Anyone has experience or information regarding immigration to Canada?

I'm early 30's and planning to immigrate with my wife there. The plan is to immigrate and become business owner there. How much money do I need?

Thanks!

i also want to migrate there

minimum investment of 500k CAD will get you there.

REQUIREMENTS: ENTREPRENEUR VISA

Evidence of a net worth of CAD$350,000.

An investment of CAD$150,000 into a business which is a refundable deposit of CAD$100,000 (subject to setting up in a business in Manitoba or Saskatchewan. (Please note that if you would like to set up a business in other Canadian provinces and territories, different requirements will apply).

How about as a worker?

REQUIREMENTS: FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER

You must have at least one year of full-time or Part-time (30 Hrs per week) work experience. You must have been paid for this work.
You must have had this experience within the last 10 years.
Language proficiency is one of the six selection factors for skilled workers. You will be awarded up to 24 points for your basic, moderate or high abilities in English and French. If you are claiming language skills on your application, you must provide conclusive proof of your language skills by:
Taking a language test by an approved organization; or
Providing other written documentation that supports your claim.
You will need to provide proof of your funds when you submit your application. You do not have to show that you have these funds if you have arranged employment in Canada. Otherwise, you must have enough money to support your family for six months after you arrive in Canada based on the chart below:
No. of Family Members Funds Required ($CAD)
1 $11,824
2 $14,720
3 $18,097
4 $21,971
5 $24,920
6 $28,105
7 or more $31,291

This post has been edited by Secruoser: Nov 6 2015, 10:49 AM

canada is so cold....... u sure?

have u been like taken a long holiday just to try out the living there?
recommend u do this 1st

canada is actually a very nice country to migrate to if given the chance and opportunity.

so much needed,,,,, even i sell off all my asset including my underwear,
i only can get 350,000 in RINGGIT.....

but Canda will heavy jam 5 hours if heavy snow in almost 1 hour ride.

sounds like hazardous
if air cond kong in the jam, gonna frozen to dead in the car

I'm planning to immigrate in 10 years and visit there to survey in near future. Temperature can get used to.

Will be staying at least 30 minutes drive from metro and open small neighbourhood business and reside there so won't need to commute daily.

This post has been edited by Secruoser: Nov 6 2015, 12:13 PM

i dunno what is ur financial status

if u still gonna earn living from salary, i would say ur choice is really depending on an oversea job that u can secured.

planning to go x, but can't get a job in x, how?

Been there, is nice to stay.

As I said above, the plan is to open small neighborhood business.

i recommend you to first go to there and explore and experience the environment there yourself,

you probably may not like it, dont just simply jump to a conclusion that country is your final decision to immigrate.

which neighbourhood?

from what you say probably in the GTA?

Not final, but no harm to research first. Definitely will visit first to survey.

Looking at New Westminster

nice. go for it. weather in BC is awesome, not very cold during winter but can be dreary like london. i think it hovers around -10 to +10. should blend in OK too given asians are aplenty there.

tbh if i move back to canada, BC will be my first pick for quality of life. and not to mention easier to visit asia, just one transit rather than 2.

the feeling of manitoba and Saskatchewan is like kedah and perlis but of course slightly better. are you sure your business is suitable there?

yea, Asia, LA, NY all within reach. of all things, the temperature concerns me the most, but I think can be adapted, since a lot of Asians also adapted.

not anything fancy, probably just convenience store/small cafe as long as can survive.

for bigger money, i have other plans.

Nothing wrong with cold. Just wear another layer of clothing.
Hot weather sucks. Strip down to birthday suit still hot.
Was holidaying in Penang this year. Walked from the clan jetty back to hotel . Body heated up. Had to take a cold shower to cool down

1 hour .... you are extremely lucky. The few time I got caught in a snow storm ...took a few hours to get home. during my student days, regular bus ride would take just over an hour. During snow storm...the same bus ride would take 3 to 4 hours.

NW is part of greater Vancouver. goto www.cbc.ca. Check the news regarding Vancouver home price.. If you think KL house price is insane.... you cant afford Vancouver....X3

I got my PR approved in August. Will be moving over in a few months.

Is the Entrepreneur Visa still available? I think the government has stopped it. Only two types remain, investor class and start-up. Start-up visa would require some organisation to "sponsor" your business idea. A coffee shop or a convenience store doesn't fall into that category......that would sound more like an investor class sort of thing....juts hot cash going into Canada

The best is to consider federal skilled worker via express entry. Once you get that, then buy over a business if you have enough cash. With the ringgit at this sort of performance.....I think at least RM1.5M is required to by a business and to settle down.

If you must.....get a salaried job but this is difficult if you do not have prior canadian experience.

This post has been edited by kalbwurst: Nov 7 2015, 02:25 AM

wah ... you have so much capital.

Sure can migrate to Canada!!

I want to move there too.

why canada ? anything good there ?

health care ? climate ? benefits? the gov ? the people ?

the only thing i like about canada is, they are nearer to US, so I can travel to US easily

In the mid 2000, we was planning to make a life in Canada too as we was not sure of our PR application for UK. Did a lot of research then. Here are some stories from online forums. Usful to be informed before making the decision. Obviously every place one migrates to has problems and pressures. But some are worst than others. Can't help noticing a lot of those having problems seem to be people from the sub-continent (India and Pak). Do weigh the pros and cons. Have a read though:

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/F...wwwNotCanadacom

http://newseastwest.com/dont-make-the-mist...fools-paradise/

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigrati...da-t2848.0.html

Migrate to LA ,u will have your GTA

You said you are in your 30's. In 10 years time, you will be in your 40's. Age will be against you. The older ones get, the less points allocated, thus more difficult to get in unless you are loaded

Different type of cold. Humid cold vs dry cold. 1 degree C in Vancouver, one will be shivering.
Cathay Pacific HK-Toronto no longer stops at Anchorage for refueling thus one transit stop to Asia
Air Canada has Calgary to Tokyo flights (2,4, 6), thus one transit stop to Asia.



This post has been edited by segamatboy: Nov 8 2015, 09:43 PM

Chinese are just as bad. Cant speak the Cantonese and these days Mandarin, you gonna get crappy service or be ignored.
From the 90s till the late 2000s, rich HK and PRC kids terrorized the streets of Vancouver(street racing). I was told it was Chinese hypocrisy at its best. Police crackdown could not stop the illegal street racings until one fateful morning when one idiot crashed his car killing a young Chinese police officer
. Only then did the local Chinese media focus illegal street racings and the street racing gradually ended. Rich fresh of the plane Indian kids replaced the rich Chinese kids
Prior to the 1997 handover, lots of Hong Kong triads people migrated to Vancouver. Now lots of PRCs are coming over. PRC triads people are also coming over. 14k triad, Big Circle Boys gang, Lotus gang etc Canada got them all. Google if you think I am making it up

Yeah, all of the above are good!!


the only thing lacking is culture, architecture and history, unlike Europe.

and food probably..

I don't have much appreciation in past things anyway. Prefer more forward-thinking society, and the new Canadian PM Justin Trudeau shows what is forward-thinking. Science, technology and humanity interest me more than traditions, old buildings and nostalgia. As tourist attractions I'm fine with the latter, but as a civilization I prefer the former.

Who else has a Minister of Environment and CLIMATE CHANGE?

This post has been edited by Secruoser: Nov 8 2015, 09:27 AM

The new PM is one of those politically correct idiot
Canada is heavily depends on resources for its economic well being. The new PM supports Keystone pipeline whose sole purpose is to ship bitumen to Texas. Tar sands/Oil sands extraction is extremely polluting and energy intensive.
Canada is a cold climate country. The new PM wants to bring in more immigrants. Since the mid 80s, the vast majority of immigrants are from developing countries, with China India and Philippines topping the list. You think these new immigrants want to live in igloos or turn the thermostat up to the high 20s Celsius or low 30s C
More immigrants mean more economic activities. Immigrants need cars, houses, food and other stuff. This means more energy is need and Canada's main source of energy comes from fossil fuel.
Climate change????How to cut carbon emission/greenhouse gas?? Give me a break





This post has been edited by segamatboy: Nov 8 2015, 09:31 PM

Baby Trudeau is determined to bring in 25000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year as part of his election promise. If ISIS can smuggle a few jihadis in, you can kiss the easy travel to US goodbye. Go find out if Chretien blinked/cave in when US tightened its border after 911

Sure, rather humid cold than -50 over with windchill. You don't need block heaters in BC. Hahaha your car will thank you.

As for the stops, hk Vancouver discontinued?

If lefs say a surgeon plans to migrate to canada from malaysia, is that feasible ?

Really depends on where you graduate from, your specialist qualification and work experience. Canada (like many other countries) has it's own strict medical profession governing bodies. Best you visit their medical council website and find out if you're recognized as a surgeon there. Best case scenario is, if you're fully recognized, then moving there and getting a job there is easy. At the other end of the spectrum, if you're not recognized at all, then be prepared to start from the bottom as an intern.

Appointing a minister doesn't mean the changes take overnight. Also, what you mentioned doesn't change the fact that they have to replace the oil industry sooner or later. Oil industry can and will delay the transition to renewables, but they can't prevent. This is a fact applicable to every country in the world.

I'm sure the international airline industry is still operating in US no matter how tight their border becomes. It's not like I'm interested with that country anyway though.

How's the plan coming along?

I'm moving over in May.

Wow Grats! U got a job there?

milkbar ? wake up 6am go to sleep 12am ...

-10 not very cold.. Ok. What about healthcare, do they have free healthcare for immigrants? What about tax rates?

healthcare is by province, i am not well versed with details of BC.

in MB provincial healthcare covers even those with just work permits. Arthroscopic shoulder surgery was paid for when I was there. Tax rate varies by province because there is federal + provincial tax, a search should give you the bracket rates.

Hi I'm considering moving to Canada too.

Currently, I've just started working as admin in a local international learning centre.

How do I qualify?

You should start by checking out cic.gc.ca

It has all the information that you would need

The website's too dense.

Which part of the site I should check out?


I tried reading through the entire site, and I couldn't find what I'm looking for or am not clear about what to do. Where to start?

You want to immigrate right? So which section should you check?

I'm seriously don't know where to start.

I'm not sure if I'm eligible for permanent stay there considering my previous six year job experience as a mere cashier at retail and I've just started working at the school for only two months. I did checked the eligibility test and it keeps saying I'm not eligible yet. I haven't checked the Express Entry yet. My concerned is being rejected and I need to know how to avoid rejection. Should I take up jobs in multinational companies? Should I find jobs more suitable for Canadian migration? I really need some guidance on how to navigate the website.

And there are other concerns: How much should I bring? How should find and buy a simple apartment? How to even work there?

I might consider dropping by the High Commission but I'm not sure that's wise. Could you help guide through the site?


I apologise for this reply if it bothers you.

Usually I'm not so nice when it comes to things like that. Because immigration is a big project and if you are not able to function autonomously for something as simple as looking up for information, then you do not have the suitable profile to immigrate. You'll just be miserable in Canada.

The High Comm doesn't entertain request for information. They will tell you the same thing which I have told you. cic.gc.ca Whether you understand or do not understand, frankly they do not care.

You should look under the section, "immigrate". You will find a questionnaire to determine your eligibility and the different visa classes available. You could go as a skilled worker or as an investor. In the Skilled workers class, you need to be working in a profession listed on the NOC 0, A or B schedule. Again the list can be found on that site. If your profession is in the NOC C or D schedule, you should only consider the provincial nominee program. Look up what provinces are there in Canada.

The best way to move there is through education. So you may consider going to school in Canada, be it at an academic university or a trade school.

You may want to read wikipedia for a summary of the system and process.

You already have as much information as you could possible get here. So start looking.

Nobody mentioned about the unspoken requirement of learning French. My friend went there with PR had a hard time finding a job. You're better off coming to the UK..

Huh?? French is only required if one lives in Quebec and maybe New Brunswick or working with the federal govt. Western Canada is very hostile towards the Quebec and French is not required. The reason your friend had a hard time finding a job is that he had no local experience. Canada is like OZ and NZ. No local experience...tough luck

this.

Just like what ma bro in law said. Beruntung my bro in law. Graduate from Alberta Uni, intern there, got a job with well-known company, but need to comeback to Malaysia since have bond with main Malaysian energy provider. 7yrs liaoo. Need to wait 7yrs then can go back cari makan di Canada.

For those fellas who are already in Canada .. what does this Canada Pension plan means ..

Is it equivalent to our EPF, where an amount is deducted every month and then can be withdraw after retirement?
Someone told me the government will provide an amount in addition to the normal monthly amount.

Pension is what you make and govt deduct for your retirement
The other one is Old Age security. This what the govt gave to people and it is universal .e rich and poor get it
And then there is another one and it is Guarantee Income Supplement. Those who retire and whose pension and Old Age is below the govt set theshold get some money
You can Google to get more info

Quite similar to the UK. Here they call it National Insurance (NI Contributions). If you have enough 'stamps', usually 14 years of NI contributions, you will receive a full state pension on retirement. Retirement age at the moment is 65 going on to 67 then 68 later. Old Age security is what they refer here as 'pensions top up'. Its means tested, so if you have more than £16k in savings you don't get it.

What is the pensionable age in Canada?

my most important tip, invite you neighbours for a barbeque the first few days u move

I am wondering if how long do you need to wait, if the employer recognize your work and say they want you, helping to convert work permit to PR?

wah ... where to get RM 1million to set up a business in Canada?

What made you choose Canada?

I noticed that Vancouver is prone to potential earthquake .. in fact, there are daily tremors .. Not sure if it is true or not? Any one living can validate this? Eventhough it is in at EQ zone, I see a lot of people trying to migrate there .. is it really better than Australia?

The ousted Conservatives govt wanted to raise the retirement age to 67. Baby Turd aka Canada's former Pok Amai Amai teacher rescind that directive. Back to 65

And you think the employer not aware that once you get the papers you can tell them bye bye whenever you feel like it.??? Only works if your skill is in a severe shortage and the economy is booming. The boom is over

Back in late 2008 my employer hire 14 TFWs from Philippines for kilang work,Company got more work than workers.Yes, those TFWs did ask the company to sponsor them as PR but the company said no. Apply on your own. After 2 years, 7 left . Law says that the TFW can leave their employer once they finish their first contract. Even if their work permit are renew if company are willing to rehire them, the TFW can also leave their employers.

TFW.....temporary foreign worker

Not a very good idea aafter listening to some of my cousins talking about their neighbours

All Canadian and American geologists say the BIG One is long over due

Canada got US as it neighbour. US as you know id the world biggest economy and military superpower. That's why Canada dont spend much on military defense and much of it is diverted to social programs.

OZ got who?? Indonesia??

That's good. I have to wait till 67. Btw what's the pension like there? We get £150 a week. Not too bad tbh, if you have some savings and a small private pension.

Hmm .. Does this mean it is not good place to go?

I'm not sure about Canada but here in UK, you need at least GBP 250,000 if you are single. If married, maybe more.

Depends on how long one stays in the country and how much he/she contributes., Visit one of my aunt, a widow on the weekend. She migrated in the early 80s when she was in her early 40s. Only had JCE level education and worked in low wage jobs. According to her, her CPP is around 46xx, Old Age is around 34xx and GIS is around 75xx. approx over 15k per year

Hi, if you are interested in opening a business in Canada, here's a list of the Provincial Nominee Programs in Canada where you can see what are the minimum funds you need to apply for each program !

Here's the link.

I'm planning to immigrate to Canada soon with my common law partner.

Here's my situation:-

Im 34, currently working as Costing Manager. Im at my final stage of CIMA. NOC should be 1112. I could finish the finals, get accreditation from Canada Accounting Board as CIMA have some agreement with them. However, when I check for express entry, unless I have a job offer (which is impossible). Im not eligible to apply.

So my current option I have at hand is

1) get a accounting degree at Canada and continue work from bottom up. I doubt my CIMA will get me anything

2) Change profession. Im interested in Dental Hygienist. The cost would be CAD60,000 excluding lodging. taking an accounting cert would be around 30,000. so double the cost. However the pay between this 2 will also be the same.

Any advise?

Why Canada ?

Don't like Australia
US too many crazy shits
Canada seems nice. As far as I know, the government might be more or less the same as Malaysia. cost of living also about the same. standard of living should be higher?

Thanks for the reply. Mind sharing your experience with Australia ?

Which city do you plan to settle down in? Housing prices in Vancouver and Toronto are pretty insane.
Dental Hygienist makes more than an accountant in Canada. $50+/hr compared to $30+/hr

I just don't like it generally. my cousin and friends keep asking me to go Australia. Probably because I worked at a few Australian company here and don't like their culture.

Halifax, Ontario, Alberta. These are the few places I have in mind.
Problem is that changing to medical, I need 1 year foundation and 2 years of studies. by the time I graduate I would be too old. 37. Taking an accounting degree would be faster and I have experience in this field.

I'm quite in doubt. Here I have house, car, and living an average life. Kinda disappointed in the country as a whole. I don't see this country going to progress any further. As a non bumi, I find that opportunity here is getting worse.

I could sell all my property here and pay as deposits for a new home at Canada. Getting the funds for education will be from my savings and small investments

Cost of living is cheap in Halifax but so are the job opportunities. Its very hard to find any decent paying job there. Most people from Nova Scotia move to Alberta to work then move back to retire.
I guess an accounting degree wouldn't be too bad if you're able to transfer some credits over and what not. However, if I were you I would eventually start up an accounting business rather than working for people.
I think I would choose Alberta out of the 3 places. I myself currently live in Alberta. Albeit, the economy is hurting right now because of the low price of oil, its still the best place to make money within Canada.

Well, I would need to attend 2 years of study in Canada to be eligible for the immigration program. Since I don't know much about the accounting there, probably wont start a business so soon. If I did, I would probably start a food business.

Im still thinking. so much to consider

Anyone migrated so far?

I realize this comment is from 2016 but I thought I'd chime in on this and contribute since I'm born and raised in Vancouver, and recently moved to Bangsar South for work a year ago.


Vancouver/Seattle is 'overdue' to get a big earthquake as the city is along the Juan De Fuca straight. For the 34 years that I've lived in Vancouver, I think the only earthquake to my memory was a 5.0 magnitude and I honestly didn't feel it because it happened when I was driving.

Before moving to Malaysia, I was living in Philippines for 4.5 years and there were more earthquakes there in 4.5 years than my 34 years of Vancouver life. But that's not to say Vancouver won't get one.



Cost of living depends on where you're moving to. Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary are getting higher in terms of cost of living. I can only speak for Vancouver since I grew up there but I can say that living in Malaysia has saved me a lot of money vs living in Vancouver.

If you want to live in the heart of Downtown Vancouver, average price for say a 1 bedroom 650sqft (60sqm as you guys use here) can run you around $2200CAD/month rent (approx 6,820MYR)
If you want to live farther out in the suburbs of say New Westminster or Coquitlam the price for the same sized unit is around $1,600CAD/month rent (approx 4,900MYR)
Even farther out to say Abbotsford which is over an hour drive from Vancouver the same sized unit will probably be around $1,200-1,400/month (Around 3720MYR)

If you're planning to buy a car, Vancouver has the highest gas prices in Vancouver. As of right now, cost for regular gas is around $1.54-$1.70CAD/ltr which is around 4.77MYR/Liter. A lot of Vancouverites if they're close to the boarder will hope across the boarder to fill up gas and save around 30-40% depending on your car.

In terms of cost/standard of living, a lot of my friends I've grown up with are finding it harder and harder to live in Vancouver due to the rising cost of day to day things. They're starting to move farther and farther away from Vancouver into the suburbs. Economy in Vancouver has been fueled by offshore real estate purchases (mainly Chinese) and the influx of Chinese migrating to Vancouver. For me, I compare the cost of food, restaurants, shopping, and day to day costs almost the same as living in Singapore. I lived in Yaletown which is in the heart of Downtown Vancouver and the cost of living was getting ridiculous.

Our taxes in Canada are also pretty ridiculous. I don't miss that at all.

In all honesty, I cannot see myself living in Vancouver anymore unless my employment ends with my company, but I would look for alternative countries to live in. Vancouver is beautiful, I miss the friends and family, lots to do in the spring/summer if you're an outdoors person, and skiing/snowboarding in the winter. But the weather from Oct-Apr does get cold/rainy and the past few years Vancouver has been getting a lot more snow. I don't miss that lol.

Again, I'm only speaking for Vancouver but cost of living does change from city to city. Halifax and smaller cities will definitely have a smaller cost of living, but also a smaller spectrum of job opportunities.



Anyone else has any questions on Canada I'm more than happy to do my best to answer them.

So true. That’s why I’m still considering.

I'm a Malaysian and have migrated to Canada under the Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker scheme in 2017.

Ask me anything and I can share my experience.

Thanks in advance!

1) How long did it take for your case? and your score?

2) Did you have a job prior to moving there? If not, how is the job hunting process?

3) How is the overall experience so far?

4) Which city you're in and why?

Sorry for the late response. I should be checking this forum more often.

Year: 2017

1. I started (research, gathering my funds, IETLS, ECA etc) in January. Submitted my profile in March, my CRS score was 459. I immediately received an ITA within 2 weeks, as at that time the trend was <450. However as you only get 60 days to submit your application, I had to decline that first ITA (which I did closer to the deadline in June) due to me needing more time to gather the required documents for the application. As soon as I declined, I was invited again the next draw later that month. Submitted eAPR end of August, Medicals in Sep, COPR received and passport fixed with PR Visa in October. I bought tickets, took another month to 'close shop' in Malaysia and say goodbye, landed in Canada end of Dec 2017.

2, No I did not have job prior to moving here. Even though the CIC website would lead you to believe that this is possible, it is quite impossible. Job hunting is quite hard the first round, even for survival/low level jobs. I am in Calgary, a decent sized city. At first it seemed that no supervisors want to take a risk of hiring a newcomer who is overqualified, however I persisted and landed my first job in a sandwich shop within 2 months. It was hard work for someone like me who's used to that 9 to 5 office life, but the pay was more than enough to sustain my expenses and even I was sending home 25% of my paycheck. I bounced to a few more survival jobs after that (job hunting was so much easier once you have Canadian experience on your resume) until I landed in a lower-position but within my field, more than 1 year later.

You will find that different people will have different luck with jobs. In my case, my field require me to be locally certified. There is quite a long process for it as I'm required to take 8 exams, and THEN have to find a place to intern no less than a year. My advice is to research up front what your specific field of work requires in Canada and to be prepared for it. Most professional positions (lawyers, engineers, doctors, dentists) are regulated, meaning they have a specific body which will dictate how your qualification will translate there.

3. Overall experience is 10/10 would do it again if I have to. My worst fear was not adjusting to the cold, but surprisingly I very quickly overcame it and I got used to it pretty well. But my goal for immigration is not financial, so I'm pretty happy sitting at a lower position than I was in Malaysia. I've seen a lot of people struggle with this. Don't expect your job to translate equally after immigration in a short time. You will get there at some point, but it will take quite a few years and you will need to be patient and very hardworking.

Personally my quality of life have improved 500%?? compared to living in KL. There are more things to enjoy and I can afford them even though technically I'm not earning as high as I was when I was in KL. Some Egs: I can afford to rent a whole apartment here vs I shared a house with roomates in KL, my car here is fully paid for vs my car in KL was on loan, I have spare money to send home/save vs barely making it meet in KL, I can go walk/jog in the parks no fear of getting robbed/killed/raped, my home don't have to have grill bar windows just to deter thieves, air is cleaner, river is not polluted, recycling and sorting garbage is implemented - I could go on but these are just a few things that strike me the most.

4. I'm in Calgary. Reason: Toronto is 'too big' and Vancouver is 'too expensive' and any other Canadian cities will be 'too small' for me. My decision was not made with detailed economic analysis but more of like the story of Goldilocks, Calgary was 'just right' for what I was looking for.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about my experience and I'll answer them when I come and check the forum once in a while.

Nice. Glad that it works out for you. If you don't mind me asking, what field are you in? I have always cautioned friends who want to come to think twice if they have no Canadian education or local experience. Having low expectations (alongside flexibility and adaptability) at the early stage is very important. I chose to abandon my former profession and went through the education route instead to have a second degree and it works out fine thus far.

This post has been edited by klein: Nov 23 2019, 09:38 AM

Yes I agree having flexibility and adaptability is very important. I also caution those who asks me about Canada. Basically it is not an 'expat' type of move. It will not be comfortable, and you must really know what is your personal reason for you to making this move. If it is purely for money/career, perhaps staying in your home country will let you do that faster, and at the comfort of your status quo. For me personally, the move was motivated by wanting a better environment, and wanting the freedom that comes with living in first world secular country. So even if I had to work in a sandwich shop for 5 years, I was still willing to take it on.

To answer your question, I am in the field of law. As Malaysia is a 'mixed law' legal system according to the accreditation body, I was assigned to write and pass 8 law subjects. This can be done at my own time within 5 years of the assessment. Currently I'm still working on this stage, but since I have gotten a job at a solo practitioner's firm, I am learning a lot as I work everyday, and I have also secured my 'articling' position, which is a mandatory 1 year 'internship' type of period under a qualified lawyer. But I know a lot of foreign trained lawyers here who having completed their required exams, but are still hunting for this articling position. It's not easy to find as it is basically a job-hunt and you are competing with local law graduates who are obviously preferred. Having said that, hundreds and thousands of professional immigrants have made it before me, my current boss included. It's just a question of how far you are willing to go and how much you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

This post has been edited by jouhaiichi_gou: Nov 26 2019, 03:20 AM

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. It's a really nice country to live in as long as we are clear of what we are doing it for. Anyway, will shoot you a message if I ever visit Calgary.

Thanks for sharing, would you mind clarifying if you get points in education or working experience for EE?
I always thought EE is impossible unless you have a Canada accredited degree.

Hi Kyu,

EE is totally open to those who have never been to Canada before, like me. EE has a system where you will given points for different aspects of your profile - age, education, working experience, English proficiency. If you have Canadian education, then you are given points based on that. But if you have a 'foreign' education like me, then you need to take an extra step where you send it to an assessment agency (eg. WES) where they will assess your foreign education and give an assessment of what is the 'Canadian equivalent' of those qualifications are. In my case my degree from a Malaysian university was assessed as a "Canadian Equivalency - 4 year bachelors degree" and my masters from another Malaysian university was assessed as "Canadian Equivalency - Master's Degree".

If you are interested to start an EE Profile, and see where what CRS point you might get, I'm more than happy to assist. It's a pretty straightforward process once you familiarize yourself with the CIC website. As a start, without spending any money, we can look into the CRS calculator tool using an estimated IELTS score as well as an estimate of your academic qualification.

But basically TLDR, a 'good candidate' for EE would be:

1. Good English - you'll need a valid IELTS result of 7777 or more to get most points.
2. Academic qualification - degree is good, a masters will give you more points, a PhD will give you max points for this factor.
3. At least 1 year continuous work in your 'field' - max points for 3 years or more
4. You have enough cash to bring to Canada - 13k CAD for single person, it goes up if you are bringing spouse , and more if you have kids. Basically they want you to land with enough funds to manage yourself while you are getting settled.

Hope that helps and good luck in your research. DM me if you think I can help I did my EE application by myself with help and guidance from the internet. Don't waste money on consultants or lawyers, if you have good English that's all you need to navigate the process. There are also plenty of guidelines and tips from forums like those on Canadavisa.com. Right now EE-Federal Skilled Worker seem to have pretty high cut off points, but they might come down again. Also there are plenty of programs to look into such as the provincial nomination programs which will give you that extra 600 points, as well as the new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot that was just announced yesterday. (Don't be put off by the name of the program, one of the communities listed is Claresholm, AB which is a town 1.5 hours SOUTH of Calgary.)

Thanks for the clarification, master degree is the difference.
I barely made 440 points with 9999 IELTS result, thus my question.
I might try to get a degree or master in Canadian College.
Thank you again for taking the time to a lengthy reply.

The current trend is really high right now, circa 470's. When I qualified back in 2017 my score was just 459, but the trend was in the 440s. I'm guessing the program is gaining popularity as more people around the world is becoming aware of it.

If you have means to get a placement in a Canadian college/uni and can afford the expenses, I say go for it. After you get a degree or master's here in Canada, you may be qualified for a 2 year Post Graduate Work Permit, after which you will qualify to apply for Express Entry under the Canadian Experience Class. However, when choosing your institution for higher education, make sure they are listed under the CIC's list of institution that would entitle you to that 2 years PGWP (make sure the program you choose qualify too).

Also if you are going by this route, please keep in mind that when you are applying for a student's visa you have to demonstrate that you intend to return after you finished your program i.e. you CAN'T show your intention to permanently immigrate if you are applying for a student's visa, as they might not approve your student's visa. It's a weird rule when you think about how PGWP is a thing, but it's just the way it is.

Alternatively, you can still put a profile up in EE (would only cost you IELTS and ECA assessment), even with a score in the 440s you can try to supplement that score with a Provincial Nomination, or you might get invited when the scores fall lower again. It might still go down, but if you don't have a profile up in the EE pool then you will miss out. Keep in mind there are always new programs/pilot programs that may be introduced in the future, so even if you don't see any possible routes now, keep checking in and see if any new programs might suit you.

It is not always a wise decision to get a master degree from a Canadian university for the purpose of increasing your points. A lot PhD or masters candidates are struggling to find employment after graduation because companies would rather go for those undergraduate degree holders. These undergrads are typically young, have arrived in Canada at the age of 18-20 and in some instances, have gained valid Canadian work experiences through co-op placement. I am not saying that it is impossible but you have to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, your goals, and your expectations.

If you are in the tech startup business, some fast-track programs are available. Likewise, it is possible to apply for jobs from outside of Canada to be eligible for some other provincial immigration programs without having to go through EE. You have to do more research.

Hi, did you manage to migrate? Are you in Canada now?

Thanks a lot for sharing and providing this great insight! Even though you had to do survival jobs, you still said this move improved your quality of life by 500% and you would do that again. This is amazing! I am now in the same boat of going through the EE application. I am in my 40's, so my age doesn't help me in points. My wife strongly believes that Canada is a much better country for our kids. I put in my EE in June 2019, but has yet to receive a response. My score was just above the cut off, and I don't have a Canadian degree or a Canadian job offer. BTW, I am in IT. To increase my chances, I have been intermittently applying for Canadian jobs remotely for 5 months now, but have not received any favourable response to date. I guess this is a chicken and egg problem. Without a permit/PR or local work experience, Canadian employers are being a bit conservative. I have also applied through one PNP (provincial program) with Saskatchewan, hoping to increase my chances.

Do you feel I should do anything more to improve my chances? Thank you once again.

Hi Halouwalk, congratulations on taking your first steps. I saw the recent draw, the scores are really high right now, the most recent one being 471. If you can get a PNP that will be the best as the 600 points will mean automatic invitation in the next round.

Another program you can look at is the Pilot Rural and Northern Communities, other than that there's really not much else to do other than hope that the scores will come down soon. How are your IELTS? If your scores are less than the max, maybe consider giving it another try to gain a few more points, I believe max is scoring 7-8-8-8, but please research to verify.

Do DM me if you want to talk more specifics. I would love to assist in any way possible.