I am Anshul Joshi, a US graduate (PhD, MS) currently working in Salt Lake City in the field of Computer Vision and AI. I am a Canadian PR and I am here not only to gain, but also to provide insights to other people - regarding my express entry experience - who might have questions about the PR process. In return, I hope you and other members will share their experiences on getting a job in Canada, moving and settling there, etc.
My LinkedIn profile in case anyone is interested: Anshul Joshi
Anshul, Great to have you on here. Feel free to ask away. I think the key is to find a company you want to work with. Honestly AI is pretty hot down there across the entire region. Google Brain and Uber Self Driving are in Toronto and Montreal.
Thanks for your input. Is there any particular job website that is useful for Canada other than LinkedIn? Any conferences or free services (e.g. the bridging services) that Iāve heard some people talk about?
I am Saikrishnan Srivatsan and first off, brilliant initiative to have come up with a repository of information like you have, ! I am currently on an H1B visa, in limbo to be precise, and considering getting a Canadian PR. I am married and have a 1 yo, who is a US citizen. The reason I am in limbo right now is because my US employer could not file my PERM on time and hence I am doing what they call an āImmigration tripā until my PERM, I140 and my H1 extension beyond 6 years are approved. I have booked a date for IELTS early next month, have already started working on my PCCs from both US and India and have applied for an ECA from WES. Your blog post has been very helpful all along. But I have a very basic question. Does it make sense for me to have begun the process here from India? I have an active US address, my wife and son are in fact still in the US(since my wife is on her own visa). It looks like I am going to be here in India for at least 2 months my idea was to get an headstart, but will there be issues if I start the process from here and continue it once I get back to the US - which I am hoping will happen some time in the next 3 months
As far as I remember, it didnāt really matter where you started the process from, for express entry. It did ask you to list your current and previous addresses, but nothing else really stops you from applying when you are in India and having the process continue when you are in the US. Some things are slightly simpler when you are in the US ( like the fingerprints for the FBI Identity history summary check ), but a large part of the paperwork is stuff that you can do from India - I would definitely get started with it as early as possible if youāre considering Canada seriously.
While you are in India you can get your Indian degreesā ECA done relatively easily there and Indian PCCs (although if youāre in USA itās a lot quicker through the embassy).
You can start the process from anywhere but make sure you have access to all documents you are collecting (since you have to scan and upload them during your final document submission).
Hi Everyone. I am Simu and I have joined this community for me and my husband. We were thinking about Canada route from last 6 months but did not proceed that way which was a mistake, but nevertheless its never late to start.
I hope you people can help us and we all can help each other to fulfill our goals of Canada PR.
Currently We are in US on H1B and H4.
I was reading all comments above and just wondering how are you guys getting CIC points (edit: or its called CRS score) of 440-450 because when my husband checked we were getting just 370-380.
Also some one please help me by telling how do we start to learn the process of applying PR and to increase points. We know some things but not in details. I am trying to find some kinda FAQs or Beginnerās guide or help page. Please guide me.
Simulate a profile for both of you together and then individually. Donāt leave anything out. E.g., if you have a masters go ahead and add it. Add all your experience and qualifications (Donāt misrepresent or falsify anything though as thatās a big no no, and you will need to prove that you have all that). Once you are done see what score you are getting and decide accordingly.
I think at this point the quickest way to increase points is getting a really good IELTS score. Getting a job offer in Canada might be another one (if you have a job offer you can go on a work permit and then convert to PR, or if you get a LMIA certificate form your Canadian employer it automatically makes you eligible for Express Entry since you get 600 additional points but LMIA is easier said than done).
Some other resources that helped me (Iām assuming you are looking for Express Entry/FSW prog):
This i very similar to how I thought about it. Initially as a backup since honestly I did not know enough about Canada and never factored it into my life plans. But the more I learned about it and worked with Canadians the more I liked it. Iām currently traveling overseas with family and a little excited to sail though Canadian immigration just flashing our PR card and not having to deal with the uncertainty I felt doing the same on an H1B or having to deal with renewals etc.
Hi there, I am Subash and I currently live in Seattle. I have started to seriously consider getting my family out of here after the H4EAD rollback plan was set in motion. I am a long time employee in one of the biggest companies in the USA and would probably love to continue working for my beloved company after moving to Canada. Im assessing the options right now and Iām a bit confused which way to take. Its easier for me to just move within my company to either Vancouver or Toronto but I am worried if that solves the primary issue we are trying to get away from - the constant bee-in-the-ear anxiety for being a temp in a country and only a crash/crisis/work-affecting-personal-problem away from being thrown out of here. The express entry points systems seems to be cruel towards the 30+ peeps, and I might have to entirely rely on getting a good IELTS score to have any chances at PR. meanwhile I can come there to work for my company but I donāt know how long will it take to get a PR after coming there (EB1,EB2? any queue system for ppl of india). Looking forward to networking with you folks for guidance and advice in this regard.
Express entry is one of the options for getting a Canadian PR. Other options are Canadian Experience Class or Provincial Nomination progs (assuming you move to Vancouver and start working in Canada).
Totally understand the confusion I think a of us who were already working in the US had similar thoughts and anxieties. I love how you fed it ātemp in a country and only a crash/crisis/work-affecting-personal-problem away from being thrown out of hereā. I got a PR with a BS and was 30+ but the interest in Canada can since sky rocketed and so have the points needed.
Have you done a preliminary points calculation to see what you could get. Scoring on IELTS is not as hard as people think and there is a lot of info on this forum about studying for it and the exam.
Does you company have a Canadian operation they could transfer you too? Also there are no queues especially ones based on country of origin in Canada. PR is a easy and transparent point based process. Anshul makes a good point if you could set nominated under the āProvincial Nominationā for BC that would help.
I used the score simulator on the gov website and with a conservative 7.5 on all IELTS scores we ended up mustering only 380. Bigger score was the only way to cross 400 and the max scores would still get 428.
Moving to my companyās Vancouver, Toronto or Ottawa teams is the easiest option for me. But i was not aware of the pr process if i come on a Visa. I will be bummed if i end up in the same temp life situation in Canada too. My company will apply pr process as early as i land thereā¦ What are the timelines for pr when on Visa?. Can spouses work? And is there advantage of Vancouver vs ON
If you come in with a job then that would certainly make the transition easier. Additionally when you apply for PR (You can at anytime) get extra points for the Canadian Job. Express Entry is the same process and timelines regardless of where you are, what country your from or if you are in Canada on a work visa. I would also assume you could get a provisional nomination from the province you are working in to give you even more points.
I am Shreyas, just happened to stumble on this community, realized that there is some quality discussions going on, and now happy and excited to be a part of this community. A quick introduction - I am a 30 y.o, currently working as a Product manager in India, and in terms of education have completed BTech and MBA, both from India.
I have to admit - I am very early in this process, have just started researching on the whole process. I have this idea of relocating to another country few years down the line, and Canada seems to be a popular opinion. I looked at various options - Canada, Australia, UK, a few European countries (intentionally ruling out US), and Canada seems to score high on most things that matter to me. This seems to be a great community, so letās see how this goes!
A few questions from people who are in a similar situation -
(1) What do you guys think about opportunities for product manager roles in Canada?
(2) Any pointers on how the PR process works if applied from India? How and where do I start, some tips etc.,
and considering getting a Canadian PR. I am married and have a 1 yo, who is a US citizen. The reason I am in limbo right now is because my US employer could not file my PERM on time and hence I am doing what they call an āImmigration tripā until my PERM, I140 and my H1 extension beyond 6 years are approved. I have booked a date for IELTS early next month, have already started working on my PCCs from both US and India and have applied for an ECA from WES. Your blog post has been very helpful all along. But I have a very basic question. Does it make sense for me to have begun the process here from India? I have an active US address, my wife and son are in fact still in the US(since my wife is on her own visa). It looks like I am going to be here in India for at least 2 months my idea was to get an headstart, but will there be issues if I start the process from here and continue it once I get back to the US - which I am hoping will happen some time in the next 3 months