As of January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence under certain economic immigration programs. The Express Entry system is the first step to immigrate to Canada under these programs. Potential candidates can complete an Express Entry profile at any time. Note that there is no deadline to complete a profile and there are no caps on the number of candidates that will be accepted to the pool.
Anyone who is accepted into the Express Entry pool could get an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. Rounds of invitations to invite candidates to apply will take place regularly over the course of each year. Only top ranking candidates will get picked no matter when they were accepted into the pool. If you are invited to apply, you will have 60 days to submit a complete.
- Take a language test. (either IELTS, CELPIP or TEF) We will use your test results to see if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada under one of the federal programs that are part of Express Entry.
- If you were educated outside Canada, you may need to have your educational credentials assessed against Canadian standards, your NOC skill type or level described above and your Education Credential Assessment (ECA).
- To find your job title, code and skill type. This job code is referred to as your "NOC code" in the Express Entry profile. To finish your Express Entry profile you must register with the Government of Canada’s Job Bank.
- A valid job offer, or a nomination from a province or territory. Job Bank is an easy, online job search tool which will connect you with employers and jobs in Canada based on your skills and experience.
- If you do not register with Job Bank within 30 days your Express Entry profile will expire.
Skilled Trades currently eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these major and minor groups of the NOC:
- Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades,
- Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades,
- Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production,
- Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators,
- Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks,
- Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers.
These major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations. (All are NOC skill type B.) National Occupational Classification (NOC). The NOC is a system used by the Government of Canada to classify jobs (occupations). Jobs are grouped based on the type of work a person does and the types of job duties. Many of Canada’s immigration programs use it to decide if a job, or type of work experience, is valid for that program’s criteria. For instance, if a person wants to apply as a skilled worker they should check the NOC to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type O or Skill Level A or B). - Skill Type 0 (zero) – management jobs. (examples: restaurant managers, mine managers, shore captains (fishing))
- Skill Level A — professional jobs. People usually need a degree from a university for these jobs. (examples: doctors, dentists, architects)
- Skill Level B — technical jobs and skilled trades. People usually need a college diploma or to train as an apprentice to do these jobs. (examples: chefs, electricians, plumbers)
- Skill Level C — intermediate jobs. These jobs usually need high school and/or job-specific training. (examples: long-haul truck drivers, butchers, food and beverage servers)
- Skill Level D — labour jobs. On-the-job training is usually given. (examples: cleaning staff, oil field workers, fruit pickers)
- If you want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant (Express Entry):
- Your job, and the work you have done in the past, must be skill type 0, or level A or B to use Express Entry. The Express Entry system manages applications for permanent residence if you want be considered:
1.as a Federal Skilled Worker,
2.under the Federal Skilled Trades Program,
3.or under the Canadian Experience Class. - If your job is skill level C or D:,
1.you may be able to come to Canada as a provincial nominee, as long as it is not in a program for skilled workers, or
2.you may be able to work here for up to two years.
People who come to work on a temporary basis are not permanent residents. However, some go on to immigrate here on a permanent basis.
Australia is a land burgeoning with employment opportunities and welcomes a large amount of immigrants for skilled work every year. All Skilled Worker Visas (apart from subclass 457) require the candidate to be under 50 years of age unless exempt. Skilled Worker Visas are divided into subclasses based on different factors of qualification and type of occupation:
This visa allows skilled work for the duration of 4 years in the country. A Skilled Worker with an occupation listed under the ‘Consolidated Skilled Occupations List’ is the main requirement for this visa. A sponsorship from a legitimate business in Australia is also necessary.
This is a permanent residence scheme that requires completion of a skill assessment test by Australian authorities and three years of prior work experience. The visa candidate must be paid a same or larger salary than an Australian in the same occupation. As in the case of a Temporary Work Visa, the occupation must be listed under the ‘Consolidated Skilled Occupations List’ of Australia.
RSMS features a permanent residence scheme for Skilled Workers who wish to work in one of the country’s regional areas. The three sub-categories in this visa include Temporary Residence Transition, Direct Entry Stream, and Agreement Stream. The occupation in the regional area must be offered to the candidate by the respective employer in the regional area. The visa candidate must be paid a same or larger salary than an Australian in the same occupation.
This visa requires the candidate to score 60 points in his qualification assessment and pass the Australian authorities’ skills assessment test. The visa has the advantage of enabling the visa holder to live and work anywhere in the country without receiving a sponsorship from the Australian employer.
The applicant for this visa must have adequate points in his qualification assessment and be nominated by one of Australia’s states/territories. The particular state/territory sponsors the visa holder and he is allowed specific privileges in that state/territory such as permanent residence for family members.
This visa allows persons to work in the regional/outskirt areas of Australia for a duration of up to four years. The person is either nominated by the region/outskirt or sponsored by an individual living in the region nominating the candidate. The candidate will be points tested and need to pass a skills assessment by Australian authorities.
- Skilled Graduate Visa – Subclass 485
- Skilled Independent Visa - Subclass 189
- Skilled Independent Visas - Subclass 175/885
- Skilled Nominated or Sponsored Visa (Provisional) - Subclass 489
- Skilled Nominated Visa - Subclass 190
- Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa - Subclass 475 and 487
- Skilled Regional Visa - Subclass 887
- Skilled Sponsored Visas - Subclass 176/886
- Australian Skilled Visas Points Test