Canada Immigration

Canada Immigration needs 1 million skilled migrants to fill critical skills shortages across the country. On a Federal Level the Government invites skilled migrants to the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Visa class.

On a ‘local’ level the Canadian Provinces give invitations to apply for Canada Immigration to fill ‘regional; skills shortages. Canadian Provinces use the Provincial Nomination Program for this purpose.

Will Canada Immigration Close Borders Soon?

Wherever you are in the World, Canada Immigration should be on your radar right now. The Canadian Government have publicly stated the need for 1 million skilled migrants over the next two years.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Canada Immigration and is an opportunity that should be seized upon, because after Canada Immigration have filled their quotas, the door could close on this visa platform indefinitely.

There are two main Canada Immigration Visa pathways. One way is to secure a permanent residence visa, the other is to enter Canada on a temporary work permit, then convert this temporary work permit to full Canada Immigration Permanent Residency.

Canadian Permanent Residents (and their immediate families) are awarded the following benefits:

• Live and work in Canada
• Enter and leave without the need for further Canada Visas
• Access Education for children
• Access Health Services
• Purchase Property
• Access a full range of financial services
• Set up a business
• and best of all, Canada Immigration Permanent Residency can convert into full Canadian Citizenship after three years.

Canada Immigration Permanent Residency can be thought of as ‘tentative Citizenship” because there are very few differences between permanent residency and citizenship in Canada. The major differences are that a Permanent Resident cannot vote, and that permanent residents may still be deported if they commit a serious crime.

How long does Canada Immigration Permanent Residency last?

Once you and your family have been awarded Permanent Residency you will be able to hold this on an indefinite basis, as long as you accumulate at least 2 years of residency in every 5 years period. This does not need to be consecutive, and is a cumulative figure.

What are the Main Categories of Canada Immigration

There are 6 categories of Canadian Immigration:

• Federal Skilled Worker
• Quebec Skilled Worker
• Provincial Nominee Program
• Family Sponsorship
• Business Immigrant
• Canadian Experience Class
• Canada Sophisticated Investor Program

Each immigration class targets a different group of migrants and has it’s own set of unique requirements.

What Canada Immigration Visa is Right for me?

Confused about what Canada Immigration visa is right for you, or worried about your eligibility to emigrate to Canada? Below you will find the exact requirements for all six of the main Canada Visa types as well as full details on how to apply for each.

Canada Immigration Federal Skilled Worker Visa

To potentially qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker program, applicants will be required to have one of the following occupations and have at least one year of continuous full-time employment (or the equivalent in part-time hours). Eligible work experience must be of a skilled nature at either Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B in Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC) platform. This work experience must have been within the 10 year period immediately before making a Canada Immigration application.

Canada Immigration NOC Codes

How much money do I need in the bank for Canada Immigration?

In addition to having an Occupation in demand on the table, Canada Immigration Federal Skilled Worker applicants will be required to demonstrate they have sufficient financial resources to support themselves and their family for 6 months after arrival in Country. If you have a formal job offer, this requirement does not apply.

Calculate Canada Immigration Points

The third part of the Canada Immigration trinity is a points based assessment. CIC Canada uses a points based martix to benchmark potential applicants against the other candidates all looking to emigrate to Canada at the same time.

An applicant must reach 67 points to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Visa

Calculate Points Score for Canada Immigration on a Federal Skilled Worker Visa

The overall benchmark score of 67 is made up of a number of points awarded for each of the following categories:

• Education (maximum 25 points)
• Language Skills (maximum 24 points)
• Work Experience (maximum 21 points)
• Age (maximum 10 points)
• Arranged Employment (maximum 10 points)
  If you hold valid offer of employment, or are applying within Canada on a temporary work permit you will get credit for your current employment status.
• Adaptability (maximum 10 points)
  Includes such factors as previous experience working or studying in Canada, or having family in Canada.

A couple of examples of where points are awarded in the Canadian immigration score grid are shown below. This does not cover all the areas where your points will be awarded – it is designed to give you an idea of how the system of points scoring works within the Canadian immigration system.

Take our FREE VISA ASSESSMENT for a full eligibility review of your Canada Immigration chances

Police Checks for Canada Immigration

Remember to factor in Police Checks and Medicals at the very end of the Federal Skilled Worker application process.

How to Apply for a Federal Skilled Worker Canada Immigration Visa

The steps of the application are documented below. Do remember this is a complex legal process and make sure you are fully prepared before embarking on one of the most life altering decisions of your life.

1. Have your education qualification verified by one of the Educational Verification organizations licensed and regulated by the Canadian Government such as World Education Services (WES)
2. Take either your English or French Test (or both if you have this skill level). Please note that even applicants from English Speaking Countries must go through testing.
3. Create an Express Entry Profile.
4. Secure a Job Offer. As part of your Express Entry profile you’ll be required to register with Job Bank Canada which could form the starting point of your Canada Immigration Job Search or
5. Depending on your Occupation you may be able to boost through Express Entry and immigrate to Canada without a job offer by undertaking Canadian Registration or Licensing of your Profession. For example, Nurses Immigrating to Canada can boost through Express Entry by successfully registering with a Provincial Nursing Authority.

Other occupations and professions that can Immigrate to Canada without a Job Offer include:

• Teachers
• Surveyors
• Accountants
• Doctors
• Vets
• Dentists
• Lawyers
• Engineers
• and many others

Canada Immigration for Skilled Trades

The Federal Skilled Worker Visa detailed above does not include Skilled Tradespeople who have their very own Federal Skilled Immigration visa class based on the critical demand in Canada for good, highly skilled tradespeople from all over the World.

The visa for Skilled Trades is called the Federal Skilled Trades Visa and the process is identical to the steps outlined above (scroll up if you missed it) except that as a Skilled Tradesperson your previous experience will of course be in a skilled trade.

Most skilled trades require some form of training, knowledge level and competence. In Canada, skilled trades are covered by the Red Seal Program and there is a process with which you can ‘transfer your qualifications from your home country into the Canadian equivalent by undertaking what is called a Red Seal Challenge.

Once an applicants Red Seal Challenge has been approved they will then be boosted through Express Entry into the Federal Skilled Trades Visa class and will be able to immigrate to Canada without a job offer.

Quebec Skilled Immigration Visa

If your Canada Immigration plans include Quebec you must meet the selection criteria of the Province of Quebec:

After an agreement between the Province of Quebec and the Government of Canada, Quebec developed its own selection process for the skilled worker visa category.

If you intend to live in Quebec you will be assessed based on the Quebec Selection criteria and not the evaluation used by CIC. The Quebec Immigration Visa selection is points-based and to qualify for a Quebec Selection Certificate, single applicants must score at least 60 points from ten criteria, while an applicant with a spouse or partner must score 68 points.

Quebec Canada Immigration Points Score

• Training and Education (maximum 29 points)
• Validated Employment Offer (maximum 10 points)
  Points are awarded for having a job offer from Quebec, with extra points awarded for a job offer from outside the metropolitan area of Montreal.
• Experience (maximum 9 points)
• Age (maximum 18 points)
  Full points are awarded for being between the ages of 18-35
• Language Proficiency (maximum 22 points)
  French is the official language in Quebec and so the Province places emphasis on oral language abilities rather than written tasks. A maximum of 16 points are available for oral interaction in French, with an additional 6 available for spoken English.
• Family in Quebec (maximum 9 points)
• Partners Characteristics (maximum 18 points)
  Points may be awarded for the partners language, education, training, work experience and age
• Children (maximum 8 points)
• Finances (1 point)
  Although only one point is awarded for having sufficient funds for financial self-sufficiency for the first 6 months and Canada Immigration visa application is automatically refused without this criteria.
• Adaptability (maximum 8 points)
  An overall assessment of the prospective visa holders to adapt to their new life in Quebec

Satisfying these requirements results in the issue of a Quebec Selection Certificate which unlocks Canada immigration to Quebec.

Canada Immigration Provincial Nomination Program

To immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program, an applicant must first make representation for a Provincial Nomination Certificate to the provincial government where they intend to ultimately settle.

Each province has different requirements and Provincial nominees receive priority processing for their permanent residency applications. With a Provincial Nomination Certificate in hand Canada Immigration applicants are boosted through the Express Entry Platform into the relevant Permanent Residency Visa stream, without the need for a job offer (although some provinces and occupations do indeed require this to secure the Provincial Nomination in the first instance).

The following provinces currently participating in the Provincial Nomination Program are:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Please note that Provincial Canada Immigration nominees are not assessed on the six selection criterias of the Federal Skilled Immigration Program.

Canada Business Immigration Program

The Canada Business Immigration Program is designed for those business people and entrepreneurs who are standing by to contribute to Canadas economy through investment and managerial skills.

Applicants under this category will have the financial resources to strengthen the Canadian economy and facilitate job creation in the Country. Individuals with prior, demonstrable business experience and net worth may apply under one of three categories, each with its own requirements.

Canada Immigration Immigrant Investor Program

Canada Immigration Entrepreneur Visa

The Entrepreneur Visa is aimed at business migrants who plan to have a hands-on role in their contributions to the Canadian economy. The net worth requirements for the Entrepreneur Program are lower at CAD$300,000 and applicants must commit to both managing and owning at least one third of a Canadian business within three years of landing in Canada.

Canada Immigration Self-Employed Program

The Canada Immigration Self-Employed Program is for those applicants who are able willing to support themselves and their dependents through self-employed income. Applicants will need to demonstrate experience, net worth and residual income.

Canadian Experience Class

The Canada Immigration Experience Class Visa is for foreign workers and international students who want to become Canadian Permanent Residents. The visa is based on a simple pass or fail model with different requirements for two separate visa sub categories.

1. International Graduates with Canadian Work Experience
   Applicants will be able to demonstrate:Successfully completing a program of study of at least two academic years at a Canadian educational institution;
   Have at least one year of work experience
   Average English language skills
2. Temporary Foreign Workers
   Applicants will be able to demonstrate:
   Average English language skills

Applicants still legally in Canada may apply from within Canada yet applicants no longer in Canada have only one year from the date of leaving in which to lodge their applications.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Also known as a work permit, the temporary foreign worker program is a division of Canada Immigration that usually requires a job offer that can only be formalized after the employer obtains a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from Human Resources and Social Development Canada confirming that the employment will not adversely affect Canadian workers. This is not a hard and fast rule and there are many exceptions. If in doubt take our Free Visa Assessment for the full facts.

US Citizens can often obtain a Canadian work permit without a job offer under the NAFTA Free Trade Agreement Policy.

Can my Partner Join me on my Temporary Foreign Worker Program Visa?

Partners of Canadian work permit holders may accompany the work permit holder to Canada. Usually, partners and spouses are eligible to apply for an open work permit in their own right, which allows them to work for any employer in Canada.

Canada Immigration Family Class Sponsorship

The Family Class Sponsorship stream of the Canada Immigration program allows adult Canadian citizens or permanent to sponsor close family members, who wish to immigrate to Canada. In order to successfully sponsor a relative for Family Class immigration the Canadian citizen or permanent resident must undertake via legal declaration to support the family member who wishes to immigrate for up to ten years after their arrival.

This does not mean they will be supporting the family member for between three and ten years as it would be expected that the migrating family member would ultimately be able to support themselves. However, the caveat is put in place as a fall back option. Additionally, the inbound relative must also sign a declaration that they will strive to become self sufficient as soon as possible.

Which family members can sponsor me to Canada?

• Spouses or common-law partners
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Dependent children under 22 years of age