If you’re from Ghana and are seeking to immigrate to Canada this year, you’ve made a great choice! Did you know that Canada plans to welcome 411,000 newcomers in 2022 alone? If you want to get here as fast as possible, here’s how to get Express Entry to Canada from Ghana.
What is Express Entry?
The popular Express Entry system is known for its fast-tracked visa processing time of just six months. Express Entry was developed for skilled workers who wish to obtain permanent residency in Canada.
The online immigration system is made up of three federal immigration programs, namely:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
The program you can apply through will depend on your occupation level and/ or whether you have already lived and worked in Canada.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is designed for foreign workers who have qualifications, work experience or skills that can contribute to Canada’s economy.
The FSWP doesn’t require work experience and this makes it one of the easiest Canadian immigration options to apply for. Let’s look at the requirements you need to meet to apply.
Who can apply?
In order to apply through the FSWP, you must meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of 1 year of skilled work experience in an NOC skill type 0, A or B (full-time or part-time amounting to the same hours)
- A minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 (which is a minimum of 6 points in all four sections of the IELTS)
- At least a certificate from a secondary institution (high school)
The Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP)
The Federal Skilled Trade Program(FSTP) is made for foreign workers with work experience in certain trade occupations that can help grow the Canadian economy.
This program allows foreign workers with skills in the eligible trade occupations to work in the country and gain permanent residency in Canada.
Who can apply?
In order to apply through the FSTP, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have at least 2 years of full-time work experience or part-time work experience amounting to the same hours
- Meet the required language levels for each section in the language ability test
- Meet the job requirements for skilled trade set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- Have a valid job offer for at least 1 year or
- A certificate of qualification in the specific skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority
- If you already have some experience working in Canada, then perhaps this next program could be the option for you
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is a program for foreign workers who have gained work experience in Canada through a temporary work permit and are seeking permanent residency in Canada.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC) criteria
- Meet the required language levels for each section in the language ability test
- Have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada (full-time or part-time amounting to the same number of hours), in the last 3 years
- Must have gained your work experience by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
Another tip on how to get Express Entry to Canada from Ghana, is to apply through a Provincial Nominee Program. Did you know that provinces and territories can also recruit from the Express Entry pool through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)? This is to help meet Canada’s market needs.
An agreement was made between the Canadian provinces and the government where certain provinces can nominate immigrants who want to live and work in that particular province.
There are two main options when applying for permanent residence through a Provincial Nominee Program. You can:
- Apply directly to a province or territory or
- The Express Entry-linked process
If you apply directly to a province that you wish to immigrate to, application processing times can be between 12 to 19 months.
However, if you apply through the Express Entry system, you can still look forward to a speedy processing time of as little as six months.
If you apply through Express Entry, not only will you stay in the draw pool for one year if you aren’t selected, but you’ll also have the opportunity to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) every two weeks.
How to Apply for Express Entry
In order to apply through the Express Entry system, you need to meet the necessary requirements. Each program has its own eligibility criteria, so you’ll need to check that you meet the criteria of the program you wish to apply through.
However, you’ll need to create an Express Entry profile regardless of the program you’re applying for. Here’s how to create your profile in just three simple steps.
- Gather the necessary documents
- Create your profile
- Submit your profile
Want to know more? Here is a guide that will help you set up your Express Entry profile.
Why Choose Express Entry?
People from Ghana and all over the world move to Canada for many different reasons such as quality education, job opportunities and to create a comfortable life for themselves and their families.
So if you’re thinking of moving to Canada, why should you choose to apply to immigrate through the Express Entry system? Let’s look at some of the benefits.
Better aligns Canada’s immigration intake with labour market requirements
The three immigration programs that operate under the Express Entry system are geared toward occupations that need to be filled in Canada.
Not only does Express Entry seek to make immigration easier for people who work in the positions listed in the NOC (National Occupation Classification) but it also serves Canada’s labour needs, so you can be sure that your skills are needed.
Candidates can improve their scores whilst in the pool
Even once you’ve already applied, you are still allowed to take steps to increase your CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score which means you can work towards achieving an Invitation to Apply. There are a number of ways you can increase your score, which include the following:
Gives the Canadian government flexibility
The Express Entry system allows the government to be flexible and adjust draws to labour needs, for example by CRS changes and program-specific draws.
FAQs
1. Does the NOC (National Occupation Classification) affect your CRS score?
Skilled NOC types can claim CRS points for their work experience, while others cannot.
For example, if you have 10 years of experience, five years as Type A (for example: doctors, dentists, architects) and five years as Type C (for example: truck drivers, industrial butchers, servers). In this situation, only your experience under Type A will be counted for your CRS score.
2. Will the FSW draw happen in 2022?
Yes. As the Covid-19 pandemic subsides and things start returning to normal, if you’re planning to immigrate to Canada, you can expect an FSW draw in February 2022.
3. What is the tie-breaking rule?
The tie-break rule is usually used to rank people who have the same Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The candidates are ranked according to the date and time their Express Entry profiles were added into the Express Entry pool.
So there you have it, all you need to know about how to get express entry to Canada from Ghana. But there’s more. When applying through Express Entry, consider making this speedy immigration system even simpler. One of the RCICs we work with is ready to guide you through the application process every step of the way.
