Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System – How Do You Fare?
Canada is ranked as one of the best countries to live in. It is pretty great in terms of healthcare, safety, and quality of education. Canada also hosts a culturally diverse population with people immigrating to Canada from all parts of the world. They have South Asians, Mexicans, Africans and Europeans, all living together in perfect harmony.
There are several things about Canada that might attract a potential immigrant to Canada
- Low crime rates
- Strong currency and economic stability
- Political stability
- Beautiful landscapes
- Great healthcare
- Quality education
With so many great things about Canada, who wouldn’t want to live there? No wonder thousands of Indians apply for Canadian PR every year, with a huge chunk of them getting approved for a visa.
Why Should You Apply for Permanent Residency in Canada?
The Canadian Permanent Residence visa is a 5-year visa that is given out to deserving candidates who satisfy the requirements of the application. The holder of the Canadian PR visa is entitled to many amazing benefits, ranging from healthcare to ease of travelling. Some of the most attractive features of a Canadian PR are as follows:
- As a PR holder, you have access to Canada’s renowned government-funded healthcare program, Medicare.
- Canada has an amazing social welfare program which helps unemployed or unskilled people learn something new and stand on their own two feet
- The Canadian government offers unemployment benefits and pensions for retired people. In case you have children under 18 and do not have enough income to support them, the Canadian government provides a monthly fee to ease the financial burden off the family.
- The children of a Canadian PR holder are eligible for free education till 18 years of age.
There are several other things that make the Canadian PR visa one of the most sought-after visas in the world with countless people applying for Canadian immigration every year.
Canada is also very welcoming of its immigrants and provides a safe environment for them to settle and grow in. Canada has a bunch of industries and is very supportive of immigrants coming in to fill in the gap in their labor market or start their own entrepreneurial ventures.
How to Apply for Canadian Permanent Residence?
Canada has made it very easy for potential migrants to immigrate to Canada by opening up several routes through which you can apply. There are many different types of residency programs that one can apply for, the most common ones being
- Express Entry Program
- Provincial Nomination program
- Federal Skilled worker program
- LMIA Work Visa
There are still other programs that you can apply to, so there’s no need to lose hope if one route to a Canadian PR didn’t work out.
With that said, the multitude of ways of application also means that it gets extremely confusing for a common layperson to choose the right route when applying to immigrate to Canada for the first time. Different routes might be best for different applicants, depending on their profile and skill set.
It is thus advised that you hire a good consultant who can guide you about the best way forward for you based on your profile. Experienced, professional Canada immigration consultants can really assist you in strengthening your profile and improving your chances of success. If you’re looking for consultants, Kansas Overseas Careers has a brilliant team of dedicated consultants who can guide you through your application process.
How Much Does the PR Process Cost?
On average, the entire process would cost you around a little under 1 lakh Indian Rupees. Here’s the breakdown
- The application processing cost – INR 53,009
- IELTS – INR 13,000
- Documents and Courier – INR 1000+3000
- Medical Tests – INR 5500
- Police Verification Certificate – INR 500
What is Express Entry to Canada?
The Express Entry System is a quicker, uncomplicated method for immigration to Canada, designed specifically for skilled workers. Express Entry program is exclusively online. If you apply through the EE, you will first be ranked through the CRS, on a bunch of criteria that we will discuss later. If you meet the minimum cut off score, you will be invited to submit your application within a month. Applicants who go for the Express Entry route generally hear back about the status of their applications within six months.
What Do You Need To Apply For Express Entry To Canada?
If you are a skilled worker, all you need to do is prepare your documents and apply for the Express Entry Program online.
The documents you will need are:
- Passport
- English language proficiency test results
- Education assessment report if you have education experience in Australia
- Provincial Nomination (if you have one)
- Written job offer from an employer in Canada (if you have one)
After you submit your documents, your CRS score will be calculated and you will be added to the Express Entry pool. The highest-ranking ones are invited are extended an ITA (Invitation to Apply) to submit the full application for Permanent Residence. Be very careful about submitting the correct and complete documents as the information you provide at this step will be used to calculate your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Calculate Your CRS Score
If you want to know what your score is before applying, you can use the Canadian CRS calculator at Kansas Overseas Careers
submit the full application for Permanent Residence. Be very careful about submitting the correct and complete documents as the information you provide at this step will be used to calculate your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
If you want to know what your score is before applying, you can use the Canadian CRS calculator at Kansas Overseas Careers
How Is Express Entry To Canada Different From Other Types Of Immigration?
Express Entry differs from other immigration types in several ways.
- Express Entry is specifically designed for skilled workers
- It cuts processing times by 80%, usually giving results back to applicant in 6 months.
- It is almost completely online and there is very little hassle involved
However, for an ITA, applicants need to qualify from the CRS system. If they don’t clear the cut off, they will not be invited.
What is the Comprehensive Ranking System?
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is an online system where the applicant is assigned a certain score based on the information they provide. The information that the applicant enters when making their online application and the documents they provide are assigned certain scores. Candidates are rated on their skills and experiences, spouse’s language and skills, and the level of transferability of their skills.
The four general areas of their rankings are
- Core/Human Factors
- Spouse/Partner-related Factors
- Skills Transferability
- Additional Points
Every applicant is rated out of a maximum of 1200 points, with 600 points for core information (A+B+C) and 600 for additional information (D). The highest-scoring applicants receive the ITA, after which the full application and other required documents are submitted.
What Factors Affect Your CRS Score?
So the Canadian CRS score has several different factors upon which an applicant is judged and rated. The factors each carry different weights, which are all added up in the end to ascertain the grand total. Most of the factors are the same as those used to calculate scores for the immigration programs of other countries.
- Core/Human Factors
- Spouse or Common-law Partner Factors
- Skill Transferability
- Strong proficiency and a post graduate degree
- Strong proficiency and relevant work experience
- Strong proficiency with a trade certification
- Additional Factors
- If you have a brother or sister living in Canada, you’re awarded an extra 15 points.
- A post graduate degree from Canada earns you 15-30 points depending on how long it has been since you obtained the degree.
- Proficiency in the French language can get you 15-30 points based on how well you performed on the tests.
- If your profile is picked up from the Express Entry pool and nominated by the provincial or territorial government, you get a whopping 600 points, which is the maximum number of points you can earn from the additional factors.
Age
Age is one of the first few basic core factors upon which you are rated. There are different scores assigned to different age groups, and you get points according to the category in which you fall. Also, your marital/relationship status contributes to the points; single people score slightly higher than people accompanied by a spouse/partner.
The score for unmarried men and women between the age of 20-29 is the highest at 110, while married people in the same age bracket are assigned 100 points.
Level of Education
As the level of education increases, so does your score. People who haven’t graduated high school are granted no points while PhD holders are awarded 150.
Language Proficiency
Your proficiency scores would be assessed according to CLB (Canadian Learning Benchmark) ratings. CLB levels are ranked from 4-10. Additionally, each band is assigned a score. So, if you did amazingly well on your proficiency tests, you’d fall under CLB 9+ for English as a second language, earning you a score of 6 which happens to be the maximum score that you can get for language proficiency.
Work Experience
The higher the number of employment years, the higher the points. Applicants with work experience of more than 5 years earn 80 points, while those with 1 year get 40.
If you have a spouse or a partner who will be applying for immigration with you, their skills and English proficiency could add some extra points to your score. If you do not have a spouse, don’t worry; it doesn’t put you at a disadvantage. In fact, there are higher points for core factors for people without a partner.
Spouse’s Education levelDoctorate level education on the spouse’s part would earn you a maximum of 10 points
Spouse’s Language BenchmarkYou get 5 points if your spouse’s language proficiency test results are over CLB 9.
Spouse’s Work ExperienceA spouse with over 5 years of experience would earn you an extra 10 points.
Skill transferability assesses how much you’d be able to apply your education and work experience to Canada. You can get points for
If you have the added benefit of having acquired these from Canada itself, then it’s a plus.
There are other factors that could add bonus points to your CRS score. Some of them include
All the individual scores are added to calculate your CRS grand total. The maximum number of points is 1200. The highest scorers are shortlisted from the pool and are extended an Invitation to Apply, after which the full applications are submitted within a month to be reviewed.
How Can You Score Higher on CRS?
Here are some of the best ways in which you can improve your score and, as a result, your chances of moving to Canada:
Add another Level of Education
Go back to school, and add an additional level of qualification to your application to give your CRS points the much-needed boost.
Retake a Language Proficiency Test
One more attempt at the English proficiency test could help you get a higher CLB and increase your CRS points drastically. Learn French
Take a few classes and learn basic French. Canada holds bonus points for knowing a bit of French. This could strengthen your application.
What Effect Does Your CRS Score Have On Your Permanent Residency Application?
The CRS score is literally the basis on which you’re invited to send in your full application. There is no definitive cut off, unlike in the Australian immigration process. Applicants are literally competing with each other for the ITA. Thus, you have to give it your best and try to get the maximum possible points so your score can be better than the others. There is very little room for error.
Canada’s immigration system is a little more complicated than that of others and it would be in your best interest if you hire competent consultants that can guide you about how you can improve your scores and increase your chance of being invited. If you’re looking for capable and skilled consultants, contact Kansas Overseas Careers, the best Canada immigration consultants in India.
Kansas Overseas Careers has some of the best teams of consultants working to guide applicants through their immigration processes. Not only will they assist you in getting a better score, but will also help you look for employment opportunities in Canada, and help in strengthening your application further if you do get an ITA. Contact them for a free consultation today. You have a better chance at getting selected for the Canadian Permanent Residence with an accomplished team of consultants working with you.