Archive for category: Express Entry

If you are submitting your PR application on your own, please consider preventing the following common mistakes, otherwise, your application will be refused, or at least a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL) will be issued. Here are the top five most common mistakes applicants make when applying under the Express Entry system.

1. Mistakes related to your NOC code and experience under the code.

One of the most common mistakes when applying under the Express Entry is having less than 12 months of continuous full-time experience in your primary NOC code at the time of submitting your profile or if your code doesn’t fall under TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3. As a result, your application WILL be refused.

Your NOC is incorrect.  The National Occupational Classification System is what the government uses to map your employment history. This means that you have selected your primary NOC code incorrectly, your application will be refused just for that reason alone.  Your duties must match with substantial (more than 60%) of the main duties as outlined in the NOC and the lead statement of your NOC code. Otherwise, it will result in a refusal.

2. Poorly drafted employment reference letters that do not adhere to the immigration requirements.

It is common for employers to think of employment reference letters as a document you received from your previous employer outlining your skills and accomplishments and why a future employer should hire you. These are great for your professional career, but they will not help you with your application for Canadian immigration.

Reference letters need to contain the following points, just to mention a few:

1. to be written on the company’s letterhead
2. your supervisor’s name, title, and signature should be indicated
3. your job title and your salary
4. commencement and termination of your employment
5. your average number of hours per week
6. detailed list of your duties and responsibilities you have been discharging

3. Settlement funds

IRCC expects you to prove your settlement funds presented in the proper format. There could be issues as banks have their standard templates, and banks in other countries could care less about Canadian immigration requirements, as their standard letters usually do not meet the requirements of immigration. The letter needs to be printed on the bank’s letterhead, including, the financial institution’s contact information, your name, your account numbers, the date each account was opened, the currency and the current balance of each account.

4. Unable to prove that you will reside outside of Quebec.

If you are currently living or working in Quebec, just because you are living in Quebec doesn’t mean you can’t apply through the EE system. In order to convince an immigration officer that after you become a permanent resident, provide the visa officer with sufficient documentary evidence that although you may be working or living in Quebec at the time of submission of the application after your application is approved, you will move outside the province of Quebec.

5. Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation is a severe immigration offence, which can result in your Express Entry application being refused, and you could be barred from applying for Canadian immigration for several years.

To avoid this, you need to be attentive to the details of your application, including your employment history and medical and criminal issues that you or your family members included in your application have had. Not all medical or criminal issues are barriers to Canadian immigration. If you are not sure what you should or should not be mentioning, you should consult with an experienced Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant to help you with this or any other part of the application.

Another place where misrepresentation could occur is in answering statutory questions incorrectly, which can sometimes be tricky.

In the best-case scenario, immigration sends you a procedural fairness letter (“PFL”). Sometimes, it is possible to resolve the issues raised in the PFL; however, not always. It is very easy for an immigration officer to refuse your application when documents do not meet immigration requirements.

I trust this information will allow you to avoid these mistakes, as there could be harsh consequences after all the years of waiting. In addition, the CRS score may go up and never come down to the level that you were at, and in the end, you may never get a chance to get another ITA. Therefore, you just can’t ignore all of those factors.

If you are interested in engaging my services, I would be happy to assist you!  I invite you to book a consultation via the Booking page.