The majority of Canadian immigrants over time, become residents in Canada through the economic immigration programs. According to Canada’s objectives for 2019-2021, there will be openings for 200,000 economic immigrants into the country yearly.
What this implies is that there are numerous opportunities for immigrants with the required skills to fill some labour positions in the Canadian economy. Invariably, the Canadian government puts foreign skilled workers into consideration to continuously grow the Canadian economy.
WES report has it that almost 80% of skilled workers secure jobs in Canada after they must have moved to the country. Little wonder why it is the most suitable option for young experts who are searching for career opportunities and development.
Also, the number of immigrants annually will always be on the increase, and out of 91,800 immigrants who got admitted into Canada through Express Entry, reports have it that in 2021, 401,000 can hope to be invited to apply for permanent residency and 108,500 out of them will be assigned under Federal high skilled programs.
The Federal Skilled Worker program is one of the ways through which you can migrate to Canada if you are a highly skilled professional. Also, it is one of the three major skilled worker immigration programs managed by Canada’s Express Entry system.
Candidates who passed the Express Entry criteria are considered eligible for Canadian immigration and can now become part of the thriving workforce and also be permitted to reside in Canada as permanent residents.
What is an Express Entry?
This can be defined as the system used by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) to manage applications sent to the three main federal skilled worker immigration programs namely; Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trade(FST), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
If you are qualified for one of the aforementioned Express Entry managed programs, you must submit a profile to the Express Entry pool and then you will be graded according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on your profile. The scores assigned to you are based on different criteria such as language proficiency, education, qualifying Canadian job offer, adaptability, age, work experience, connections to Canada, and so on.
Finally, candidates who score high are invited to apply for permanent residence in periodic Express Entry draws and after the invitation, processing time takes a minimum of six months.
Federal Skilled Worker Program
As we stated earlier, the Federal Skilled Worker program is being managed by the Express Entry System since 2015. Candidates who wish to migrate to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker are required to have at least one year of skilled work experience.
Nevertheless, you don’t need to have Canadian connections and this makes it the best option for foreigners who want to migrate to Canada. But the requirements for you to qualify for this program such as age, work experience, level of education, and language proficiency are strictly adhered to.
Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP)
Are you a tradesperson with enough work experience and a job offer? Then, this program was made to assist you to easily reside and permanently work in Canada. But applicants are required to have an Express Entry profile and will be graded by the CRS based on the factors mentioned earlier.
For you to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program, you must have a minimum of two years of work experience in the area of skilled trade and you must have gotten this experience in the past five years.
In addition to this, you must have either have a full-time job position that will last for a minimum of one year or a certificate issued by a Canadian provincial authority indicating that you are qualified in their skilled trade.
Canada Experience Class (CEC)
It is an economic immigration program and is designed to assist eligible skilled immigrants who have a minimum of one year of full-time, skilled Canadian work experience that must have been completed within the past three years.
Unlike the Federal Skilled Worker Program, it is not the most suitable option for foreigners who do not have the Canadian experience but it is available to all candidates who can meet the requirements of the Express Entry System.
Provincial Nominee Programs for Skilled Workers
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are special immigration programs specifically designed by provinces and territories in Canada to meet their economic and demographic needs. The major target is skilled workers who can occupy positions in the workforces of this province and territories, in other words, there is a wide range of options for skilled workers.
Research shows that in 2021, roughly 80,800 skilled foreign workers will be issued permanent residency through the PNP.
Each province and territory in Canada has designed their skilled program for immigrants who wants to reside in the province or territory in such a way that will improve their economy.
You can decide to directly apply through these program streams or go through the route of the Express Entry system from where you can proceed to submit an EIO (Expression of Interest) to create a second PNP profile. Furthermore, it is not all the PNP streams that work through Express Entry but they can always improve your Express Entry profile.
It is of utmost importance for candidates to have the education, skills, and work experience required to improve or contribute to the economy of the province or territory and they should also be willing to establish themselves successfully in the province.
If you can meet all the requirements and score the points allocated to your desired province, you will be issued a nomination and ITA for permanent residence but if you applied for the nomination through the Express Entry pool, then your nomination from the province will improve your CRS mark and you will be issued with your ITA that is if you are drawn from the pool.
Provinces Participating in the Provincial Nominee Program are; Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Yukon, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and so on.
Quebec Immigration for Skilled Workers
In comparison to other provinces, the Quebec province has the sole right and authority over its immigration laws and procedures thereby having its criterion for selection.
As a result of this, Quebec manages its immigration programs outside of the Express Entry system and caters for applicants who desire to reside in the Canadian province of Quebec.
There are two steps involved in applying for permanent residence through the Quebec province. Firstly, it is expedient you apply to the government of Quebec to be issued a CSQ (Certificat de sélection du Québec).
Secondly, when you have succeeded in getting a CSQ, you will be able to submit a paper-based application to the federal immigration authorities for permanent residence who evaluates the criminal and, medical aspects of your application.
Please also note that you do not need a job offer to be eligible for this program and there is no official list of in-demand occupations.
The province of Quebec operates two main permanent residence programs for skilled workers and they are:
- Quebec Experience Program (PEQ): In terms of processing time, this program does it better than Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) although the requirements are more strict. The requirements are; skilled workers must reside in Quebec and have 1 year of full-time, skilled work experience which must be completed within Quebec in the past two years and applicants must also know oral French.
- Quebec Skilled Worker: If you are a skilled worker who resides outside Quebec then this program is for you because it does not necessarily require that you must have a connection to Quebec. Nevertheless, this program makes use of a points grid to evaluate the eligibility of applicants and also rate applicants against the other. They must submit what is called an EIO (Expression of Interest) through the Arrima portal and successful candidates will be issued an invite to apply for the program.
Finally, all these programs are means of immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker. Canada does not neglect the need for foreign skilled workers because they are also needed for the growth of their economy.
Little wonder why approximately eight million immigrants are residing in Canada.
If you wish to quickly migrate to Canada then Express Entry is for you because the major aim of the Express Entry is to assist in hastening the process of issuing qualified highly skilled foreign workers a permanent residence visa to Canada.
