Canada Immigration

You're interested in immigration to Canada, but you don't know how? No matter whether you are planning to make Canada your temporary or permanent home, it' s important to have access to the latest information.

Here will help you answer the question: How to immigrate to Canada?

Our section on immigration to Canada has three main categories of programs to consider:

    Permanent residence: Long-term immigration programs, which include economic programs (including express entry) and family sponsorship.

    Work permits: Programs that allow you to work in Canada for a short-term period of time.

    Study permits: Permits to study at authorized institutions, with the ability to work during and after your studies and options for moving to permanent residence.

From the options below, click on the most applicable situation to find out which option(s) to move to Canada may be available for you and your family, if applicable. If more than one of the situations listed above applies to you, we encourage you to begin your investigation with whichever situation is listed first. However, be sure to review the other option(s) as well.

There are two main roads to Canada. A way is to get a permanent residence visa. Another way is to go to Canada with a temporary Canada work visa.

How does it feel to be a permanent resident of Canada? When you are granted a Canadian immigration visa for permanent residence, then you have the majority of the same rights and obligations as Canadian citizens. As your name indicates, you can maintain this status indefinitely, provided that you accumulate 2 years of residence days in any 5-year period. Following 3 years of Canadian residence, you can apply for Canadian citizenship. Canada accepts double citizenship, so you don't need to cancel your existing passport.

There are some differences between permanent residence and citizenship in Canada in practice. The first one is that as a permanent resident you cannot vote in the elections. Secondly, while citizenship is a right that cannot be taken away, as a permanent resident, you can be expelled from Canada if you have committed a serious crime.

There are six main types of Canadian immigration. The Categories are: Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Specialized Worker, Provincial Candidate Program, Family Sponsorship, Business Immigrant and Canadian Experience Class. Every category serves a somewhat different immigrant group and has their own set of qualifications. You may also enter Canada in the Asylum category or in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. Please read below and find out what category you are interested in.

Federal Skilled Worker

 The requirements of the Qualified Workers category are designed to assess candidates who are expected to settle economically in Canada after their arrival.

To be admitted, applicants must

• Having at least one year's continuous paid full-time or equivalent work experience over the last 10 years in any of the 38 qualified professions; or
• lived in Canada with the legal status of temporary foreign worker or an international student in Canada for at least one year; or
• Qualified for organized employment with a permanent permanent full-time job offered by a Canadian employer.

Qualified worker from Quebec

On the basis of an agreement between the Province of Quebec and the Government of Canada, the Province of Quebec maintains its own process of selection for the category of skilled immigrant workers. If you plan to live in Quebec on your arrival in Canada, then you will be assessed according to Quebec's criteria of selection and not the assessment used by the CIC. Quebec's immigration application process utilizes a similar system based on points, though with a slightly different criteria.