Recently Emma Hughes became the first successful Express Entry candidate to achieve Canadian permanent residence under the new express entry system, having first applied just over two months ago.
Originally from Ireland, Hughes was quick to complete her Express Entry profile within just days of the system’s January 1 launch, where she scored 1094 points via the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
An Expedited Process
Because Hughes scored so highly, she was one of the first to be selected from the pool in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) inaugural Express Entry draw on January 31. She soon received her invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence, and she wasted no time in submitting her application online by February 5.
By March 26, Hughes had received confirmation of her permanent resident status from CIC, and the rest is history.
Relief at Last
Hughes recently spoke with CIC News to describe her experience, and how it felt to be the first to complete the Express Entry process.
She said: “It’s great. It’s a big relief not to have to worry about making a decision about whether you’re going to stay or go. You can just kind of relax now and enjoy Canada.”
Hughes’ Inspiration
Hughes first came to Canada to visit family who had previously immigrated 40 years ago to Orono, Ontario. After many family holidays, Hughes began to picture the idea of moving to Canada herself.
But what was it about Canada that was so appealing? Hughes said: “It’s so different from home. There’s a world of possibilities, the culture is so different, and everything is so much more based around being outside and interacting with nature and people. There are so many possibilities.”
Good Advice
Emma also had some fantastic advice for potential immigrants looking to start a new life in Canada. She said: “The best thing to do is to come with a positive attitude. It’s not always going to be easy. When I first came, I worked in a bakery shop in Orono, which was obviously not my dream career but you need Canadian experience to get any kind of position. Any kind of job you can get will help. You can’t come to Canada, or any country, thinking that you’re just going to land your dream job straight away and everything is going to be rosy.
Hughes continued by saying the experience isn’t always easy, and referred to it as a “hard slog” that often came down to being in the right place at the right time.
She said: “If you stick it out, the opportunities are there. It’s the land of immigrants, and they’re always looking for people that have different skill sets. If you come into it with the right attitude, that you’re willing to work hard and take on challenges, they’re happy to let you do that.”
Are You Interested in Applying for Express Entry?
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Emma Hughes, we at visaplace can help. Our experienced lawyers have helped thousands of individuals and families to immigrate to Canada, to visit, work, study or live, and we can help you, too!
Contact us today for more information about the new express entry system, or fill out our free immigration assessment to get started right away.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
