Let me quickly introduce myself and the situation I’m in - IT professional (10+ years of experience - full time continuous employment) with approved I-140 and H1B extension till 2022. Recently, i have received a job offer (have written offer letter) from a Montreal based company. No joining date provided though due to the covid situation but they are working on the Closed Work Permit
8 IELTS score valid till Sept 2020 and i will add +1 year to my age in Aug 2020.
Can i apply for EE now under FSW?
Since, Quebec is not part of the EE process, can i select a different province with a job offer from a Montreal based company? (CRS score 458 if I apply now)
Or is it advisable to come to Montreal and then apply? In this scenario i have to give IELTS again and I will add +1 year to my age and chances are it will lower my CRS score.
Or I have to wait for 1 year before i can apply for PR?
What would be some of the best case options here? Any advice would be highly appreciated.
I would highly recommend you retake the IELTS when centers re-open and aim for CLB 9/10. This will help your score increase substantially. Current Express Entry cut off is at 470 and you might be able to make it with a higher IELTS score. I understand you might lose 5 points due to age in August. Hopefully a better IELTS score will help make up for it. Since Quebec doesn’t participate under Express Entry, your current job offer may not be helpful in getting you the points you need. In fact the chances of rejection are quite high since Express Entry does not let you “intend” to live in Quebec.
If you are able to come to Montreal on your Closed Work Permit and apply under CEC (Canadian Experience Class) after one year of working here, you can claim points for Quebec experience towards CEC. The last CEC cut off score was 455. So even if you lose points due to age, you should be fine on this one since you will be able to claim points for Canadian Work Experience in one year.
So pick what option works for you and proceed accordingly. All the best!
I would suggest coming down to Montreal on a closed work permit and apply for CEC after a year. That way, you will get 6 months physical presence added to your citizenship Eligibility timeline
I’m going a little bit off- topic here. Based on my research, since the first step to get PR in Quebec is to get the Quebec Selection Certificate, I did a quick assessment under the QSWP (Quebec Skilled Workers Program) and I clear the cut-off of 50 points (without French language points). Can i go ahead and apply for QSC under the QSWP program the day i land in Montreal or do i have to still wait for a year?
@itprof My understanding is that if you are residing and working in Quebec you can’t apply under express entry to get PR. If you do, as soon as you get an invite you should be moving outside of Quebec to be eligible to complete the PR application under express entry.
First step to apply for CSQ is to submit your expression of interest in Arrima portal. You’ll get an invite from Quebec government if you are eligible and further steps like sending required documents will be communicated to you. Quebec claims to process the application in 6 months but I’m not sure about that.Having a ‘validated job offer’ improves your chances of getting an invite in Arrima.
Details here: http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/informations/arrima/index.html
After getting the CSQ we can apply for federal PR and the processing time seems to be around 12-15 months.
So if you are tied to Quebec with a closed workpermit, the only option would be to apply for a CSQ. As soon as you arrive in Quebec, you can try to get a validated job offer with the help of your company and apply in Arrima.