The Express Entry System was initiated by the Canadian government in 2015 and was designed to make immigrating to Canada easy. It is now seen as the most popular immigration program in Canada as it is the fastest and quickest way to immigrate to Canada as it takes as short as 6months to process.
It is an online program where you are expected to create and complete your online profile within 60days after which you will be placed in a draw with other candidates, ranked and given a score based on a ranking system called the Comprehensive Ranking System. In this system, candidates are expected to meet or exceed the CRS cut-off score in order to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada. One sweet thing about the program is that you can also get permanent residence through the program and you don’t really need a job offer from an employer in Canada to be eligible for the program.
This program has been seen to have issued over 106,908 invitations in 2020 despite the pandemic and it has a target of 109,675. It is a very easy program to go through if you want to immigrate to Canada.
The thing here is, how can you increase your chances of being selected to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada? This is why we are here and why we have compiled this article. So if you are reading this article, it means you want to know the secrets of boosting your Canada Express Entry System application.
Top Tips for Improving Your Application
Like we said earlier that the Express Entry System is the fastest and quickest ways to immigrate to Canada and what you have to do is create an online profile filling in some information based on the requirements of the system like age, work experience, education, language proficiency etc. and after this, you will be placed in a draw with other applicants and a ranking system called the CRS will be used to select applicants that will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA). In this CRS, the maximum point you can receive is 1,200 points and this is based on two categories which are:
- The Core points which includes the age, education, work experience and language proficiency.
- The Additional points which include job offer which is not necessary and adaptability.
The Express Entry System is managed under three Federal Streams and they are the Federal Skilled Workers Stream, Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class. For you to increase your chances of being selected to get an ITA, you will have to get a higher score but how can you boost your score in the Express Entry System?
We are going to be revealing some ways you can actually boost your CRS score.
How can you boost your CRS score?
- Increase your work experience
When you are applying for Canadian visa, it is advisable that you have a work experience of a least three years and if you don’t have this years of experience, then you will have to work and gain the skills and experience before applying for the visa as this will boost your CRS score.
It would also be great if you get a Canadian work experience that is working in Canada and you can do this by going through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program or the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program. These two programs will allow you to work in Canada on a temporary basis which will give you the work experience you might need to apply through the Express Entry System and boost your chances of getting a higher CRS score.
If you are currently still employed in Canada while applying for or creating your Express Entry Profile, the do well to indicate as it can also increase your score.
You should also try to list all your work experience and skill as this might be a way to get nominated by a province in Canada if your skill is in-demand in any of the provinces in Canada.
- Improve your language proficiency
This is one of the easiest ways you can boost your CRS score and we are going to be revealing two ways that you can go about this and they are:
- Retaking the original language test
- Learning a second language
In Canada, there are two official languages which are English and French and there is a Canadian Language Benchmark where you are expected to get to level CLB9 and if you get lower than this, maybe CLB8, you still have a chance to get extra points and improve.
So if you are an English-speaking applicant, you can increase your CRS by also learning a second language which is French as Canada awards an additional 24 points to applicants that can speak a second language in Canada and you are moving alone.
- Getting a nomination by a province
Getting a Provincial Nomination would mean that you are on step away from getting an Invitation to Apply and this is because a nomination from a province in Canada will earn you 600points and remember the maximum points you can earn in the system is 1,200points so getting half of the point from just getting a provincial nomination will definitely give you an advantage.
Also, the CRS cut-off is usually around 700-800points and if you get 600points from a Provincial Nomination, you will just need few points from other factors like work experience, education, language etc. to up your score to meet or exceed the CRS cut-off score and you can be on your way to Canada.
- Using a recruitment agency
Using a recruitment agency is a way to find job in Canada to help boost your CRS score. Remember we said that getting a job offer is not really necessary when applying through the Express Entry System but this will boost your chances of being selected to get ITA.
So using a recruitment agency will relieve you of the stress of having to search for jobs as these agencies have a large database that helps them to keep track of job opportunities in Canada. Through this recruitment agency, you get to find the best job that suits your work experience, qualification and skill.
You should know that getting a job offer from an employer in Canada earns you 200points.
- Show interest in a province
This is one good way to get provincial nomination which will boost your CRS score. Many PNPs are being linked with the Express Entry System and so if you want to get a provincial nomination by any province, you could do so by showing a keen interest in a particular province and this could be by applying for a job in a province especially a job that is in demand in that province.
If you apply for a job that is in-demand in a particular province, it will increase your chances of being nominated by the province and you know that a nomination would earn you 600points which brings you closer to being successful in your application and immigration.