Express Entry Rejected: The Simple Error Four Lawyers Missed
How one date in a form blocked an otherwise straightforward application
In 2019, a client came to us with a frustrating problem: he had been trying to register in Express Entry on his own, and by all accounts the registration should have gone through. He met all the requirements.
Yet every attempt was rejected by the system. The message was always the same: "You do not meet the entry requirements for Express Entry" – followed by the standard text explaining that to register, an applicant must meet the requirements of one of the core immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Trades.
The Problem
One of the key entry requirements for the Federal Skilled Trades program is at least two years of work experience in a qualifying trade, along with either a Canadian professional certification in that trade or a job offer from a Canadian employer in that trade.
In this case, the client was a professional electrician. He had come to Canada on a temporary visa and obtained the appropriate Canadian professional certification.
Before reaching us, he had consulted four different immigration lawyers in Toronto, spending roughly $800 on consultations. With one of them, he even sat down at the computer and walked through the Express Entry registration together, step by step. When the system rejected him yet again, the lawyer said "That's bizarre, I have no idea" – and washed his hands of the matter.
The client came to us in utter despair.
The Fix
The problem was identified almost immediately, and the solution was remarkably simple.
It turned out that in every one of his attempts, when the form asked "Date you first became qualified to practise the occupation", the client had been entering the date he received his Canadian certificate. Naturally, the system did not credit him with two years of experience – because the Canadian certificate had been issued only recently.
The correct answer to that question is the date the client graduated from the educational institution where he originally qualified as an electrician in his home country – not the date of his Canadian certification. Work experience in a qualifying trade counts regardless of where it was gained, including experience acquired abroad.
Once we identified the error (which only required reviewing the previously created, rejected Express Entry profile), the rest was straightforward. Within thirty minutes, a new profile was successfully registered. The client was overjoyed.
Lawpoint Immigration understands the technical details of immigration systems that even experienced practitioners can overlook. If you are having trouble with Express Entry or any other immigration process, we can help you identify what is going wrong and get things on track.