Sarah2133

Hello
I am starting the process of getting everything together to apply for the skilled express entry process and it's a lot to do and I'm getting a bit stressed already!
Should I use an agent to do the process for me and guarantee a successful entry with no stress?
Kind regards
Sarah

Snowy560

You certainly shouldn't use an agent. Whether you decide to use an authorized representative is up to you. Ensure they members in good standing of ICCRC.

S

Sarah2133

Thanks S
I've been recommended a company called Overseas Emmigration visas who are affiliated and members with ICCRC.
Has anyone had any dealings with them?
Sarah

Snowy560

What do you mean affiliated? You need to know the name and the licence number of the consultant who will work on your file. The number starts with an "R" followed by 6 digits. You should be able to check this person on the ICCRC membership list yourself.

S

Siouxie

Welcome to BE!

I've moved your post to the Immigration section so that you get more responses.

Do you mean "Overseas Immigration" or "Overseas Emigration" ?

If the first, you may want to do some research on the company, they were named in a law suit last year.

If it's the 2nd, Eric Katz is their "Canada" person - yet his ICCRC number isn't listed on their website. He has his own Immigration Consultancy in Canada.

To be honest, there is no need for you to use a consultant unless you have difficult circumstances - such as major health issues, criminal background etc., or you don't feel that you can do it on your own. If you do decide to, perhaps you would be better off using one based in Canada who is a member of ICCRC. Find an Immigration Professional | iccrc-crcic

Please be aware that an immigration consultant can't guarantee that you will be successful in your application - particularly is it's now 'by invite only' and dependant on your points, once you enter the EE pool.

Have you filled out the 'come to Canada' wizard? http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp What was the result?

christmasoompa

It won't 'guarantee a successful entry with no stress' I'm afraid, even if you do pay somebody to help you you'll still have to gather all of the paperwork yourself etc.

You simply need to do IELTS and get your ECA at this point, nothing else is needed until later when (if) you actually get invited to apply for PR. And do double and triple check your points, as there's no point in paying for those things if you don't score enough on the CRS to get an invite anyway! So make sure you're scoring over 460-480ish, or at least close to it.

Best of luck.

Sarah2133

Hello,

I know what the IELTS is but what is the ECA and CRS? I'm not sure I scored myself properly.
I have a BA degree, 3 x A levels and 7 x GCSEs and would come with enough money.
Sorry but how would these score? Any help would be appreciated

christmasoompa

ECA = Education Credential Assessment, CRS = Comprehensive Ranking System. If you go to the 'Newbies' sticky thread on the main page (or in my signature), there's a link there of the commonly used abbreviations which is worth referring to as we all tend to talk in acronyms!

You'd get points for a degree, nothing else (it's only your highest level of education) so on the CRS that would be 120 points (unless you have a partner, in which case it would be 112 points). Did you take the points test? Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) - tool What does that give you?

Sarah2133

I've just scored myself and I scored 370. Where do I go from here as this isn't enough.....

christmasoompa

Nope it's not I'm afraid. You could submit an application but at that level I honestly think it would be a waste of money, it'll cost you a few hundred to get your IELTS and ECA done, and I can't see the points level dropping that much when the lowest it's ever been to in the past couple of years was 450. Sorry.

Looks like you'll need a job offer to get a visa, you might want to start a new thread in the main Canada forums with info on your occupation and qualifications so that people in the same field can tell you what your chances are of finding a sponsoring employer. And the Job Hunting section of the Wiki is essential reading!

Good luck.

christmasoompa

Just a thought - personal question, but how old are you?

Sarah2133

Do you know how I can get my cv out there? If I get a job offer I total 970 points

christmasoompa

As mentioned above, have a read of the Wiki. You need to convert your CV to a resume as a first step, but unless you have very specialist skills just putting your resume in places isn't likely to result in anything, it's just not the way things are generally done in Canada. You need to pick up the phone or get out there, but the Job Hunting section of the Wiki explains more.

If you can get a job offer (and LMIA from a sponsoring employer - just a job offer isn't enough for the extra points), then you would go over on a Temp Work Permit and apply for PR once there working.

HTH, best of luck.

Engineer_abroad

OP if you haven't already seen it then the thread below will be of interest.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/immig...points-887265/

Basically the 600 points for an LMIA supported job will no longer exist after Saturday, however there are also other ways to now get points for a job. What we don't know yet is how this will impact minimum points for an ITA.