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← All nine stories · Priya · Fictional illustrative scenario

Priya: Prepare the next step

Express Entry score may be too low; unsure whether French, provincial nomination or Canadian employment is the right next step.

A practical action plan · 2026-10-26

What to do first, and what supports it

Compare language changes first

Current baseline CRS: 368.

Compare stronger English and qualifying French results separately against the fixed baseline. Choose a study plan only after measuring the score change and effort.

Evidence needed: Existing IELTS results, test date and all four skill levels; conditional score comparisons below.

Before paying for another course

Compare language changes first

Compare stronger English and qualifying French results separately against the fixed baseline. Choose a study plan only after measuring the score change and effort.

Bring: Existing IELTS results, test date and all four skill levels; conditional score comparisons below.

Before applying or relocating

Check the work, not just the title

Compare the sample data-science role with Priya’s actual duties and portfolio. Ask whether an employer can support the required work authorization.

Bring: Duty descriptions, reference letters, portfolio and employer requirements. No offer or employer interest is assumed.

Before buying a credential

Keep three kinds of recognition separate

Check the ECA used for immigration, the rules for the exact occupation and province, and the skills an employer actually asks for.

Bring: ECA expiry, official occupation/regulator information and job requirements.

Before booking travel

Protect the settlement reserve

Compare three and six months without employment income. Revisit housing and timing if the longer runway exceeds available funds.

Bring: Fictional CAD 22,000 savings; the editable planning assumptions below.

Actions identified by the rules engine
  1. Essential: You and all family members, including anyone not coming to Canada, need an immigration medical exam by an IRCC panel physician; Express Entry applicants get it after being invited and before applying. If you live in Canada and had an exam in the last 5 years showing low or no risk, you may be able to reuse it. (Economic permanent residence: admissibility)
  2. Essential: You and family members aged 18 or older need police certificates for each country, other than Canada, where you lived six months or more in a row since age 18 in the last 10 years. (Economic permanent residence: admissibility)
  3. Essential: Work experience is read against what the occupation's description says, not against your job title: IRCC looks for the lead statement and a substantial number of the main duties, including every essential one. For Canadian work it asks for employer reference letters covering each period you claim, with your work permit and your T4 slips or Notice of Assessment, or other records that substantiate the work, such as a letter of employment, contracts and pay stubs. Time while you were a full-time student does not count. Check that each letter states your duties, your dates, your hours and your pay, and that the duties in it are the duties you actually performed. (Express Entry: system and pool)
  4. Essential: Every figure in your estimate rests on a document, and the document has to still be valid on the day you submit. If your score is recalculated below the lowest score in the round you were invited in, IRCC says to decline the invitation; applying anyway can mean a refusal and no refund of the application fee. An expired language result, a lower retest, a job offer that has ended or a nomination that has been withdrawn all lower a score. Check the date on each language result, each credential assessment and each bank letter against the date you expect to submit, and ask for a replacement early where one will be needed. (Express Entry: system and pool)
  5. Essential: Unless you are exempt, your settlement funds must be your own and available, not borrowed or tied up in property, shown by letters from each bank listing balances, six-month averages and debts. You don't need proof of funds if you're invited under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you're authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer; IRCC's system still asks everyone for a proof of funds document, so in that case you upload a letter explaining why. Keep your funds up to date in your profile, since you may not know ahead of time which program you'll be invited under. (Express Entry: Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Programs)
Evidence for the next discussion · 2026-10-26

Prepare a useful briefing

Start with the records behind the questions

  1. Passport, degree, transcripts and the ECA report with its issue date.
  2. IELTS score report and employment references describing duties, hours and dates.
  3. Evidence of available funds; language and job questions for the consultation.

Choose the assessment version and any scenarios or saved opportunities to share. Add questions and corrections; sharing does not mean completed legal review.

Document findings from the assessment
Immigration medical exam for applicant and all family members

You and all family members, including anyone not coming to Canada, need an immigration medical exam by an IRCC panel physician; Express Entry applicants get it after being invited and before applying. If you live in Canada and had an exam in the last 5 years showing low or no risk, you may be able to reuse it.

Economic permanent residence: admissibility · To gather

Medical examination for permanent residence applicants
Police certificates for Express Entry applicants and family members

You and family members aged 18 or older need police certificates for each country, other than Canada, where you lived six months or more in a row since age 18 in the last 10 years.

Economic permanent residence: admissibility · To gather

Express Entry: Police certificates
Employment evidence, and the occupation code your duties have to support

Work experience is read against what the occupation's description says, not against your job title: IRCC looks for the lead statement and a substantial number of the main duties, including every essential one. For Canadian work it asks for employer reference letters covering each period you claim, with your work permit and your T4 slips or Notice of Assessment, or other records that substantiate the work, such as a letter of employment, contracts and pay stubs. Time while you were a full-time student does not count. Check that each letter states your duties, your dates, your hours and your pay, and that the duties in it are the duties you actually performed.

Express Entry: system and pool · To gather

Canadian experience class (CEC): Qualifying work experience
Points and eligibility have to be supported by documents that are still valid

Every figure in your estimate rests on a document, and the document has to still be valid on the day you submit. If your score is recalculated below the lowest score in the round you were invited in, IRCC says to decline the invitation; applying anyway can mean a refusal and no refund of the application fee. An expired language result, a lower retest, a job offer that has ended or a nomination that has been withdrawn all lower a score. Check the date on each language result, each credential assessment and each bank letter against the date you expect to submit, and ask for a replacement early where one will be needed.

Express Entry: system and pool · To gather

Apply for permanent residence through Express Entry
Acceptable settlement funds and proof

Unless you are exempt, your settlement funds must be your own and available, not borrowed or tied up in property, shown by letters from each bank listing balances, six-month averages and debts. You don't need proof of funds if you're invited under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you're authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer; IRCC's system still asks everyone for a proof of funds document, so in that case you upload a letter explaining why. Keep your funds up to date in your profile, since you may not know ahead of time which program you'll be invited under.

Express Entry: Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Programs · To gather

Documents for Express Entry: Proof of funds
Family and settlement · Fictional plan · 2026-10-26

Plan for the people making the move

Single; applying alone.

  • Priya is applying alone. The budget counts one adult.
  • Housing, health coverage, banking and arrival arrangements still need confirmation before a move.

Budget example: Toronto, 1 adults. Housing, healthcare and practical preparation are distinct from immigration permission.

Settlement planning · Fictional household inputs · 2026-10-26

How long can the reserve last?

Toronto · 1 adult. Compare an arrival reserve without assuming employment income.

3 months without income

$12,750

Housing $2,200/month + essentials $950/month, travel $1,500 and setup $1,800.

$22,000 fictional available funds. $9,250 remains before unpriced costs.

Fictional inputs, not market quotes or an immigration proof-of-funds threshold. No salary is counted.

6 months without income

$22,200

Housing $2,200/month + essentials $950/month, travel $1,500 and setup $1,800.

$22,000 fictional available funds. $200 funding gap before unpriced costs.

Fictional inputs, not market quotes or an immigration proof-of-funds threshold. No salary is counted.

Adjust the fictional monthly budget

Six-month planning subtotal: $22,200.

The same budget calculation used in Success in Canada totals these inputs. Changes stay in this page and are not saved to an account.

Immigration/application fees, professional fees, health insurance, childcare and licensing/training costs are not priced here. Obtain applicable amounts before committing. This subtotal is therefore incomplete until those applicable costs are added.

Explore the consultation experience

Carry your assessment into a conversation

Try this fictional example. These sample times are not live availability. This demonstration stays in your browser; it sends nothing, makes no booking and takes no payment. Use sample text only.

1 · Choose a sample time

Immigration consultation

30 minutes · Video meeting · America/Toronto (EDT, UTC−4)

Sample appointment times

Consultation fee: $300 CAD

If you retain the firm for the matter discussed, the consultation fee is waived, and if you have already paid it, it is credited against your retainer so it is not charged twice.

2 · Review and give permission

Your assessment travels with you

Assessment dated October 26, 2026. Goals, deadlines, missing information and assumptions are saved as a fixed version, with only the optional items you select.

Permission applies to this sample only. No report is sent to the firm.

Choose the example report details, opportunities and comparisons
Review what you share

Your assessment released 2026-10-26, including its goals, deadlines, missing information and assumptions, will be saved as a fixed consultation version. You do not need to repeat the assessment.

You’re aiming for: Permanent residence (become a permanent resident).

Saved opportunities (optional, up to 12)

Saved budgets (optional, up to 8)

Add a conditional comparison

Choose only the assumptions you want to discuss. The calculation uses the current rules and is saved with its calculation date; it does not change your assessment.

The same level in listening, reading, writing and speaking, from a valid test.

These notes do not change your assessment. Update your answers separately if you need a new assessment.

3 · Example after confirmation

Consultation and sharing confirmation

Wednesday, October 28, 2026
10:00–10:30 a.m. · Toronto (EDT)

Assessment version 1 · October 26, 2026
1 selected opportunity · 1 budget · 1 conditional comparison

Payment: None taken in this example.
Meeting link: Issued privately for a real confirmed appointment.

Your saved briefing is available to you and the assigned reviewer or an authorized administrator. Sensitive assessment details stay out of the calendar invitation.

Fictional demonstration. No appointment booked or information shared.

The example below shows the completed state. Select your details and confirm above to try it.

Read the fixed example briefing, selected findings and assumptions

Shared consultation briefing · version 1

Shared 2026-10-26. Assessment released 2026-10-26. This saved version stays unchanged when your live assessment or saved opportunities change.

Sharing is for consultation preparation. It does not mean a lawyer has reviewed or accepted your matter.

Your goal

You’re aiming for: Permanent residence (become a permanent resident).

You’re aiming for: Permanent residence (become a permanent resident). We checked your answers against 20 requirements for your goal. Here’s what we found: 18 appear to be met and 2 may not be met.

Suggested pathways

  • Express Entry: Federal Skilled Worker Program: From what you told us, 11 of 11 requirements checked appear to be met.

Deadlines and missing information

  • Language test results reach two years old (submit your PR application before this date): 2028-06-15
  • Educational credential assessment (ECA) reaches five years old (complete your profile and submit your PR application before this date, or ask the organization that issued it whether it can re-issue it): 2030-03-01

No missing information was recorded in this assessment.

Your questions and corrections

Which missing evidence should I gather first, and which pathway needs further assessment?

This is a fictional example. No additional personal information supplied.

Selected opportunities and scenarios

Data scientist: fictional example · job

Published date unavailable. Source checked 2026-10-26.

Facts saved at sharing

Build statistical models, evaluate machine-learning results and explain findings to a product team. Python, SQL and a portfolio of applied projects are fictional employer requirements.

Toronto, Ontario · CAD 95,000 per year: fictional input

  • No offer, work authorization or employer participation is assumed.

Priya · 3-month reserve

3 months · 1 adults · 0 children · Toronto

Balance after costs using confirmed income: CAD -12,750. Hypothetical income remains separate.

  • Scenario date 2026-10-26. No salary, employer reimbursement or permission to work is assumed.
  • Amounts are fictional Canadian-dollar planning inputs. Savings and this budget are not the legal settlement-funds requirement.
  • Costs are counted over 3 months, for 1 adult and 0 children.
  • A figure published by a body is counted once at the amount it publishes, with no allowance for an increase it has not announced.
  • Immigration/application fees, professional fees, health insurance, childcare and licensing/training costs are not priced here. Obtain applicable amounts before committing.
  • A scenario is a way of asking what something would cost, not a prediction. Nothing here promises when you will be licensed, that you will be offered a job, or what you would be paid.
  • This total is your own arithmetic over the figures you chose to include. No regulator or government publishes a total for a route, so a total is never theirs, and anything nobody publishes is left out of it and listed under what is still unknown.
  • Income you have told us is already settled, with what you hold to show it. This is the only income any total here counts.
  • These are figures you are trying out, not figures anybody has offered you. They are kept out of every total of what you actually have.
    Saved budget calculations

    Costs included: CAD 12,750. This total is your own arithmetic over the figures you chose to include. No regulator or government publishes a total for a route, so a total is never theirs, and anything nobody publishes is left out of it and listed under what is still unknown.

    • Housing: CAD 6,600. Fictional monthly household input, not a rent quote.
    • Food, transport, phone and other essentials: CAD 2,850. Fictional monthly household input.
    • Travel: CAD 1,500. Fictional household allowance; obtain a quote.
    • Arrival and household setup: CAD 1,800. Fictional one-time allowance.

    Confirmed income over 3 months: CAD 0.

      Hypothetical income, excluded from the confirmed balance: CAD 0.

        Conditional comparison · calculated 2026-10-26

        • Language test results (all four abilities): 9

        CRS estimate: 368 before, 442 under the selected assumptions.

        • Express Entry: Federal Skilled Worker Program: Worth investigating to Worth investigating

        Assumptions and limits

        • We checked your answers as they stood on October 26, 2026, against the rules in force then. A change announced after that day isn’t included here.
        • You answered "not sure" or "not decided" to 2 questions, so we treated them as not yet known rather than as a "no": What do you expect the work permit to be based on; Are you assessing whether you qualify for a new application under the current Ontario Workforce Priority job-offer criteria, rather than an earlier application, an existing nomination or the self-employed-physician category.
        • You skipped 2 questions, so nothing here relies on them: Tell us a little about your background and what you hope to do in Canada.; Is there anything else you would like us to understand about your goals or your situation.
        • We took your educational credential assessment and your language test results as valid on the day you apply. Key dates above says when each stops counting; after that date the result changes.
        • 2 answers you wrote in your own words were not read by the rules: they only read the questions with set answers. A lawyer reads what you wrote.
        • We used the family size you gave (1) for every amount of money a rule asks you to show.
        • Selected scenarios use the rules and sources available at the capture date. They are conditional comparisons, not predictions or legal advice.
        • A saved listing is not a job offer, admission decision or work authorization. Corrections below are statements for discussion and do not change the assessment.

        Using the Marketplace is optional and is never a condition of booking a consultation or retaining the firm.

        Open your assessment to arrange a consultation

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