Express Entry
Programs that designed to bring skilled immigrants to Canada
Your Canada dream can be just a few steps away if you qualify, as Canada is actively running various immigration programs to fill the shortage of skilled labour. All these programs are designed to bring immigrants to Canada who can establish themselves economically in the country.
These programs are
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Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
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Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
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Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
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Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) - some programs
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Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
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The BEST FSW Program for Canada Immigration- Express Entry
The coolest immigration pathway is the Federal Skilled Worker program (FSW) which is part of the Economic Class program and is carried out by the Express Entry system. Express Entry is a point based draw system called CRS (Comprehensive Point System) where an applicant with the highest score gets selected from the pool. To be eligible to apply, you must meet certain program requirements.
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​​Some of the Key requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker program:
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At least one continuous year of professional full-time paid work experience or the equivalent part-time continuous employment listed in the National Occupational Classification (O, A or B) in the last 10 years.
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Alternatively, any Arranged Employment in Canada with a full-time, permanent job offer from a Canadian employer along with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or without an LMIA if you are exempt.
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A proof of Canadian education, or credential AND/OR a foreign educational credential, with its Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) done by an agency recognized by IRCC to show its equivalency in terms of Canadian education system.
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The minimum language (English) score of CLB 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark, or equivalent.
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Settlement funds as per the limits set by IRCC to support yourself and your family for six months after landing in Canada.
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​​Taking into account the above factors, one must also score a minimum
of 67 points under the following IRCC selection factors in order to be eligible to apply:
Express Entry Selection Factor Scoring and Criteria
Primarily, the process starts by creating an Express Entry profile. If selected in the draw from the Express entry Pool and invited to apply with Invitation to Apply (ITA) mail, it is essential for the candidates and their dependents to undergo medical examinations and secure some clearances, prominent being the Police Clearance as part of the Canadian immigration application process.
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​With more than 80 different immigration programs available, almost everyone's suitability and journey to Canada immigration will be differently unique. So, please contact us for the detailed screening of your profile with our highly qualified and expert Immigration Consultants.
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Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The Canadian Experience Class is a part of and is administered by the express entry system which allows foreign nationals with Canadian experience of at least one year to apply for Permanent Residence.
To qualify to apply, following program requirements must be met.
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​​​Have at least one year of full-time professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date. However, Self-Employed people aren’t eligible nor the work experience as a full-time student is counted.
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The job experience should be in a Managerial job (NOC skill level 0), Professional job (NOC skill type A), Technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)
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Meet the minimum English language benchmark of CLB 5 or CLB 7 according to the level of the job
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Only those who plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec are accepted. Individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec may apply to the Quebec Experience Class).
​How Permanent Residency works in CEC:
​Just like the Express Entry system, total CRS is considered to get selected from the Express entry Pool and issued with an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Similarly, candidates and their dependants must also pass medical examinations and get police clearances as part of the Canadian immigration application process.
​Best way for International Students:
​The Canadian Experience Class is a perfect option for students with Canadian work experience to get the fastest and simplest permanent residence.
​The pathway to PR under this scheme starts after completing studies at a Canadian educational institution when international graduates are legally permitted to work full-time. Upon obtaining at least one year of Canadian work experience their field of study, they are all set to apply under Canadian Experience Class program.
​Need any further Help?
​Contact us for more information and we will assist you in all possible ways.
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Provincial nominee program
Provincial nominee
What are Provincial Nominee Programs?
PNP stands for Provincial Nominee programs in which province means a state/territory from, which the qualifying applicants receive a provincial nomination, which allows them to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.
Provincial grant Nominee Programs (PNPs) empower individual provinces/territories to choose from the candidates wishing to settle in Canada. Almost all provinces/territory in Canada have their own PNPs (except for Nunavut) in order to meet their specific needs for labour or business, and to ensure growth and economic development of the respective province.
Fortunately, with the introduction of Express Entry in 2015, almost all PNPs were brought under the Express Entry aligned immigration stream. This streamlining helps candidates to enjoy faster processing time of less than 6 months, compared to longer processing times for other non-aligned streams.
Three chief reasons to consider Provincial Nominee Programs to get Permanent Residence, if:
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The CRS is too low to be directly eligible for the Express Entry pool to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA). With a provincial nomination, additional 600 points can be earned, which will automatically lead to an ITA,
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A job offer from an employer in the province is available , or
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An applicant is already in a province, has either finished studies or is working temporarily, and is thus eligible to one of that province's nomination streams.
How does the PNP program work?
The primary requirement for Candidates is to first enter the Express Entry System with the CRS score (calculate here), then separately apply to a PNP program. The normal validity of Express Entry profile in the pool is one year.
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With a typical processing time of 3-4 months, nomination is offered if selected by the province that will grant additional 600 points to the Express Entry score. With these additional 600 points, chances of getting invited to apply for PR in the very next draw are almost certain.
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​Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program 2022 (PNP Programs)
ATA Immigration Services is all set to help you prepare for your PNP immigration by creating a profile that gives you the best chance of being selected. If you have job experience and you are interested in applying for Permanent Residence in Canada, please contact us for further discussion. Remember, PNP is not a straightforward process but we can assure you a smooth experience all along the way.
Canadian Provinces Offering PNPs
Currently, the following provinces are open for PNP. List of occupation and eligibility criteria vary largely depending on labour in shortage in the particular provinces.
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Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
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British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP)
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Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
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Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)
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New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)
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Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NSPNP)
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Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)
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Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
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Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)
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Quebec Skilled Workers Program (QSWP)
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Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
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Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)
Atlantic Immigration Program
AIP
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), previously known the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) is a unique Immigration program Introduced in March of 2017 by the federal government of Canada, together with the governments of
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Nova Scotia,
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New Brunswick,
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Newfoundland and Labrador, and
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Prince Edward Island,
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For the Atlantic region of Eastern Canada to diversify the immigration concentration in a few areas like Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver and divert it to these four regions. This program aims to offer a mutually favourable opportunity for employers and immigrants alike.
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AIP program at a glance
Primarily, the program has been designed to bridge the human resource gap that Atlantic region is facing, and to help the region to be more globally sustainable. The program will also help upkeep right population growth, help to develop a skilled workforce, and increase employment rates in the region.
​The targets of the Atlantic Immigration Program, as disclosed on February 2022 are 6,250 newcomers for 2022, 6,500 for 2023, and 6,500 for 2024.
Interestingly, under this immigration program, the designated employers are exempt from the need of an LMIA to hire an eligible foreign worker.
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Candidate Requirements
A successful immigration through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program requires an applicant to fulfil certain parameters mentioned below after obtaining a job letter.
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Language proficiency
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Education
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Work experience
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Financial stability
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Once a job offer is received, you must:
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ask for a copy of the employer’s Confirmation of Designation, or
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inform them about the Atlantic Immigration program and request them to register as a designated employer, if they aren’t already
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Eligibility to the AIP Program
Following is a summary of the eligibility requirement of the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP):
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1. Job Offer:
The job offer must fulfil all of the following requirements:
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The job offer from a designated employer from 1 of the 4 Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador)
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Full-time employment offer which is non-seasonal or temporary in nature, meaning at least 30 paid hours per week available to work.
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Minimum 1 year job offer from NOC 0, A or B skill type or level. For NOC C level job offers, there are a few more parameters to follow.
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The job offer must not be from a company where the applicant or his/her spouse is a majority stake holder.
2. Work Experience:
Candidates wanting to apply under AIP must have accumulated at least 1 year of full-time (or part-time equivalent, meaning at least 1,560 hours) work experience within the last 5 years, in NOC skill type 0, A, B, & C.
The following requirements apply:
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Offered employment must match the NOC in demand with its description
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Total hours worked in part-time and full-time paid employment in Canada or abroad. No voluntary work/unpaid experience is counted.
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Self-employed work is not counted.
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Total number of hours over a period of at least 12 months.
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Any Canadian work experience with a legal permit to work shall be counted that does not exceed the prescribed limit
3. Education:
The minimum education requirements for people studied in Canada under AIP are:
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NOC 0 and A : one-year post-secondary educational credential or higher in Canada, or the equivalent outside Canada.
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NOC B and C : Canadian high school diploma, or the equivalent outside Canada.
For foreign applicants, Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is a must which can help assess the equivalency of education is Canadian context.
4. Language proficiency:
​The minimum language requirements for each job offer's NOC Skill Type/Level are:
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NOC 0, A and B : CLB5
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NOC C : CLB 4
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5. Settlement funds:
For applicants already working in Canada, proofs of sufficient funds available for settlement in Canada have to be produced at the time of application and when the application is finalized. The funds must also meet all of the following conditions:
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Funds must be readily available and transferable
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Must not be obtained via any kind of borrowing
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sufficient to support the initial establishment in Canada
The major determinant of the sufficient funds is the applicant’s family size (including both accompanying and non-accompanying dependants), using 12.5% of the current low-income cut-off (LICO) for urban areas with populations of 500,000 or more, last updated by IRCC on July 27, 2022.
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List of Designated Employers
With the introduction of the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) in January 2022, all previous Designations under the old pilot program are no more on the list and that the employers need to apply again for Designation under the permanent AIP.
Here the term Designated Employers should be understood as the one open to hire foreign workers and not necessarily the ones offering jobs.
We suggest that you search any company and check current openings on its websites. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail them with your resume. If the company is interested in your profile, it can apply to be a designated employer to hire you.
For Application Procedure, Application Fees, Processing Times and other details, please contact us and we will get discussing what fits best for you!
Start-up visa Canada
for entrepreneurs
Start-up Visa is a newly introduced visa scheme for entrepreneurs in order to provide them a promising opportunity to start business to enter Canada. This visa scheme is going to be very popular and thus will have limited space every year until the visa is made permanent. This visa program is a red carpet for those who have entrepreneurial skills whose business venture can create jobs in Canada and support economic growth.
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Eligibility for the Program
There are five basic requirements to fulfil in order to be eligible for the Start-up Visa Program.
1. Proof of support for your business by a designated organization in form of a Letter of Support. These organizations could be Canadian venture capital firms, angel investors groups or business incubators. You need to contact them directly to ask for support.
2. Prove that the designated organization(s) that supports you hold(s) at least 50% of voting rights in the business and that you and a maximum of 4 other people hold the remaining 50% of voting rights, each one having at least 10% of voting rights.
3. Proof of your minimum language requirements, either in French or in English. The minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English is CLB 5 in all of these four skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. For different requirements in French & English test, please click here.
4. Adequate funds to settle. The required amount depends on the number of family members that are accompanying you and are going to stay with you. Please remember that these funds should be readily useable funds that are owned and not borrowed. Find out more here.
5. You must not intend to live in the province of Quebec.
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List of Designated Organizations
The list of Designated Organizations that can issue the letter of support for your start-up is available with Immigration, Refugees, and Immigration Canada (IRCC). It is your job to contact them yourself, present your ideas and convince them your idea for business is worth investing in.
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You can find the full list of Designated Organizations here.
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Application Process and Supporting Documents
Application under this scheme is only and purely paper based. That means you have to fill out the paper forms with signatures at the required places, collect all required supporting documents, and pay fees, mail your application package to this address.
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Biometrics Requirements
This scheme of immigration just like other schemes requires biometrics of all applicants based on your nationality; you could be required to give your biometrics (fingerprints scanning and photograph) for a fee of $85. Please check here if you require biometrics.
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Medical Exam Requirements
Passing Medical Exam with an IRCC approved doctor is one of the mandatory pre-requisites for the successful and smooth processing of your file. The approved list of doctors and hospitals is available on www.cic.gc.ca.
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Application Fees
The visa processing fees for the start-up program is $1,625 in addition to the $515 Right of Permanent Residence fee. You can pay your fees ($2,140) online here.
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For spouse or common-law partner, additional payment of $850 is to be made for the Application and $515 for the Right of Permanent Residence. For each dependent child, a separate application fee of $230 is to be paid.
Please remain informed that the processing fees are non-refundable in case the application processing has been initiated while the Right of Permanent Residence fee is refundable if the application is rejected, cancelled, or if the applicant decides not to come to Canada.
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​PS: While your application for permanent residence is under process, you can still apply for a temporary work permit to enter Canada and start building your business. ​