With high-quality healthcare, a strong economy, and a diverse culture, an increasing number of expats and foreigners are settling permanently in Canada.
Canada is clean, friendly, and provides a higher quality of life than many other countries.
However, before you can proceed, you must first complete the necessary procedures.
Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about how expatriates and foreigners can immigrate to Canada.
14 Ways to Travel to Canada as an Immigrant
Canada offers more than 100 immigration programs, each with its own set of requirements and procedures.
All you have to do is review our comprehensive list of ways to immigrate to Canada from another country and select the one that works best for you.
When you want to migrate to Canada, you should follow these three steps:
- Check your eligibility or improve your profile by reviewing the program prerequisites.
- Check the expenditures associated with the path you have chosen and plan accordingly.
- The next step is to go through the right procedure, obtain the necessary documents, and apply.
There are various programs/pathways in Canada, thus this article will help you pick which one to focus on.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Canadian immigration has been delayed. As a result, foreign nationals have had only the option of visiting the United States, the United Kingdom, or other countries.
If you are an immigrant, you still have several alternatives for moving to Canada from wherever you are right now:
14 Ways to Travel to Canada as an Immigrant
1. Apply for Express Entry
The Canadian government offers a program called Express Entry for skilled workers. Eligibility for Express Entry is determined by the immigration option you can apply for and the location of your intended residence. With Express Entry, there are three categories:
- Federal Skilled Workers Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
Each program has its own set of prerequisites, such as work experience, language proficiency, and educational level.
If you qualify for Express Entry, you will be added to the Express Entry Pool, where you may expect substantially faster processing times.
This is the most popular method for permanent residence applications in Canada because you do not need to have a work offer in Canada to apply.
Prepare to enter the pool and explore other options for improving your score.
2. Family or Spouse Sponsorship Program
One of Canada’s strengths is its encouragement of family reunification. There are also several sponsorship schemes in place to help people reunite with family members in Canada, both temporary and permanent.
If your spouse is studying in Canada, you can join them using the spousal open work permit. If your spouse is already a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can become a permanent resident alongside them.
Qualifying for this does not require a job offer, work experience, IELTS, or a degree assessment.
Canadian citizens can sponsor their spouse, partner, or dependent children to immigrate to Canada permanently.
As a result, if someone in Canada has shown interest in you and you are worried about the distance, perhaps this is your green light to stop worrying and go shoot your shot or accept the shot they have been firing at you with your chest.
There is a scheme where Canadian citizens and permanent residents can adopt an orphaned sibling, niece, nephew, or grandchild. Many individuals aren’t aware of this remarkable example.
3. LMIA Work Visa
Many applicants for Canadian immigration first obtain Canadian employment offers, apply for a work visa, and then immigrate to Canada.
The LMIA process entails obtaining a Canadian job offer, having the Canadian employer file for an LMIA through Service Canada, and then the applicant applying for a work visa once the LMIA is accepted. This is a lengthy process, but it can lead to Canadian permanent residence.
4. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNPs)
This program is designed for talented, educated people with previous work experience, as well as those who just want to live in that province or become permanent citizens of Canada. PNPs offer two main functions.
PNPs can be utilized to improve your express entry score. If you are nominated as an express entry applicant, your express entry score will increase by 600 points.
Even if you don’t have an expedited entry profile, you can use this program to immigrate to Canada. Some Canadian provinces have unique nomination routes.
This program allows foreign nationals to become permanent residents in Canada.
Every Canadian province and territory has its own immigration service streams and standards that are tailored to specific populations.
For example, during a program stream, provinces and territories may target
- Business people
- Skilled workers
- Students
- Semi-skilled workers
5. Canadian Investor Immigration
The Investor Category is intended for wealthy individuals who have owned or managed firms internationally.
Allowing skilled business individuals to invest in the Canadian economy helps boost the country’s overall growth and prosperity.
In Canada, there are essentially two investor programs: the Federal Investor Program and the Quebec Program.
Both schemes require candidates to have a high net worth and make a significant investment in an approved investment fund over five years.
Investor immigrants may include their spouses and children as dependents in their applications.
6. Atlantic Permanent Residence Immigration Program
As previously stated, there is another Permanent Residence Program in Canada besides the Express Entry Program.
This program began as a three-year experimental program, but it has now been made permanent.
It is a gateway program that enables talented foreign workers and international graduates from Canadian institutions to become permanent residents who can work and live in Canada’s four Atlantic provinces, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The initiative allows firms to hire competent and qualified applicants for positions that they have been unable to fill locally.
This program aims to boost employment, promote population growth, and create a trained workforce in the Atlantic region.
The best thing about the program:
- When you receive a job offer in Canada, you can obtain a work permit while also applying for permanent residence.
- The program’s financial standing/funding is quite low.
- The needed IELTS score for this program is CLB 4-5.
7. Temporary Foreign Worker Program
TFWP enables Canadian firms to engage foreign workers for temporary and permanent positions, allowing persons to work in Canada for a maximum of six months with the possibility of extension.
Before you may take advantage of this program, you must first receive a job offer from an employer, and then apply for a work visa after completing the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
They can live in Canada where they work and must observe Canadian laws. When a worker’s work permit and visa are set to expire, he or she has the option of applying for an extension or leaving Canada and returning home.
Other eligibility conditions for the program:
- job offer from a company in Canada
- Proof of funds to support your or your family’s stay in Canada, as well as funds to return to your native country.
- Prove a clean criminal record.
8. Global Skills Strategy (Post-Doctoral Researchers and Academic Hiring) Programs
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)/Service Canada, as well as Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), have collaborated with universities, degree-granting colleges, and unions representing Canadian academics to develop particular hiring criteria.
These programs enable universities and colleges to hire post-doctoral students from other countries as temporary foreign workers in Canada.
This is an advantage for students who have finished their Ph.D. in another country and want to pursue post-doctoral research in Canada.
Once you have a PostDoc employment, you can apply for a work permit, which permits you to travel to Canada with your family, and you can utilize your work experience to apply for permanent residence in Canada after one year.
The best thing about the program:
- IELTS isn’t required.
- After one year, you can apply for permanent residence in Canada based on your job experience.
- Global Skills Strategy applications are handled within two weeks. Here’s how you receive the two-week processing.
9. Agri-food Pilot and Agri-worker Program
The Agri-Food Pilot helps to address the manpower demands of the Canadian agricultural-food sector.
The pilot program allows experienced, non-seasonal workers in selected industries and vocations to obtain permanent residence.
To apply for permanent residency under the Agri-Food Pilot, you must have at least one year of acceptable Canadian job experience.
Furthermore, you must have a job offer for full-time, nonseasonal labor in a suitable agricultural sector. These sectors include:
- neat product manufacturing (NAICS3116)
- greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production, including mushroom production ( NAICS 1114) animal production, excluding aquaculture
- poultry and egg production (NAICS 1123)
- sheep and goat farming (NAISC 1124)
- other animal production (NAICS 1129)
- hog and pig farming (NAICS 1122)
- neat product manufacturing (NAICS3116)
- cattle ranching and farming (NAICS 1121)
To gain the required Canadian job experience. You can enter Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which allows companies to hire temporary foreign workers (TFW) when there are no available Canadians or permanent citizens.
10. Federal Start-up Program
The Federal Start-up Visa program allows you to immigrate to Canada by starting a business, creating jobs, or aiding innovative entrepreneurs.
Canada’s Start-up Visa Program aims to attract immigrant entrepreneurs with creative business ideas.
Capable of producing jobs in Canada and competing globally.
Do you have an innovative business idea? If one of the recognized groups endorses your proposal, you may be eligible to immigrate to Canada.
So, if you launched a business in your home country and want to expand globally or relocate to Canada, this is your opportunity to do so while becoming a permanent resident.
11. Provincial Entrepreneur Programs
Business/investor programs, comparable to the Federal establish-up Visa program, are available to business owners or individuals looking to establish a business in any province in Canada.
People who want to create a business in one of Canada’s 10 provinces and use it to obtain permanent status must meet certain conditions.
Pay special attention to the amount of money to invest and the anticipated net worth.
12. The Global Talent Stream
The GTS intends to facilitate the work permit procedure for specific Canadian firms, allowing them to compete on a worldwide scale.
Employers who are successfully approved under the program can use the Global Skills Strategy to accelerate the hiring of foreign nationals.
This program is also intended for Canadian firms seeking to hire highly talented overseas workers to fill positions on the Global Talent Occupations list.
This program targets the following occupations:
- Computer and information system managers.
- Computer engineers(except software engineers and designers)
- information systems analysts and consultants
- Mathematician and statisticians
- Software engineers and designers
- Database analysts and data administrators
- Web designers and developers
- Computer network technicians
- Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- Producers, technical, creative, and artistic director, and project manager – Visual effects and video game
- Digital media designers
- Information system testing technicians
If you have skills in any of the occupations listed above, you can apply through the Global Talent Stream to come to Canada.
The best thing about the program:
- No IELTS necessary.
- After one year, you can use your program-related employment experience to qualify for permanent residency in Canada.
- 80% of Global Talent Stream applications are handled within 10 business days.
13. Strategic International Recruitment by Provinces
Many Canadian provinces have deliberate international recruitment initiatives in place to find global talent.
This event is not limited to Canada; it also takes place in the United States, the United Kingdom, Asia, and Europe.
I bet you wouldn’t want to pass up such opportunities. Applicants can apply for two categories in this stream:
- Engineering Occupations Category
- Compulsory and Optional Trades Category
You will fit in wonderfully with your job experience and education from one of these other countries, as well as the abilities demanded by businesses in the provinces where you wish to apply.
Some of the most popular websites for recruitment events are:
- New Brunswick International Recruitment.
- Saskatchewan International Healthcare Worker pool.
- Quebec International Recruitment.
- New Brunswick Job Connector.
- Saskatchewan Hard to Fill Skills Pilot.
If you were able to find work in Canada through one of these recruitment programs, you will be on your way to becoming a permanent resident in any of the provinces.
14. The Rural and Northern Immigration Program (RNIP)
The Government of Canada established the RNIP a few years ago, and the program is identical to the Atlantic Immigration program stated above.
Unlike the Atlantic program, the RNIP is limited to 11 designated locations in Canada. Foreign nationals who can establish themselves economically and intend to live in the selected localities are eligible to apply.
You must obtain a community endorsement and a job offer before applying for permanent residence or a temporary work permit.
The best thing about the program:
There are specific websites where the 11 communities post job openings and actively recruit international workers.
When you receive a job offer in Canada, you can obtain a work permit while also applying for permanent residence.
- The program’s financial standing/funding is quite low.
- The needed IELTS score for this program is CLB 4-5.
To apply for any of these programs, visit the Government of Canada website here
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the prerequisites for immigrating to Canada?
To come to Canada, you must meet specific criteria, including a certain amount of education, employment experience, and language competence. You must also pass a medical and security check. The particular qualifications differ according to the immigration program you apply for. More information is available on the Government of Canada website.
How much money do you need to immigrate to Canada?
The average cost of emigrating to Canada is around CAD 2,300 for a single applicant and $4,500 for couples. If a candidate applies through a provincial program, there may be additional expenses. Those with a Canadian work offer or who apply under the Canadian Experience Class do not need to provide proof of settlement funds.
Conclusion
Immigrating to Canada can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but it is doable provided you meet the eligibility requirements and follow the application guidelines.
Canada’s immigration policies appeal to a variety of candidates, including skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and students.
The particular qualifications and procedures vary depending on every program you apply for. More information is available on the Government of Canada website.
