If you’re looking to Immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer you’re in luck! Software Engineers are in demand right across Canada and you may be able to secure a Canadian Permanent Residency Visa either with or without a job offer.
For starters, Software Engineers are eligible to apply to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Government’s Immigration program due to the demand for Software Engineers in Canada being so great they have included the occupation on the targeted occupations list, known as the NOC list (National Occupation Code List).
The code for Software Engineers on the NOC is 2173
This is great news for qualified Software Engineers the world over hoping to live and work in Canada.
Express Entry for Canada is not a visa class at all, it is simply the method (or database) that Canadian Immigration uses to select the right candidates for a permanent residency visa and in that case, as a Software Engineer looking to immigrate to Canada we’ll be looking at the Federal Skilled Worker visa and Provincial Nominee program.
Software Engineers from all over the world are eligible to make an Express Entry for Software Engineer Canada Residency providing they have the right skills, experience and qualifications in their home country.
Job Titles to Immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer
Software Engineers looking to move to Canada to work under this NOC category 2173, might be employed under work titles including:
application architect
artificial intelligence (AI) designer
cloud administrator
cloud architect
cloud engineer
computer applications engineer
computer software engineer
computer telecommunications software specialist
embedded software engineer
simulation software design engineer
software architect
software design engineer
software design supervisor
software design verification engineer
software designer
software engineer
software systems designer
software systems integration engineer
software technical architect
software testing engineer
systems applications engineer
systems architect
systems engineer – software
telecommunications software engineer
telecommunications software specialist
All these roles held by Software Engineers are eligible to apply under this specific NOC category of 7251
Skills Required to Immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer
In general, Software Engineers moving to Canada will be able to demonstrate knowledge or experience of the following:
Collect and document users’ requirements and develop logical and physical specifications
Research, evaluate and synthesize technical information to design, develop and test computer-based systems including mobile applications
Develop data, process and network models to optimize architecture and to evaluate the performance and reliability of designs
Plan, design and co-ordinate the development, installation, integration and operation of computer-based systems including mobile applications
Assess, test, troubleshoot, document, upgrade and develop maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software
May lead and co-ordinate teams of information systems professionals in the development of software and integrated information systems, process control software and other embedded software control systems.
Emigrate Canada has a dedicated Engineers Canada desk that only represents qualified Engineers immigrate to Canada. They understand your profession and can talk your language when it comes to explaining your immigration pathway and the route to securing a Canada Visa for you (and your family).
Qualifications Required to Immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer
A bachelor’s degree, usually in computer science, computer systems engineering, software engineering or mathematics or completion of a college program in computer science is usually required.
A master’s or doctoral degree in a related discipline may be required.
Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering, and passing a professional practice examination.
Experience as a computer programmer is usually required.
We represent Software Engineers from all over the World so regardless of your country of qualification feel free to contact us today for a full breakdown of your Canadian Immigration chances.
How to Immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer
The first stage in your Canadian immigration process is to calculate your Canada Immigration points for Express Entry using the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System.
CRS Points are awarded for (amongst other things)
Age
Qualifications
English ability
French ability
Your partner’s skills
Work experience
As well as providing you with important CRS points these factors also count towards your overall Immigration Points score which must equal or exceed a total of 67
Once you receive an ITA (Invitation to apply) from Canadian Immigration as a result of your Express Entry application you’ll only have 60 days in which to lodge a formal application so under no circumstances should you lodge an Express Entry application ‘claiming’ to have certain points without first having all of your points verified through different testing, education equivalence certificates and Professional Qualification assessments.
Once you are invited to apply for your Canada Visa you cannot go back and have these things verified retrospectively, they must be done before you claim any points for them and given that your express entry profile is only valid for one year it makes sense to present the best possible case right from the start.
Software Engineering Skills and Qualification Equivalence Assessment
The process of getting your Software Engineering skills, experience and qualifications verified is called Skills and Qualification Assessment and it serves two purposes.
Canada Software Engineering Skills and Qualification Assessment purpose one: With a positive skills assessment you’ll be able to claim the requisite points on both the Express Entry CRS and eventual Federal Skilled Trades application.
Canada Software Engineering Skills and Qualification Assessment purpose two: Your positive skills assessment will also double as your Canada Equivalent Qualification and is used for your relevant professional registrations so having your Software Engineering skills assessed means that you’ll be qualified to work as a Software Engineer in Canada from day one.
Can I immigrate to Canada as a Software Engineer without a job offer?
The answer is a resounding yes, providing you have a reasonable total CRS score on your Express Entry application and can meet the 67 immigration point threshold for your Canada Federal Skilled Worker Visa.
Technically there is no minimum CRS score required to submit a Software Engineer Canada Express Entry profile.
Of course, securing a job offer (documented in the right way for immigration purposes i.e. LMT) will give you an instant CRS boost of 600 points so it makes sense to start this process as soon as is practical.
Software Engineering Jobs in Canada
Occupations on the Canada NOC list can be classed as being ‘in demand’ and the Software Engineer code 2173 has been firmly established on the list for many years with lots of opportunities right across the country.
As a qualified new and highly skilled Permanent resident of Canada, you may work full time from day one, either as a direct employee, contractor or in a self-employed capacity. Software Engineering jobs in Canada are often better paid than in the UK, Europe and Asia and Canadian employment law respects the work-life balance.