Do you want to know how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada? Well, you have come to the right place. Many people don’t know this, but Canada and the Netherlands have a long-standing history of support and admiration. Ever hear of the annual Tulip Festival in Ottawa? Well, the celebration actually commemorates the time the Dutch royal family sought refuge in Canada during the German occupation in World War II. As a gesture of thanks, the Queen of the Netherlands sent Canada millions of tulips and that’s how the celebration started.

With our comprehensive guide on how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada, you can also make the land of the maple leaf your home. Let’s get started.

Choose The Right Immigration Program

There are over 100 Canadian immigration programs to choose from. The first hurdle you will have to overcome is figuring out which immigration program you qualify for. The selection process is especially difficult because every program has a unique set of requirements you will have to meet to qualify.

The most popular programs include:
Federal Skilled Worker Program - one of several programs managed by the Express Entry system. As the name implies, this program is designed to bring skilled workers to Canada. The reason for its popularity is because it enjoys faster processing times under the Express Entry system. Applications are generally processed within six months.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) - each of Canada’s provinces and territories are empowered to nominate individuals who would like to immigrate to Canada to come and live and work in their borders. Each PNP has several subcategories designed to find individuals with the particular skills and experience needed in the province or territory.
Family Sponsorship - if you have a relative or spouse living in Canada as a citizen or permanent resident, they can sponsor your application for Canadian permanent residence. Both the sponsor and sponsee need to meet certain criteria for the sponsorship application to be successful.

For the purposes of our guide, we will be focusing on the Federal Skilled Worker Program as it is the most general program and, for many, the easiest route to Canada. Below we break down how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada into six simple steps.

Step 1 - Education Assessment

We recommend you start the process by getting your education credentials assessed or as it is more commonly known, your Education Credential Assessment (ECA). The Canadian government wants to know if your educational background matches their standards to determine whether you are qualified to work in the country.

You will need to get official photocopies of all of your qualifications and transcripts. If any of these documents are not in English or French, you will have to get them translated by a certified translator.

How to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada and visit Montreal

Once you have collected these documents, you must send them to an institution approved by Immigration, Refugees, and Canadian Citizenship (IRCC) to do an ECA. The two most popular organizations are WES (World Education Services) and ICAS (International Credential Assessment Service of Canada). We recommend using the former for faster processing times.

Step 2 - Language Tests

Seeing as your ECA will take quite a while to get back to you, now is the perfect time to start preparing for your Canadian language tests. Canada is a bilingual country where both English and French are considered official languages. You will have to prove your ability to understand either one of these languages to qualify for immigration to Canada.

If you are better at English, we recommend you take the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The test is designed to assess your reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills in English. The higher you score on the test, the better your chances of immigrating to Canada from the Netherlands. You can take the test at the British Council right in the heart of Amsterdam.

The French equivalent of IELTS is TEF (Test d’Evaluation de Français) and it is structured in essentially the same format.

Step 3 - Create Your Express Entry Profile

Once you have received your language test results and your ECA, you have all the information to create your Express Entry profile. So you must be wondering what an Express Entry profile is for? To answer that question I will have to explain how the system works.

Candidates who want to qualify for one of Canada’s Express Entry linked immigration programs need to create an Express Entry profile. The process is quite simple and involves you answering some short questions about yourself, including your age, work experience, educational background, language skills (based on your IETLS and TEF results), and ability to adapt to living in Canada. You will be assigned a Comprehensive System Ranking (CRS) score based on these answers. Your profile is then entered into a pool of candidates ranked by their CRS scores.

The Express Entry system holds regular draws where they issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates entered in the Express Entry pool. The higher your CRS score the more likely you will be selected in a draw.

Anyone can learn how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada

Below I illustrate a hypothetical example of an Express Entry draw and a qualifying candidate’s Express Entry score.

Melvin Klum is a thirty-year-old sales clerk from the Netherlands. He has a bachelor’s degree in commerce and has five years of work experience. He scored a seven on his IELTS. Together these factors bring his total CRS score to 406. If the Express Entry draw had a minimum cut-off point of 406 or lower, Melvin would have been issued an ITA.

If you are worried about your CRS score, do not worry. We have compiled six proven tips to improve your CRS score for people just like you.

Step 4 - Collection of Documents

The next crucial step in our how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada guide is the collection of necessary documents. Once you receive your ITA, you will get a new more detailed application form to fill out, requesting details like your travel history of the last ten years.

This is also the time to collect the following essential documents:

Medical certificate;
Police certificate;
Biometrics;
Proof of work experience;
Proof of funds; and
Digital photo of yourself

The last three documents are pretty self-explanatory, but we will discuss the other three at greater length below.

Medical Certificate

There are only two instances where the Canadian government will refuse an application based on someone’s health. That is if you are likely to be a danger to public health or public safety, or if you are expected to cause excessive demand on Canada’s health or social services. To set the government to rest, simply get a medical certificate proving your good health.

The important thing to remember here is that only certain doctors can administer a medical exam accepted by the Canadian authorities. Those doctors are listed as Panel Physicians by IRCC. Below you will find all the Panel Physicians in the Netherlands.

Name	City	Contact Number
Roger Ritz	Amsterdam	+31 20 622 1321
Barbara Stoks	Amsterdam	+31 20 622 1321

Police Certificate

If you reside in the Netherlands, you do not have to submit a police certificate along with your application for permanent residence in Canada. The IRCC will send you a letter requesting a police certificate after you submitted your application. This letter must be shown when you decide to apply for a Police Certificate.

The name of the document you need to apply for is a Certificate of Good Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag - VOG). You can apply for the certificate at the Population Affairs Department of your municipality if you are registered in the Municipal Records Database (BRP). If you are not registered in the BRP, you must apply directly to the Ministry of Justice.

Biometrics

You will need to get your Biometrics done if you want to immigrate to Canada. This is basically a new form of identification the government uses to monitor who is entering and leaving their country. It is simply a security measure utilizing facial and fingerprint recognition technology.

Step 5 - Submit Application

This step is really quite easy. Once you have collected all of your documents, you must send them to the IRCC in a sealed envelope. You should receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) when they gain access to your documents. Now you just have to wait for your Visa confirmation.

Step 6 - Get an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization)

Finally, we are at the last step of our how to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada guide. It starts with receiving your Ready for Visa or PPR: Passport request email. This email means that your application has been improved but don’t pack your bags just yet, you still need to get your electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and Confirmation of Permanent Residence form (IMM-5688).

The latter is the document you need to present at your port of entry in Canada.

How to immigrate from the Netherlands to Canada and visit lake Moraine

Even though you are from a visa-exempt country, you still need to take some measures for your eTA. You will have to send a small fee and two passport-sized photographs to the visa office to get your eTA.

Once you get these documents, you can officially immigrate to Canada!