2014-01-26
Express Entry, a new program from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), looks promising for foreign nationals hoping to immigrate to Canada.
Introduced on January 1, 2015, the Express Entry program will increase the amount of applicants accepted for permanent residence in Canada while providing a simplified application process.
According to CIC, Canada aims to welcome as many as 285,000 new permanent residents during 2015. This goal shows an increase of 13% from the goal of 2014. As of the program’s initial launch there has been no set cap for the amount of applicants that the Express Entry pool will accept, which is a positive sign for applicants who are still in the process of preparing their applications.
Economic immigrants, most notably skilled workers, are those most likely to be selected in the coming year, as Canada is seeking to accept between 169,000 and 185,200 in 2015. Canada is looking to attract immigrants to work in the Canadian labour market and contribute to the nation’s economy, and large allocation numbers have been set for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants and foreign skilled workers as well.
The near future also looks bright for those candidates of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Under the PNP in a particular province or territory, that provincial government may nominate individuals for permanent residence who show potential to meet local market needs. Based on CIC’s PNP allocations, the provinces and territories aim to collectively attract 48,000 new immigrants in 2015. Along with increased acceptance levels, the PNP nomination process will become easier through its incorporation into Express Entry. While the process formerly took 11 months, applications will now be processed in 6 months or less for the large majority of cases.
Other groups permanent residency candidates with expected acceptance numbers set for the coming year include live in caregivers with an expected 30,000 new immigrants and applicants to the family sponsorship program, with an expected 68,000 new immigrants.
While there is no deadline to create a profile and apply online for the Express Entry system and no cap on the number of accepted applicants, only the top ranking candidates based on a points system will be accepted. Points are allotted for various characteristics including, but not limited to, age, level of education, proficiency in French or English, Canadian work experience, and the characteristics of the applicant’s spouse or common-law partner. If potential candidates score well in the aforementioned areas, the potential to gain permanent residence in Canada in the coming year looks promising. Even with the growing numbers of immigrants being accepted to Canada in 2015, it is still imperative that Express Entry profiles and immigration applications are completed to the highest quality in order to best represent the candidate’s qualifications. FWCanada is happy to assist with the production of high quality immigration application to provide the best possible chances of program acceptance.
With more and more potential new Canadians applying for Express Entry in 2015, the increased levels of immigration aim to help the Canadian economy flourish, benefiting current Canadian residents and newly settled immigrants.
FWCanada is a Montreal-based immigration law firm that provides professional legal services on Canadian immigration. For more tips and updates on Canadian immigration, follow FWCanada on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
