Canadian permanent residency pathways: How eligibility points are calculated

Express Entry (Immigrate as a skilled worker).
Family sponsorship (Sponsor your relatives, including your spouse, partner, children, parents, grandparents, and others to immigrate)
Provincial nominees (Immigrate by being nominated by a Canadian province or territory)
Studentship pathway
Quebec-selected skilled workers (Immigrate as a skilled worker in the province of Quebec)
Atlantic Immigration Pilot (Immigrate by graduating from a school or working in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador)
Caregivers (Immigrate by providing care for children, the elderly or those with medical needs, or work as a live-in caregiver)
Start-up Visa (Immigrate by starting a business and creating jobs)
Self-employed (Immigrate as a self-employed person in cultural or athletic activities).
Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (Smaller Canadian communities supporting their local economy through immigration.

In Nigeria the most popular pathways are the first four above, while Express Entry is mostly used by skilled workers defined as persons with a minimum of first degree; family sponsorship and provincial nomination are mostly used pathways for artisans who do not possess degree or its equivalent, they are also used by some highly skilled workers. The studentship pathway is also commonly used by Nigerians.

The Express Entry is the application process for skilled immigrants who want to settle in Canada permanently (PR) and take part in the economy. It is called express entry because within six months the process of getting permanent residence in Canada is completed. Express Entry is an online system that is used to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.

If you ask me how does Express Entry work? Then I will say to you that you could apply through the Federal Skilled Workers Program, or through provincial nomination. There are four basic steps involved in the Express Entry process namely:

Step 1: Find out if you’re eligible. -You will need to answer a few questions on the website to see if you meet the minimum requirements.

Step 2: Get your documents ready - You need documents, such as language test results (IELTS or others), to show that you’re eligible for Express Entry.

Step 3: Submit your profile -Your Express Entry profile is where you give Canadian Government information about yourself. If you’re eligible, you'll be accepted into the pool of potential immigrants. The eligibility is determined via a ranking system. You’ll be ranked in the Express Entry pool using a points-based system. Your score is based on the information in your profile.

Step 4: Once your submitted documents are evaluated and your score is high, the Canadian Government will send you an invitation to apply for permanent residence. The process of determining your eligibility is like JAMB cut off mark, low score indicates ineligibility and high score shows eligibility to apply for permanent residence. Once you have received an invitation to apply for permanent residence, you’ll need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile.

How is PR Eligibility Calculated?

The tool being used to calculate permanent residence eligibility is called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS is a points-based system that is used to assess and score your profile and rank it in the Express Entry pool. It’s used to assess your: skills , education, language ability, work experience and other factors.

The points you get from the CRS include a core set of points up to 600 and a set of additional points of up to 600. Your total score will be out of 1,200. Some of the factors that determine your points are: Age, academic qualifications, degrees, diplomas or certificates, a valid job offer, a nomination from a province or territory, a brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident, strong language skills (English/French) among others.

In summary, there are four categories of criteria upon which your score is decided namely:

A. Core/Human Capital (Skills and experience factors) - 200 points.

B. Spouse or common-law partner factors, such as their language skills and education. - 200 points.

C. Skills transferability factors (including education and work experience) - 200 points.

D. Additional - 600 points

Conclusion

Canada has an open door migration policy, however it doesn't want unskilled, uneducated or parasitic folks who have no tangible value to contribute to the economy. My advice for you is that you need to decide upfront which immigration pathway is the best fit for you, putting into consideration your: age, marital status, level of education, and your financial ability. If you are seeking to migrate to Canada through a study visa, note that using a study route to get into Canada cannot automatically guarantee you citizenship or PR, a student visa allows you to study and work part-time. Students can only apply for permanent residency (PR) after graduation.

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Olusoji Ajao, is a public affairs analyst with expertise in international migration, globalization and transnationalism. Twitter: @OlusojiAjao

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