Canada Skilled Immigration, Immigration Canada : Canadian Immigration Regulations at a glance

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Canadian Immigration Regulations at a Glance

Do I qualify for immigration to Canada?

Which class should I apply under?

What conditions do I need to satisfy?
How long does it take to process a visa? Click here for more information

Essentially, there are four main ways to immigrate to Canada. You can apply under one of three permanent residence classes:

Skilled Worker

Family

Business

The other option is to apply for a:
Temporary Residence Visa

Skilled Worker

The Skilled worker class, or points system as it is commonly referred to, is the most popular class. Applicants are awarded points for age, education, work experience and English and/or French ability. Although not a requirement, points can be granted for 'arranged employment' in Canada or if you are currently working in Canada on a qualifying work permit.

Further points may be awarded for 'adaptability' factors including your partner's qualifications, or if you or your partner have studied in Canada for at least 2 years, or have family in Canada (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, niece, nephew, child or grandchild).

The objective is to achieve the passmark. If you would like to know the current passmark please click here.

Click here for a FREE initial assessment and we will advise you if you are likely to meet the passmark or the entry criteria of the other visa classes.

Federal skilled worker applications will be processed under the following criteria;

Applications submitted with an offer of arranged employment; or
Applications submitted by foreign nationals who have been residing legally in Canada for at least one year as temporary foreign workers or international students; or
Applications from skilled workers with evidence of at least one year of continuous full-time experience within the last 10 years under an eligible National Occupational Classification occupation.

In order to be eligible to immigrate to Canada under the skilled worker class you must have at least one year of continuous full-time experience in an eligible NOC occupation, if you do not have an approved offer of arranged employment, or if you have not been legally residing in Canada for at least one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student.

Work experience in an eligible NOC occupation must have taken place within the past ten years, and be a minimum of one year of continuous full-time work experience. Full-time work experience is considered to be the equivalent of 37.5 hours per week. Part time work must be pro-rated against this standard.

The eligible occupations are as follows:

0111 Financial Managers
0213 Computer and Information Systems Managers
0311 Managers in Health Care
0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers
0632 Accommodation Service Managers
0711 Construction Managers
1111 Financial Auditors and Accountants
2113 Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143 Mining Engineers
2144 Geological Engineers
2145 Petroleum Engineers
3111 Specialist Physicians
3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141 Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
3143 Occupational Therapists
3142 Physiotherapists
3151 Head Nurses and Supervisors
3152 Registered Nurses
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
4121 University Professors
4131 College and Other Vocational Instructors
6241 Chefs
6242 Cooks
7213 Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217 Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241 Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
7242 Industrial Electricians
7251 Plumbers
7252 Steamfitters, Pipefitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265 Welders and Related Machine Operators
7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
7371 Crane Operators
7372 Drillers and Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221 Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212 Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

If you DO NOT have an occupation on the above occupation list, it is STILL POSSIBLE to apply however you will need to secure a qualifying, relevant job offer as part of the immigration process. This is not always easy and you may require professional help with this aspect. Generally, an officially-recognised Canadian migration agency can tell you if this will be realistic in your case and can assist you with the job search process in Canada.
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Family

There is also the family visa for migration to Canada for persons who have qualifying relatives in Canada who are willing and eligible to sponsor them.

Sponsors must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident: spouse, common-law or conjugal partners; dependant child, parent or grandparent; an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild (under 19); and any relative if the Canadian sponsor does not have another close relative who is in Canada or who can be sponsored to come to Canada.

The most common type of family class application is for those persons who are married or engaged to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

For a FREE initial assessment of your eligibility for our services and a more detailed assessment of YOUR ELIGIBILITY UNDER THIS VISA CLASS and all other visa classes completed by our Registered Migration Agents and Licensed Immigration Advisors, please click here to proceed.
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Business

Applicants are divided into three subcategories:

Self-employed
Entrepreneur
Investor

Self-Employed

As the name suggests, the self-employed class is suitable for self-employed business persons who do not necessarily intend to employ other persons in their business. This class is limited to farmers and applicants who will be of cultural, artistic or sporting value to Canada.

Under this class, there is no minimum capital or past ownership requirements, but applicants must prepare a viable, well-researched business proposal and possess sufficient funds and acceptable experience to establish or purchase the proposed business in Canada. Past self-employment, though not strictly required, is considered an asset. There is also a requirement to meet the 'passmark'.

Entrepreneur

To immigrate to Canada under the Entrepreneur class, you must have past 'business experience' in a 'qualifying business' for a specified period. Applicants must also possess a net worth of at least C$300,000.

Upon arrival in Canada, there is a requirement to establish or purchase a business enterprise and provide active and ongoing management of that business within three years. Your business must create at least one, new full-time job for a Canadian and meet other requirements of a 'qualifying business'. There is also a requirement to meet the 'passmark'.

Investor

Applicants wanting to immigrate to Canada under the Investor Class must possess a total net worth of at least C$800,000 and invest C$400,000 of this amount with the Canadian Receiver General for 5 years.

Although the fund is Government guaranteed, no interest is payable. Applicants must prove that the funds have been generated through their own business initiative and that they have previously managed either 5 full-time staff for at least 2 years OR owned a share in the business they have managed for at least two years in the five years prior to applying. If you do not wish to undertake an investment, an alternative is to establish a loan arrangement with a Canadian bank, whereby the amount to be invested is borrowed. Under this option, it is still necessary to possess an overall net worth of C$800,000. The down side of this option is that you must pay the interest charges accumulated over the 5-year term.

The main advantages of the investor class is that you do not need to actively own and operate a business and you are issued with permanent residence immediately upon approval.

All applicants must satisfy health, police, character and credibility checks, and a range of other criteria.

For a FREE initial assessment of your eligibility for our services and a more detailed assessment of YOUR ELIGIBILITY UNDER THIS VISA CLASS and all other visa classes completed by our Registered Migration Agents and Licensed Immigration Advisors, please click here to proceed.

Important Note: If you do not qualify under any of the above classes, you may be able to apply under one the Provincial Government Nominee programmes. Although only a limited number of places are available every year, the regulations differ from those described above, as they are set by the Provincial Government according to economic and social needs of that region. Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Quebec and the Yukon operate nominee programmes. Quebec has the largest programme accepting over 3,000 mostly French-speaking migrants per year.

Temporary Visas

A number of temporary residence visas are also available:

Work Permits:

If you are offered a job that cannot be filled by a Canadian and the Canadian employer is able to satisfy a HRDC labour market assessment, then you may be able to apply for a work permit. The permit is issued for the duration of the employment contract usually up to a maximum of 3 years.

Important note: Canadian employers are generally reluctant to sponsor offshore candidates unless there are specific skills shortages and often do not consider applicants unless they are ALREADY in possession of a Canadian residence visa, present in Canada for an interview and able to start work in 4-6 weeks. So unless you are to be transferred to Canada by your current employer this can be a very difficult visa to obtain.

Student visa:

If you are enrolled into a qualifying course at a Canadian tertiary institution, you can apply for a student visa. This visa allows you to study full-time and to work a limited number of hours per week. Other temporary visas include young persons working holiday programmes and visas for live-in caregivers.

Free Eligibility Assessment

If you are interested in immigration to Canada, please complete an online Free Eligibility Assessment.

If this assessment is positive, we will then invite you to complete a more comprehensive paid Full Check evaluation. This confidential service is an information gathering exercise and enables our immigration experts to assess your position under the official immigration regulations, without any obligation on you to proceed further.

Click here to complete an online Full Check Evaluation. Please Note: The Full Check Evaluation is a paid service and fees apply.

(Caution: Immigration Regulations can change without advance notice. You are strongly advised to seek the advice of a professional Canadian Migration Consultant before applying. Information on this page correct as at 1st October 2008).

For an indication of visa processing times please click here