Canada has turned into an ideal destination for immigrants all over the world. with more than 100 immigration programs that result in permanent residency, Canada attracts countless immigrants every year. These programs are designed to cater to Canada’s needs for skilled workers and to manage its population. Deciding on which immigration program is best for you depends on many factors and variables. The definition of “best immigration program” is different for each individual. Simply because your friend successfully immigrated to Canada under a specific program, it does not mean that you can immigrate under the same program as well. By evaluating your documents, age, level of education, etc., the best immigration program that suits your case can be determined. For one individual the best method of immigrating to Canada might be through a provincial skilled worker program while for someone else it is best to apply for a study permit first and move toward permanent residency later. You can contact our registered immigration consultants regarding any queries.
Here we have gathered general Canadian immigration programs for you to study:
Immigration to Canada with a study permit
Getting permanent residency status after studying in Canada is one of the viable methods for immigrating to Canada. Over the years, many students immigrated to Canada by utilizing this method due to easy and straightforward regulations for obtaining residency status after graduation. Upon graduation, a student can apply for permanent residency under multiple immigration programs.
Immigration to Canada with a job offer and work permit
If you have an employment opportunity in Canada, with a valid job offer you may apply for permanent residency status and immigrate to Canada. Valid work permit holders can apply for permanent residency under multiple provincial and federal programs after working in Canada for a specific period of time.
Whether or not you can receive a permanent residency with a valid job offer and work permit, depends on the NOC code of your job in Canada. In most Canadian immigration programs, your job must have a NOC code of 0, A, or B in order to be eligible to apply. (For more information refer to the “Canadian labor market” article)
Immigration to Canada under the Skilled Worker Program
According to the provincial and federal scoring systems in 2022, in order to immigrate to Canada under a skilled worker program, you must have ALL of the following qualifications:
- Be under 35 years old
- A Master’s degree
- A minimum of 5 years of experience
- IELTS overall band score of 7 or above
If you lack even one of the mentioned qualifications, your application will probably be refused.
Immigration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Trades Program
If you have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the past 5 years and have a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade, you can apply for permanent residency status under the Federal Skilled Trades Program. For this program, having high levels of education or a high IELTS score is not required, although, you need a valid job offer from an approved Canadian employer for eligibility.
Immigration to Canada under the Business Immigration Program (Investment)
As the name suggests, this program is for successful businessmen who are looking to expand their business. The federal and provincial/territorial governments both have paved the way for these individuals to apply for permanent residency status. The most important factor in this program is the amount of investment an individual is bringing to Canada.
Whether you want to start a business or purchase an existing one, each provincial business immigration program has its own rules and regulation. This makes for multiple appealing options to choose from. Some provincial business immigration programs grant the investor permanent residency status while others, like Ontario and British Colombia, issue a work permit. Overall, in order to become eligible for a business immigration program, an individual needs to invest somewhere between CA$100,000 and CA$400,000 in a business in Canada.
Immigration to Canada under the Start-up visa Program
Canadian start-up visa programs seem straightforward with minimum eligibility requirements. an IELTS overall band score of 5 and a good start-up idea along with enough financial resources to cover the expenses of living in Canada are the only requirements for these start-up visa programs. Don’t let this fool you though! IRCC is not easygoing when it comes to these applications. The start-up idea must be unique with a reliable and profitable business model. If you have the business skills or your startup idea is supported by an investor or corporation, the probability of being accepted under the start-up visa program is around %80.
Immigration to Canada with a visitor visa
Some applicants believe that applying for a visitor visa can set them on the path to obtaining permanent residency status. In some rare cases, this might be true, but usually, tourists face multiple problems when they want to apply for a PR. We recommend that you assess all methods of immigrating to Canada before submitting an application for a visitor visa to avoid wasting time and money.
Other methods of immigrating to Canada
Immigration to Canada under one of the provincial skilled worker programs
If you have post-secondary education with related work experience and are under 35, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency under one of the provincial skilled worker programs.
Immigration to Canada under the Canadian Experience Class
If you have Canadian education with more than a year of Canadian work experience, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the Canadian Experience Class category of the Express Entry program.
Immigration to Canada under the Québec experience program (PEQ)
If you have Canadian education with more than a year of Canadian work experience in Quebec province, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the Québec experience program.
New regulations for immigrating to Canada
Multiple new programs were introduced in 2021 and rules and regulations remained fairly unchanged. Due to the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the processing of applications was delayed, and fewer applicants were granted permanent residency in these years. This situation resulted in a 150 thousand reduction in the issued residency cards. Canada’s projection for new immigrants in the following years is:
- 431,645 new immigrants in 2022
- 447,055 new immigrants in 2023
- 451,000 new immigrants in 2024
Process of immigration to Canada
In order to apply for Canadian permanent residency status, after evaluating each program, you need to take the following steps:
- Choose the best program
- Know the requirements of the selected program
- Use the council of experienced lawyers and advisors
- Prepare the required documents
- Improve your language proficiency
- Learn more about Canada and the Canadian culture
- Improve your skills and experiences
- Prepare yourself for immigration to Canada
Required documents for immigration to Canada
Each Canadian immigration program has its own set of requirements and eligibility guidelines. Generally, these programs require the following documents:
- Identification documents
- Educational documents (Certificates and degrees)
- Employment documents (Previous work experience, recommendation letters, or Canadian job offer letter)
- Proof of financial support
For more information refer to each program’s article.
Cost of immigration to Canada
Much like the required documentation, each Canadian immigration program has its own costs and expenses. Each one has a different amount of application fee and some have extra fees associated with them. That being said, in almost all Canadian immigration programs you are required to provide proof of means of financial support for the first year of your stay in Canada. This can be about CA$13,000.
Immigration to Canada with your family
Some Canadian immigration programs, enable the applicant to move to Canada with their family. Although, the eligibility factors differ for each program. For example, an applicant applying for permanent residency status under the Express Entry program can only have their spouse and children accompanying them.
Canada has also introduced the family sponsorship program which enables Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada to sponsor their spouse, children, parents, and grandparents and have them apply for Canadian permanent residency status.
Immigration application processing time
Each Canadian immigration program has a different processing time. Some PR applications under the Express Entry program are processed within 6 months, while other PR applications can take up to 2 years to be processed.
Check the processing time of your PR application
Upon clicking on THIS LINK you will be directed to the IRCC website where you will be asked a few questions. After answering the questions according to your application and clicking on the “Get processing time” button, the estimated processing time of your application will be displayed on the screen. Keep in mind that this is an estimation and the exact processing time of your application can hardly be determined.
