Larnie would have 75 points: 25 for the combination of English proficiency and education; 50 for IELTS scores and experience.

As an international student in Canada with a job offer after completing her course, Larnie gets an additional 65 bonus points.

Her CRS total? 500 points. More than the lowest CRS scores of candidates in the pool invited to apply for residency.

The good news for Eric and Jazmin? Their IELTS results are good for two years. Even if Eric is not invited to apply this year, there is next year. However, Eric and Jazmin would be a year older. As such, points for age would be lower. Either or both of them could improve on their language proficiency scores.

 

Without a job offer or completed course in Canada, Eric and Jazmin can only hope that a Canadian province in need of IT programmers or hotel and restaurant staff, or even a Canadian employer, would nominate either of them.

Manitoba has the longest list of occupations in demand. Eric may apply directly with Manitoba for nomination. He only needs 60 points to be nominated compared to 460 to 470 to be selected from the Express Entry pool.

Overseas applicants like Eric or Jazmin must “demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba either through the support of family members or friends, through previous education or work experience in the province or through an invitation to apply received directly from the MPNP as part of a Strategic Recruitment Initiative.”

A relative may be close or distant. To be considered a close relative, the Manitoba supporter must be a sister or brother, niece or nephew (child of your sister or brother), aunt or uncle (brother or sister of your mother or father), first cousin, mother or father, grandmother or grandfather.

 

Saskatchewan has an ongoing selection of candidates whose occupations are in demand in the province. The latest in-demand occupation list was revised on May 1, 2019.

Computer programmers and interactive media developers are on Saskatchewan’s list – good news for Eric. Since he would have the EE candidate file number, he could pursue nomination by Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia also has a list of occupations in demand. Currently there are only two: 1) Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates; and 2) transport truck drivers. But unlike Saskatchewan, applicants for nomination must have a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer.

Larnie in the meantime is assured of being invited for permanent residency via Express Entry through the student to resident freeway.