Immigration to Canada

About Immigration to Canada

Canada is focused on the drift of labour. Those who have a good potential in the labor market are quickly granted permanent residence, and after 3 years of continuous residence they have the right to citizenship.

At the same time, the country also issues nonimmigrant visas for seasonal workers, students, tourists, those who visit relatives, and many others. However, even a short visit to Canada can have a positive influence in case of future decisions on immigration to this country.

There are dozens of economic immigration programs in the country. On the one hand, the most popular professions are determined at the Federal level (now they are startup creators, nannies and nurses, agricultural workers).

On the other hand, each province sets up its specific labor needs (some need fishermen, and some need farmers or snow plow drivers), plans and selects the categories of workers that are needed for its sustainable development.

Most programs are based on the Express Entry System – a single database where anyone who wants to go to Canada can register. Participants are awarded a certain number of points, depending on their usefulness to the Canadian labor market. Each program regularly selects candidates who have the appropriate specialization and the highest rating. They are invited to submit documents for moving to Canada.

It is important to note that the largest Canadian province of Quebec has its own immigration rules and independent programs.

Another specific feature of immigration to Canada is the requirement for a medical examination for most categories. The reason for refusal may be dangerous infectious diseases or the need for expensive medical care.

Quotas for Immigrants

Since visitors are an important resource for the country's economy, the authorities try to plan for the number. Now the country is focused on receiving more than 300,000 migrants annually. And recently, the plan has been increased by 10,000 every year. So, in 2020, 340,000 people are expected to arrive, in 2021 – 350,000, and in 2022 – 360,000 people.

More than half of them are a so-called "economic class", i.e. employees, businessmen, self-employed. Overall targets for the reception of economic migrants are further divided into narrower areas: by province, profession, or field of activity. Speaking about other categories of relatives accounts for slightly more than a quarter of new Canadians. The remaining 16% are refugees and other humanitarian migrants.

Popular ways to move to Canada

Canada

Canada Start-up Visa Program

Permanent residence For 12 months

Canada

Québec Entrepreneur Program

Permanent residence For 24 months

Canada

OINP Entrepreneur Stream

Permanent residence For 48 months

from 150 000 $

Canada

British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

Permanent residence For 42 months

from 150 000 $

Canada

Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Entrepreneur Stream

Permanent residence For 24 months

from 115 000 $

Canada

Atlantic Immigration Pilot

Residence permit For 6 months

from 2 000 €

Benefits of Moving to Canada

Moving to Canada seems attractive to many people. The country has a high standard of living, developed medicine, stable economy and political climate. Residents of Canada have good earning opportunities, and you can move with the whole family.

A Canadian passport opens the door to most countries of the world, and you can expand the geography of travel already in the status of a permanent resident. Since there are a lot of migrants in the country, local residents are calm about visitors, they are not confused by people who speak other languages or representatives of different cultures.

Disadvantages of Immigration

There are not many shortcomings, but they are still present. Canada is a country of vast expanses, and a significant part of it is located near the Arctic circle. Residents from the European megacities may need to get used to small towns and cold climate.

Another unpleasant point is the progressive tax rate. Income tax can be more than 30% for hiugh income households, but those who receive no more than 48,000 Canadian dollars a year ($36,000) pay only 15%.

Ways of Immigration Through Business and Investment

In Canada, immigration programs for passive investors (who simply invest in the economy without developing the company) have been very popular, but they are currently suspended.

The country relies on the active participation of the entrepreneur in the work of its business. All Canadian provinces have local immigration programs for businessmen, but their mandatory condition is a real business under the management of the applicant.

Start-up visa

The federal program for those who start an innovative business in the country. Theoretically, it can be used to move to Canada without any investment at all, but in fact, the company's launch costs will be required in any case. The most important condition is that it must be a unique project that will receive support from venture funds, angel investors or business incubators operating in Canada.

Provincial programs

Each province has its own business immigration programs, but their conditions are generally similar: the future business must be located in the province, and its owner as the candidate for permanent residence must also settle there.

The minimum amount of investment, the amount of personal capital of the investor and their family, as well as the number of jobs created are stipulated beforehand. You can buy a business. Some areas of activity are excluded from the program (for example, pawnshops, scrap metal processing, etc.), while others may require licensing. Those industries that are a priority for a given province, on the contrary, may give an advantage in obtaining permanent residence.

Documents

First of all, this is the business plan of the future company. In addition, you will need to confirm your education and work experience, provide information about your personal capital and investments made.

The reason for refusal to obtain permanent residence may be failure to meet the indicators of the business plan or other conditions of the program (in particular, residence in the province).

Instructions for obtaining permanent residence in the provinces:

• Quebec
• Ontario
• British Columbia
• Nova Scotia

Immigration by Work

This is the main migration route to Canada. In order to use it, you must first have a specialty (let's say,  being a doctor or engineer is great, but being an electrician or cook is also very good), and also know one of the official languages of the country English or French.

You can directly search for a job in Canada, study vacancies, send out CVs, and communicate with employers. In this case, you will need to wait for an invitation to work and apply for a work visa based on it. However, you will get a job, but not the right to permanent residence. It will need to be sought separately.

For this reason, immigration is often preferred in a different way-through numerous programs operating in the country. Most of them are based on the Express Entry system, which evaluates the overall usefulness of a foreigner to the Canadian labor market. At the same time, each province separately calculates its need for certain specialists and launches its own "provincial" selections.

There are also general programs that operate across the entire country or several regions and help close the shortage of employees in certain professions or in certain parts of Canada.

Documents

As a rule, a person moving for work will be required to present a diploma, confirm work experience, and show the results of language tests. You may also need an invitation from the employer and the LMIA – this document, received by the employer, confirms that a foreign employee will not worsen the situation in the local labor market.

Reason of refusal

Often, a preliminary decision to accept a candidate is made only on the basis of their application. If they then fail to document the claimed information or miss the deadline, they may well be refused.

Express Entry

A system of mass selection of candidates who want to move to Canada for permanent residence for work. The principle of its operation is as follows: the applicant registers in the online database and enters all essential information about themself. Including: profession, work experience, education, age, marital status, study/work experience in Canada, presence of relatives in the country, knowledge of English and/or French, availability of a job offer, and others.

For each item, the applicant receives a certain number of points. In total, they can be a maximum of 1200, the passing score is approximately at the level of 470. A candidate can improve their grade in several ways, such as by improving their language skills or gaining additional skills. However, the most significant increase is an invitation to work or participate in provincial programs.

The program has three streams:

• Federal Skilled Worker – the main program for immigrants, designed for employees of popular professions. Requires at least 1 year of professional experience in the past 10 years or an invitation from a local employer, as well as a fairly high level of language proficiency.

• Federal Skilled Trades Program – for specialists of a number of professions included in the list. The minimum work experience should be 2 years in the past 5, the language requirements are slightly lower, but you need a job offer.

• Canadian Experience Class – for professionals who have worked in Canada for at least 1 year in the past three years.

Federal Programs

• The Atlantic Program

  The pilot program extended until the end of 2021. You can use it to move to the Canadian provinces located on the Atlantic ocean. These are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward island.

  Important condition: a foreigner needs an invitation for participation from an employer accredited in the program. Among the advantages are accelerated permanent residence, an open work permit for a spouse, special conditions for graduates of Canadian universities.

  Also read: Instructions for participation in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot

• Self-employed

  This program includes at the federal level those, who work in the field of culture or sports. Specialists who have participated in world-class events are particularly interesting. Candidates are selected based on a point system, taking into account experience, education, language skills, and other parameters.

• Nannies and nurses

  Those who have received an invitation from a Canadian employer or already have relevant work experience in Canada can participate in this program. Mandatory requirements are the presence of experience as a nanny for a child or a nurse, or skills confirmed by a diploma. In addition, you need an average level of language proficiency and at least 1 year of post-secondary education (a university or college).

  If the confirmed work experience for the last 3 years is less than 24 months, you will receive an open work permit, which will allow you to change your employer, but not your profession. Upon reaching the length of service in 24 months, you can apply for permanent residence.

• Program for Northern and rural areas

  This is a new program aimed at developing remote areas and small rural areas. The selection of displaced persons is carried out in accordance with the needs of urban and rural communities registered in the program.

  A list of communities and their required specialties can be found here.

• Agriculture and food industry

  The program is intended for employees who are qualified in their respective fields. You must have at least 1 year of permanent employment in Canada in this sector. The basis for obtaining permanent residence will be an offer of permanent, non-seasonal work in the profession from the approved list.

Provincial Programs

Each Canadian province or territory determines its economic immigration needs and selects candidates in several areas. These can be streams for graduates of Canadian universities, for entrepreneurs, for highly qualified specialists, for representatives of a specific field of activity (medicine, IT) , etc.

For example, the province of British Columbia in 2017 launched a pilot program to attract IT specialists called BC Tech Pilot. Under this program, representatives of 29 sought-after technical professions can get a work permit under an accelerated procedure, and then become permanent residents of Canada.

At the same time, most programs are based on the Express Entry System. A candidate registered in the system can apply for participation in a specific provincial program, and then their working potential will be considered from the point of view not of the entire country, but of the given locality, which, if chosen wisely, increases the chances.

The province of Quebec, the largest and one of the most developed, has organizes the reception of immigrants separately from the rest of the country. It has its own immigration programs that are not related to the Express Entry System and separate rules for processing applications.

In particular, since it is a French-speaking province, additional advantages are given to candidates with French spaking skills. At the same time, there is a separate exam for knowledge of democratic values and the values of Quebec.

Immigration by Study

A great way to settle in Canada, if you have a reserve of time and money.

Pros

• It is easy to enter Canadian universities: it is enough to have a high school diploma, pass a language test, and have enough money to live.
• The country's universities are highly regarded and provide quality education.
• You get a profession in accordance with local standards. You don't have to retrain, take additional exams, or confirm your diploma to start working.
• You can continue to specialize in the same field that you had in your homeland, or learn a new profession.
• During your years as a student, you can study the peculiarities of the country's life in order to choose a suitable place and direction of work for your future life.
• Graduates of Canadian universities get permanent residence in the country.

Cons

• Your earning opportunities will be limited (you can work no more than 20 hours a week on a student visa), and you will need funds to live in Canada and pay for your studies.
• A study visa in itself does not give grounds for obtaining permanent residence, although it greatly facilitates it.
• You need to know English or French well for successful studies.

Procedure

The main point is to choose an educational institution in Canada, pass the exams and get a confirmation of enrollment. Based on it you will be issued a study visa, with which you can already move to Canada.

Please note! A study visa can only be obtained by applying to accredited educational institutions in Canada.

If the training period does not exceed six months, you can go on a regular tourist visa, but the immigration prospects for this option are small. It is best to take courses lasting from 2 years, at the end of which they give the right to a 3-year work visa. During this period, it will be easier for you to find a permanent job in your specialty.

Documents

The most important documents will be your diplomas and certificates, tests of knowledge of English or French, and an invitation letter from the university. You will also need to confirm that you have sufficient funds to live in Canada during your studies.

Reason of refusal

You may be rejected, if you entered an uncredited university You will also be refused, if you violate the general rules (incomplete documents, false information, etc.).

Immigration by Family Reunification

Canada offers a transparent option for transporting next of kin to the country: sponsorship. This means that a citizen or permanent resident of the country can request permanent residence on the basis of kinship for their spouse or unofficial partner, children, as well as parents or other relatives. However, at the same time, it undertakes to provide financial support to them.

Adult relatives have the right to work, but if they cannot support themselves, the funds for their maintenance will be paid not by the state, but by the host party. The term of mandatory support varies depending on the degree of kinship: spouses must be prepared to support at least 3 years, and parents and grandparents – for 20 years.

Super Visa

There is an unusual format for moving the older generation to Canada called the super visa. However, this is an option for temporary stay in the country: it is issued for up to 2 years without the right to work. This is how it works: a citizen or permanent resident of Canada can invite their parents and grandparents to the country, and guarantee their financial security. If they still want to work, they will have to change the type of visa.

Documents

In this case, the key documents will be proof of kinship (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.). In addition, the receiving party will have to provide proof of sufficient financial resources and give an obligation to support relatives.

Reason of refusal

They can refuse in case of insufficient funds or previous violations of the visa regime. It should also be borne in mind that from the point of view of the Canadian immigration authorities, reunification with a spouse or minor children is a basic human right, but this principle does not apply to the older generation, so permission is not given to everyone, even with impeccable documents.

For example, in 2020, a quota of 10,000 relatives was set, and at the beginning of October, not a single selection has passed yet.

Immigration by Marriage

Not the most promising option. Of course, if you have a serious relationship with a Canadian citizen, you can try it, but the country's authorities are very wary of those who want to become a Canadian through marriage. They can take a long time with the "bride visa", they can already check very carefully in Canada whether the marriage is valid or fictitious.

In addition, the documents are issued for about a year, and all this time the person who came to the country can not work. More often, if there is such an opportunity, a foreigner is advised to marry in their native country, and move to Canada later on through family reunification.

Documents

In addition to the standard package, and a marriage certificate, if you are already married, you will most likely have to show evidence of the reality of your relationship. They can be shared photos, private correspondence, telephone conversations, shared utility bills, certificates of joint trips (tickets, hotel reservations, etc.).

Reason of refusal

If officials consider your marriage fictitious, you will not get permanent residence.

Immigration for Refugees

You can apply for asylum in Canada, if you can prove that you were at risk of death, torture, ill-treatment, or other comparable threat in your home country. In this case, you may not have a full set of documents, including visas, when crossing the border, but you will need to prove your right on this status.

Documents

There may be many reasons for harassment, but they are not always classifiable. Therefore, the applicant for refugee status will need to submit a request stating the reasons that prompted them to leave the country.

If possible, you will need to confirm it with documents the further fate of the appeal depends on this.

Reason of refusal

An applicant will not receive a refugee status in Canada, if:

• they already have it in another country,
• hey have already been denied or granted this status in Canada,
• they have a criminal past,
• they arrived in Canada across the border with the United States.

Canadian Citizenship

A permanent resident can apply for Canadian citizenship, if they have lived in the country for at least 1,095 days (3 calendar years) in the past 5 years. If they have been in the country for less than 730 days in 5 years, they may lose their permanent residence status.