Hi guys,
I recently went through the process of applying for Canadian PR under their Express Entry points based system. It is relatively quick and hassle-free as far as PR goes, so I wanted to mention it here as an alternative if you are tired of being stuck in the GC backlog in the US. It is also a good back-up option in case one were to run into H1B renewal issues under the Trump USCIS and did not want to return to India.
If you are below 35, have a master's degree (bachelor's might also suffice), good scores as per their English tests, and have been gainfully employed for 3+ years, you will most likely clear the points cut-off. Above 35 gets trickier as you lose points for age. The whole process can be done in 9-12 months, does not require a lawyer or a job offer, and it results in full unconditional PR, with a path to citizenship in 3 years. As a single person, I have probably incurred total costs of maybe $1500 or so in the whole process. (The requirement to keep PR alive is spending 2 years out of 5 years physically present in Canada. These can be the last 2 years after getting PR. So in theory, you can get PR, look for a job as a PR, and then move there.)
The first step is to take an English test (factors into your points) and get your college/graduate degrees certified. It took me maybe 2-3 months from the day I decided to go for this to finish that. I then created an online profile with my test score information and basic personal details. This takes about an hour. Then, if you meet the points cut-off, they send you an Invitation To Apply. There is a draw every two weeks, so if you are eligible based on your points score (see links below to check your eligibility), you will get an Invitation To Apply pretty quickly. You then have 60 days to respond to this Invitation with more detailed information such as police clearance certificates, travel history, medical check certificate, passport scans, address history, proof of education, proof of work history, English test results, etc. All of this is uploaded and submitted online. Then it takes anywhere from 3-6 months for them to process your application and approve it. After that, it takes another 2-4 weeks for them to stamp Confirmation of Permanent Residence. You then take this and go to Canada, at which point they mail you a PR card. Congratulations, you are now a PR.
You can quickly estimate your Express Entry points here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigra...d/crs-tool.asp
And see historical cut-offs here: https://moving2canada.com/express-entry-draw/
Ask me anything. I will do my best to answer based on my personal experience having gone through this process, but if you are very interested, there are also specialist forums like canadavisa.com which will probably do a better job than me. The IRCC website is also very helpful and clear.
P.S. - Q or someone else, please move this to the right sub-forum. I wasn't sure where to post it. Thanks.
