Immigration to Canada

Everything you need to know about immigrating to Canada

If you want to immigrate to Canada, there are a few different ways to apply. You will need to decide which of the following immigration programs will work best for you and your family:

Find out about the requirements and the steps to apply in each category:

• Skilled workers and professionals
  For people who want to settle and work in Canada (outside of Quebec)
• Quebec-selected skilled workers
  For people selected by the Quebec government to settle and work in Quebec
• Canadian Experience Class
  For people who have recent Canadian work experience or have graduated and recently worked in Canada
• Investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed people
  For people who want to start a business in Canada
• Provincial nominees
  One of Canada’s provinces or territories can nominate you to settle and work there
• Sponsoring your family
  How to sponsor a family member to join you here if you are a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen

Skilled workers are selected as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other criteria that have been shown to help them become economically established in Canada. A skilled worker's application will be reviewed in three steps:

1. According to the eligibility criteria, your application is eligible for processing if:

• you have an offer of arranged employment, OR
• you are a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student, OR
• you are a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or more of the occupations listed here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who-instructions.asp#list).

2. If your application is eligible for processing, you must also meet the following minimum requirements to qualify as a skilled worker:

• you have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience or the equivalent in part-time continuous employment, AND
• your work experience must be Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification list, AND
• you must have had this experience within the last 10 years.

3. If you meet these minimum requirements, your application will then be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid. The six selection factors are:

• your education
• your abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages
• your work experience
• your age
• whether you have arranged employment in Canada, and
• your adaptability.

You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada.

Quebec-selected skilled workers have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province of Quebec and establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada. Quebec-selected skilled workers are not assessed on the six selection factors of the Federal Skilled Workers Program. If you want to come to Canada as a Quebec-selected skilled worker, you must first apply to the Quebec government for a certificate of selection (Certificat de sélection du Québec). After you have been selected by Quebec, you have to make a separate application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. A CIC officer will assess your application based on Canadian immigration regulations. You will have to pass a medical examination and security and criminal checks. You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada.

If you are a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student who graduated in Canada, you often have the qualities to make a successful transition from temporary to permanent residence. You are familiar with Canadian society and can contribute to the Canadian economy. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience. Applying to stay in Canada permanently in your case is simple. You can do this under the Canadian Experience Class. You must meet these minimum requirements to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class. You must:

• plan to live outside the province of Quebec
• be either:
  • a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or
  • a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada
• have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization
• apply while working in Canada – or – within one year of leaving your job in Canada

According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

• Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or
• Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
• Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)

Your application will be assessed on two requirements if you apply as a temporary foreign worker:

• your work experience and
• your ability in English or French.

If you apply as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience, it will be assessed using the above requirements, as well as:

• your education.

The Business Immigration Program seeks to attract experienced business people to Canada who will support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy. Business immigrants are expected to make a C$400,000 investment or to own and manage businesses in Canada. Canada has three classes of business immigrants:

• investors
• entrepreneurs and
• self-employed persons.

Each application can be made for only one class and cannot be changed once the application is submitted. The criteria you must meet to qualify are different for each class. For additional information, see the section Doing business in Canada in the menu Staying in Canada.

Persons who immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them. They are ready to establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada. To apply under the Provincial Nominee Program, applicants must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory. Most provinces in Canada have an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows them to nominate immigrants who wish to settle in that province. If you choose to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee, you must first apply to the province where you wish to settle and complete its provincial nomination process. The province will consider your application based on its immigration needs and your genuine intention to settle there.

Here is a list of the provinces and one territory currently participating in this program. Since the criteria vary among the provinces, you should visit their websites for more information.

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

Provincial nominees are not assessed on the six selection factors of the Federal Skilled Workers Program. After you have been nominated by a province or territory, you have to make a separate application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. A CIC officer will then assess your application based on Canadian immigration regulations. You will have to pass a medical examination and security and criminal checks. You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada.

Finally, if you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child (including adopted child) or other eligible relative (such as a parent or grandparent) to become a permanent resident. If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you are responsible for supporting your relative financially when he or she arrives. As a sponsor, you must make sure your spouse or relative does not need to seek financial assistance from the government. The process to sponsor your family begins when you, as a citizen or permanent resident in Canada, apply to be a sponsor. There are two different processes for sponsoring your family. One process is used for sponsoring your spouse, conjugal or common-law partner and/or dependent children. Another process is used to sponsor other eligible relatives.

Further information on immigrating to Canada can be obtained on Citizenship and Immigration Canada website http://www.cic.gc.ca/.