When shall I apply?

[Sadaftm]

Hey everyone,
I have question regarding Canadian Immigration via express entry. It appears that I qualify for that but currently I am pursuing my PhD degree in japan. I will finish it by 2022.
I wanted to ask what is the ideal
time to apply for the Canadian immigration. Shall I apply now? or shall I apply one year or six months prior to finishing my PhD??
Regards
Sadaf

 

[21Goose]

Hmm.. interesting.

On the one hand, you're at least 3 years away from moving here. On the other, that's a long time for rules and processes to change.

It comes down to this - how confident are you that the rules for Express Entry will not change in 2+ years, and how badly do you want to be a Canadian PR?

If you really really want to be a PR (say you're from a lesser developed country and you want to immigrate and don't want to take any chances), you should apply now. If you start right now, you'll only be able to submit your profile in roughly 3 months. So let's say:

1. You take your IELTS, get your ECA, and submit your profile by October '19
2. You get invited in November '19. You then have 60 days to submit your complete application. You submit everything by mid-Jan 2020.
3. Let's assume your application is processed quickly, and you get your CoPR by mid-May, '20. You then have till about Jan 2021 to land (one year from Medical expiry)
4. You land as late as possible, maybe first week of Jan '21. You then return to finish your PhD.
5. Since you landed in Jan '21, you have ~3 years to move here permanently to maintain your Residency Obligation. So that's Jan 2024. Even if your PhD takes a few extra months, you should be easily able to move here by the end of 2022, or perhaps early 2023.

So that will work.

On the other hand, if the Canadian PR is only one option of many (you're doing a PhD, I'll assume that you'll have good job prospects in many countries), then you can delay your application.

 

[Sadaftm]

Thank you so much for your response.
One more thing is that if I come back to finish my PhD after landing, can my spouse stay there while I finish my PhD and go back?

Hmm.. interesting.

On the one hand, you're at least 3 years away from moving here. On the other, that's a long time for rules and processes to change.

It comes down to this - how confident are you that the rules for Express Entry will not change in 2+ years, and how badly do you want to be a Canadian PR?

If you really really want to be a PR (say you're from a lesser developed country and you want to immigrate and don't want to take any chances), you should apply now. If you start right now, you'll only be able to submit your profile in roughly 3 months. So let's say:

1. You take your IELTS, get your ECA, and submit your profile by October '19
2. You get invited in November '19. You then have 60 days to submit your complete application. You submit everything by mid-Jan 2020.
3. Let's assume your application is processed quickly, and you get your CoPR by mid-May, '20. You then have till about Jan 2021 to land (one year from Medical expiry)
4. You land as late as possible, maybe first week of Jan '21. You then return to finish your PhD.
5. Since you landed in Jan '21, you have ~3 years to move here permanently to maintain your Residency Obligation. So that's Jan 2024. Even if your PhD takes a few extra months, you should be easily able to move here by the end of 2022, or perhaps early 2023.

So that will work.

On the other hand, if the Canadian PR is only one option of many (you're doing a PhD, I'll assume that you'll have good job prospects in many countries), then you can delay your application.

Th

 

[21Goose]

Thank you so much for your response.
One more thing is that if I come back to finish my PhD after landing, can my spouse stay there while I finish my PhD and go back?



Th

Yes, if you add your spouse to your application, and she becomes a PR along with you, she can stay as long as she likes.