Federal Skilled Worker Visa (Express Entry Visa)

What is the process of obtaining a Canadian skilled worker Visa?

Like every visa application, there is a process required for you to go through before you are awarded the Skilled Working Program. The skilled Worker Visa was changed to the Express Entry Program.

To be eligible to apply at all, you have to have at least one of the following:

1. Enough money to support yourself and your dependents when you arrive in Canada,
2. Have a job offer from a Canadian company,
3. Or you have to be eligible to work in Canada.

You also need to have at least one year of full-time skilled work experience or the equivalent of 1 year. Apart from these requirements, you also have to meet the minimum level language requirements in English or French (the two languages spoken in Canada).

If you don’t meet any of the following requirements, you can contact our exceptional customer support team at CISdesk to make inquiries about how best to proceed.

For a more detailed explanation of the work experience needed, your work experience must be Skill Type 0, Skill Level A, or Skill Level B on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).

You must have been hired as a full-time employee (at least 30 hours per week) and paid as one or for the equivalent of the hours part-time. This employment experience must have been during the last ten years.

These employment requirements do not apply if you have a paid job offer.

Since the program changed in 2015, the Express Entry points are now determined on the following:

• Your education level
• Your language abilities in English and/or French
• Your work experience and skills
• Your age; the younger you are (between the ages 18 to 34, the higher points you have).
• If you have a job offer in Canada, you get the highest score of 10 points.
• Your spouse’s education, language abilities, and work experience

You can get additional points if you have studied in Canada in either a college or university.

After submitting your application, the following happens:

1. You will join a pool of people who have also applied for the Express Entry program.
2. You will be ranked according to the number of points you scored during your application.
3. If you ranked the highest to the current draw, your application would be selected, and you will get an invitation to apply for the Express Entry Visa. 

What does the Express Entry Visa cost?

Right after you have been invited to apply, the next step is to pay the Skilled working Visa (Express Entry Visa). The question becomes, “how much does it cost to apply for the visa?”

As always, it varies on several reasons like the number of people immigrating, how many kids you have, what state you are moving to, and others. This can be overwhelming, but your present financial situation, the city you are moving to, and your job offer can significantly bear on your financial position in the future.

 The most substantial fees to know are the fees to be paid to immigration Canada for processing your paperwork or application and the proof of funds.

• The Express Entry Fees include;
• $1,325 for the main applicant. If you plan to immigrate with your spouse or common-law partner, another $1,325 is required.
• If you have children or dependents, an amount of $225 is required per child.
• $85 is required for the necessary biometrics fee for the main applicant, or $170 total for two or more applicants.

Additional fees such as:

• Language exam fees
• An Education Credential Assessment for foreign degrees
• Translating documents, not in English or French
• Medical exam
• Police certificate

The prices for these fees vary depending on the country that you are applying from.

• The Proof of Funds fees are the fees provided to show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after your arrival. These include: