FSW Step 1 - Understand the whole process

Why immigrate to Canada?

Cold might be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Canada. And it makes sense to be like that, after all, winters are really challenging there. But here are some good news: For a start, cold can be fun too! Second, the country is prepared for it. Third, It might not be as cold as you'd imagine:

Life quality may be the second thing that comes to mind, and again, it is a valid conception. Canada is ranked on 13° place (out of 189 countries) on the 2019 Human Development Index Ranking, which means, in practical terms, that life quality is (very!) good there. Health care is good, education is good, safety is good, and the list goes on and on.

And here is the great news (that you probably already know) - Canada is looking for skilled immigrants! There is a shortage of workers in serveral professions, so immigration is a traditional source of economy-boost. There are many incentives to attract immigrants, for an example - citizenship might be granted after a few years.

Take a look at these impressive numbers on immigration, from the official 2019 Anual Report to Parliament on Immigration :

There are several paths to immigration. This website provides a step-by-step guide on how to go through one of them - Permanent Residency visa, through the Federal Skilled Worker program, using the official proccess called "Express Entry".

Let's go over some of the basics.

Categories of Immigrants

There are several ways one can move to Canada. Here are some options:

• Federal Skilled Worker - This is maybe the most famous category, the one that keeps hitting the news. In a summary, the population is growing old, and Canada needs to attract (relatively) young professionals to keep things rolling.
• Student - You can go as a student, however, it is a temporary visa - you are expected to leave at some point, or change status to something else to become a permanent resident. More information here.
• Start-up Visa - For people that will start a business there. There are some specific requirements for this, like ammount to be invested, business plan, etc. More information here.
• Diplomat, Refugee, etc. - There are several other categories, but because they are each very specific, we won't cover them here. More information here.

Skilled Worker

Again, Canada is looking for skilled workers (population growing old, etc. etc). However, there are specific sets of skills needed the most, and there is a process in place to make sure people with those skills are selected first. This process is called Express Entry.

Express Entry - Overview

Express Entry is the official process in place to select skilled workers and grant them with a Permanent Residency visa.

The process consists basically of two major phases:

PHASE 1 - You submit a form saying you have interest, and stating your information like number of dependents, education, English level, etc. No need to provide any documents yet.

PHASE 2 - If you get enough points, they send you an Invitation to Apply (ITA), and you now send all the required documents. If everything is ok, you get your PR.

Express Entry - Details

The two phases mentioned above are a very summarized way of putting it.

Here is a more detailed approach:

1. You answer some questions online (on the government website) to check if you are eligible or not;
2. You do an english exam (like IELTS), that will give you a score. Also, you get a document certifiying that your education history is equivalent to Canada's for your profession (Educational Credential Assessment). So now you have proof that you can handle English (or French!) well, and that you have some skills.
3. You submit a form with your english exam results, your education equivalency status, along with other information, like work experience, age, number of children, etc. No need to submit any documents yet.
4. Based on that information, you will get a score from on a points-based system, and you enter a "candidate pool". Let's say, as an example, you get a final socre of 489 points.
5. Every 15 days, they do a round of invitations, and call a certain number of people with the highest scores. Usually around 3000 people get called every round. Each round, they publish the lowest score that made it. So, for an example, if the lowest score selected was 460, and yours is 489, you are in!
6. When you get called, you do a medical assessment, and mail all the needed documents to them;
7. They analyze all the documents you sent and, if approved, you get your visa. A bit of hard work, but it is actually quite simple :)

The items above are just a summary, each one has it's own set of procedures, which are all covered in detail on this website.

If you plan on give it a try, and move forward on the process, you can celebrate - you just finished the first step - "understand the process"! Set this as "done" on the button below, and move on to the next step.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take?
A typical process takes around 1 year to be completed (get visa).

How much will it cost?
A typical process costs somewhere between $1000 and $2000 (CAD) in fees.

Does each member of my family need to go throguh this whole process?
No. Only one person do this proccess, as main applicant, and family members are included as dependents.

Do I need to be officially married to take my sopouse/partner?
No. Canada accepts "common-law partners" as well as typical marriage certificates.

---

FSW Steps

FSW Step 1 - Understand the whole process

FSW Step 2 - Check eligibility

FSW Step 3 - Inform dependents

FSW Step 4 - Find out your NOC

FSW Step 5 - Get passport(s) ready

FSW Step 6 - Do English Exam

FSW Step 7 - Get an ECA

FSW Step 8 - Create and submit profile

FSW Step 9 - Wait for ITA

FSW Step 10 - Fill out the online form

FSW Step 11 - Get Police Certificates

FSW Step 12 - Get Medical Exams

FSW Step 13 - Get Proof of Funds

FSW Step 14 - Get Work Experience Letters

FSW Step 15 - Translate all documents

FSW Step 16 - Scan and upload documents

FSW Step 17 - Pay the fees

FSW Step 18 - Submit application

FSW Step 19 - Receive request for Biometrics

FSW Step 20 - Schedule and do Biometrics

FSW Step 21 - Wait for approval

FSW Step 22 - Send passport to VAC

FSW Step 23 - Receive COPR + visa

FSW Step 24 - Arrange travel

FSW Step 25 - Do the landing

FSW Step 26 - Receive PR Card