Immigrate To Canada
Express Entry is the fastest and most popular pathway for the skilled immigrants who want to settle in Canada permanently and contribute to the economy.
How Express Entry Works ?
In Express Entry, an online system is used to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.
It involves a two-step process. The first step is to submit an Express Entry profile, where you give all information about yourself. This step requires following documents:
- Language test results
- Educational credential assessment report
- A passport or travel document details
If you’re eligible and are accepted into the pool of candidates, you will be ranked in the Express Entry pool using a points-based system. Your score is based on the information in your profile. As a next step you will receive an invitation and apply for permanent residence. If you are invited, you will need to provide a more detailed application that includes reference letters, police clearance certificates, and results of a medical examination.
Who is eligible for Express Entry?
Candidates with skilled work experience and moderate proficiency in English and /or French are eligible to apply under Express Entry.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently.
To be eligible, you must meet the minimum requirements of skilled work experience, language ability and education. If you meet all the minimum requirements, you are ranked with a score by assessing your application based on many factors like age, education, work experience and more.
Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP)
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
To be eligible, you must meet the requirements of skilled trade work experience, language ability and a valid job offer or the Canadian trade certificate.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.
To be eligible, you must have skilled work experience in Canada and language ability. You must have gained your work experience by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work.
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is also a pathway that leads to permanent residency. A province in Canada will personally select immigrants they believe can contribute to the economy within that province and choose them to reside in their area permanently. As PNPs include many regions (all except Quebec), several have shorter processing times, so many foreign nationals choose this route for permanent residency.
The PNP requirements vary by province. Some target skilled workers, others look out for entrepreneurs and international graduates, while some target individuals with families currently residing in the province.
The main objective for the nomination of immigrants to a province as permanent residents is their ability to become economically established in Canada as per the Immigration and Refugee Policies and Regulations (IRPR). The individual provinces have complete control over their selection criteria and eligibility requirements. However, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will still conduct the process necessary to ensure the nominated candidate is admissible to Canada.
PNPS can also use express entry to select candidates if they have reached their standard number of nominees awarded to them each year.
Canada’s provincial nominee programs (PNPs) offer a pathway to Canadian permanent residence for individuals who are interested in immigrating to a specific Canadian province or territory.
Each Canadian province and territory operate its own PNP designed to meet its specific economic and demographic needs.
PNP program is for individuals who:
- have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory
- want to live in that province, and
- want to become permanent residents of Canada
Each PNP has at least one immigration stream that is aligned with the Federal Express Entry. Provincial nominations issued under these Express Entry-aligned streams are known as “enhanced nomination”. The benefits of enhanced PNP streams are that they award Express Entry candidates an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, which essentially guarantee they will receive a permanent residence invitation under Express Entry. Another major benefit is they can have their permanent residence application processed by the federal government quicker, typically within six months. The other way to obtain permanent residence through the PNP is under a ‘base’ stream. Here, you apply to a PNP stream directly and once you obtain a provincial nomination, the federal government will process your permanent residence application.
Canada also has immigration pathways to facilitate permanent residence in Canada for eligible foreign caregivers.
Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots
The Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot provides eligible caregivers with a pathway to permanent residence once they’ve acquired two years of qualifying Canadian work experience in the last 36 months.
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4411 (excluding foster parents, self-employed or full-time student) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot.
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4412 (excluding housekeepers, self-employed or full-time student) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Support Worker Pilot.
Both the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot will only provide work permits to caregivers who have a full-time (non-seasonal) job offer from Canadian employer outside of Quebec and who meet the following criteria:
- Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 in English or French
- One year or higher of Canadian post-secondary education or the foreign equivalent
Caregivers already working in Canada on a work permit who meet these criteria can also apply for permanent residence through the new pilots.
The pilots also provide:
- Occupation-specific work permits for caregivers, providing the ability to change jobs quickly if necessary.
- Open work permits for spouses/common-law partners and study permits for dependent children, to allow the caregiver’s family to accompany them to Canada.
Employers hiring a caregiver from overseas do not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment.
The Atlantic Immigration pilot program launched in 2017 is a fast-track immigration program that allows employers in Canada’s Atlantic provinces to hire foreign skilled workers and international graduates for jobs they haven’t been able to fill locally. The Atlantic provinces include New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
To immigrate to Atlantic Canada through the pilot, the principal applicants must be a recent graduate of a publicly funded institution in Atlantic Canada or a skilled worker who meets the program requirements.
They must receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada to participate in the pilot and an individualized settlement plan for themselves and their family.
Once a designated employer finds a candidate who meets their employment needs and the program criteria, that employer will need to first offer them a job. Employers do not need to go through the process of obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under this program.
Once the candidate has accepted the job, the employer will connect the candidate with a designated settlement service provider organization for a needs assessment and to develop a settlement plan.
Employers will also support the long-term integration of the new immigrant and his or her family, if applicable, so they can reach the goals of their settlement plan once they arrive in Canada.
Employers that need to fill a job vacancy quickly will have access to a temporary work permit, so that the candidate and his or her family can come to Canada as soon as possible. In order to obtain this work permit, candidates will need:
- a valid job offer;
- a letter from the province; and
- a commitment to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit application.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) has 3 programs:
- Atlantic High-Skilled Program
- Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
- Atlantic International Graduate Program
A Canadian permanent resident is someone who immigrated to Canada and has been granted permanent resident status. Permanent residents are not Canadian citizens; rather, they are citizens of other countries. In order to maintain their residency status, permanent resident must meet certain requirements like residency obligation.
Permanent residents enjoy a number of benefits:
- They have access to Canadian healthcare and social services.
- They are protected by Canadian law and under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- Permanent Residence card allows them to leave and enter Canada
- After meeting the requirements, one may apply for Canadian citizenship.
Permanent Residence Cards
Once a person is has become a landed immigrant in Canada, they are eligible to apply for a Canadian permanent resident card (PR card). This card indicates a person’s PR status in Canada and can be used to travel in and out of the country. These applications are made from inside Canada.
Permanent Residence Card Renewal:
Permanent resident cards are normally valid for five years, However, sometimes PR cards are only valid for one year. Permanent residents must keep track of the expiration date and must apply for the Permanent resident card renewal within six months of their card expiry.
Permanent Residence Travel Document
When the permanent resident is outside Canada and their PR card has already expired, they may apply for Permanent Resident Travel document (PRTD), to travel back to Canada. The PRTD is usually valid for a single entry to Canada. PR card can only be renewed from inside Canada
Residency Requirements
In order to maintain the permanent resident status in Canada, one must meet the residency obligations of living in Canada for at least 730 days within a five-year period.
