Canadian Immigration Overview

If you are not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada you will be required to obtain a study permit in order to study in Canada. Generally speaking in order to obtain a Student Visa you must:

• Satisfy the immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your studies.
• Have a letter of acceptance from an educational institution.
• Prove that you have sufficient funds for the duration of your stay in Canada
• Be law-abiding and have no record of criminal activity.
• Produce any additional documents requested by the officer to establish your admissibility.
• Not be a risk to the security of Canada.
• Be in good health (complete a medical examination, if required).

Express Entry is the new system introduced in January 2015 to help Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to select permanent residents based on their skills and experience helpful in boosting the economy. It is a two-step online process based on a ranking system.

To qualify under Express Entry stream, first, the candidate has to create an online profile and enter the pool to compete with other candidates. Then, the system performs an assessment and candidates with a higher score receive the invitation to apply for the permanent resident status by CIC. Express Entry is cover for three Major Immigration Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program ​

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) selects immigrants based on their ability to succeed economically in Canada. After meeting eligibility requirements, applicants are assessed against selection criteria, also known as the “points grid.” There are 100 points available to applicants, with points awarded for official language abilities, age, education, work experience, employment already arranged in Canada, and adaptability.

The Federal Skilled Trades Progra

​​The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FTSP) is designed to allow individuals with job offers or appropriate certification to work in certain occupations to obtain Canadian Permanent Residency in any Canadian Province or Territory except Quebec.

The Canadian Experience Class ​

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) allows temporary foreign workers or foreign students to apply as a permanent resident in Canada. If you are a temporary foreign worker (TFW) 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.

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows each province to select or nominate immigrants who will contribute to the particular labour and economic needs of that particular province. Each province is allowed to establish its own selection criteria and procedures to choose immigrants according to their ability to integrate and successfully settle in that province. Similar to the Skilled Worker Immigration Program, applicants are selected on the basis of a point system designed to target individuals who will fill the labour and economic needs of that province. Points are attributed on various grounds, such as education, work experience, age, etc. Each province sets the number of points to be attributed to each category.

Family reunification is a key objective of Canada Immigration that is why Canada Immigration is open to any qualified person who wants to sponsor their family to come and live in Canada. If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older, you may sponsor family members who want to immigrate to Canada. The family class category facilitates the reunification of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their families.

The investor program offers business holders and their families to permanently immigrate to Canada. The total processing time is 24-36 months but can vary from time to time. It allows the investors to obtain their permanent resident status leading to the Canadian citizenship. This program is open to all business people holding any citizenship.

To qualify under the business/investor program, the candidates must apply under one of the following categories:

• Immigrant Investor Program
• Entrepreneur Program
• Self-Employed Persons Program

The Province of Quebec selects its own Skilled Worker Immigrants. Similar to the Provincial Nominee Program, if you wish to live in Quebec, you are required to obtain a Certificat de selection du Quebec (CSQ). If you’re seeking to immigrate to the city of Montreal, or any other city in the province of Quebec as a skilled worker you must meet their requirements, not those of the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

The In-Home Caregiver Program brings foreign workers to Canada to provide care, in a private residence, to children, seniors or persons with certified medical needs, when Canadians and permanent residents are not available. In-Home Caregivers are individuals who are qualified to work without supervision in a private household providing care for children, the elderly or people with disabilities. The caregiver may only apply for permanent residence after completing a minimum of two years employment as a caregiver.

Any foreign national who is inadmissible or who does not meet the requirements of the Act or Regulations may make a written request for consideration on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds.

To be considered under this program you must clearly demonstrate that you would experience unusual and undeserved or disproportionate hardship if you were required to leave Canada. The cost and inconvenience of applying outside Canada is not considered a hardship. You must ensure that all circumstances you wish to have considered are identified and included in your application. You are responsible for providing evidence in support of any statement you make on your application.

PR Card Renewals

The Permanent Resident card (also known as a PR Card) is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be used as a valid identity document for persons traveling abroad and returning to Canada by car, bus, airline or any other means of transportation. Therefore, it is important to have a valid PR card in order to be allowed to enter Canada.

Bridging Work Permit

As of December 15, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that they would be allowing permanent resident applicants to obtain work permits while they are awaiting the finalization of their application. This will allow permanent resident applicants to now work while they are awaiting the answer on their application!

Restoration of status

For many, exiting Canada and re-entering is simply too risky or too expensive. Luckily, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provide that if a visitor, worker or student loses their status in Canada, then they can apply to restore their status within 90 days of their status expiring.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is the federal department that manages Canadian citizenship, both for those applying for citizenship and for current Canadian citizens. To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the conditions in all these areas: age, permanent resident status, time you have lived in Canada, income tax filing, intent to reside in Canada, language abilities and how well you know Canada.New Canadians have to take a oath pledging their commitment to the responsibilities and privileges of Canadian citizenship.

Every year,over 100,000 foreign workers enter Canada to work temporarily in jobs that help Canadian employers address skill shortages. These jobs may or may require application for a Labor Market Impact Assessment or LMIA (formerly Labor Market Opinion or LMO) before a work permit can be issued.

A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada, though for some positions and business people it is not necessary. Some temporary workers require a work permit and some do not. Some categories of workers, permits are also approved more quickly.