How to Immigrate to Canada in 2023

There’s no better time to start your move to Canada for 2023 than now! As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, moving across the world doesn’t happen overnight, it takes planning and time.

Now would be the best time to learn how to immigrate to Canada in 2023 because the Canadian government aims to invite 465,000 new immigrants as permanent residents. By preparing, you can increase your chances of being one of them.

Let’s look at how you and your family can live in one of the best countries in the world!

How to Move in Canada in 2023

How to Immigrate to Canada in 2023

Canada is a big believer in immigration and therefore has over 100 visa and immigration programs to allow immigrants worldwide to work and live in Canada. Of these many programs, Canada has five top programs to have you living in Canada as a permanent resident.

They are as follows:

Express Entry

If you haven’t heard of Canada’s famous Express Entry yet, you’re missing out as it is one of the top ways to immigrate to Canada as a skilled foreign worker. Express Entry, which started in 2015, is an online system. This makes it accessible to everyone from all over the world. 

The Express Entry system is already responsible for inviting over 11,000 people in January and February alone. This will be done through the three federal economic programs run through the Express Entry:

  1. Federal Skilled Worker Program
  2. Federal Skilled Trades Program; and
  3. Canadian Experience Class.

So, how does Express Entry work?

You would need to determine if you meet the Express Entry requirements, if successful, you’ll need to create an online profile. After this, you’ll be placed into the Express Entry pool and other eligible candidates. You’ll also be given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)  score, ultimately determining if you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). An ITA means you have the chance to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

How to receive a good CRS score

Your total CRS score is made up of two sections. The core set of points is a total of 600, and the additional set of points of 600 points. This makes the maximum score 1,200 points.

Core: 600 points

  • Skills and experience factors;
  • Spouses or common-law partner factors, such as their language skills and education; and
  • Skills transferability, including education and work experience.

Additional: 600 points

  • Canadian degrees, diplomas, or certificates;
  • A valid job offer;
  • A nomination from a province or territory;
  • A brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident; and
  • Strong French language skills.

Express Entry candidate profiles can remain active and rank against other candidates for up to 12 months. The higher you score, the more likely you are also to receive your results faster.

  • The CRS score is broken into four sections:
Section A
Criteria Maximum Points Awarded (with Spouse) Maximum Points Awarded (without Spouse)
Age 100 110
Education Level 140 150
Official Language Proficiency 150 160
Canadian Work Experience 70 80
Section B (Spouse or Common-law Partner)
Criteria Maximum Points Awarded
Education Level 10
Official Language Proficiency 20
Canadian Work Experience 10
Section C
Education Maximum Points Awarded
Good language proficiency + a post-secondary degree 50
Canadian work experience + a post-secondary degree 50
Foreign Work Experience Maximum Points Awarded
Good language proficiency + a post-secondary degree 50
Canadian work experience + a post-secondary degree 50
Certificate of Qualification (trades occupations) Maximum Points Awarded
Good language proficiency + a post-secondary certificate of qualification 50
Section D
Criteria Maximum Points Awarded
Sibling living in Canada 15
French Language Proficiency 30
Post-secondary Education in Canada 30
Arranged Employment 200
Provincial Nomination 600

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is another excellent way to move to Canada. To address the labor needs in each province of Canada, the government and local provinces have an agreement. The agreement allows the local provinces to nominate eligible foreign skilled workers, such as yourself, to live and work permanently in Canada.

There are many advantages to the PNP. They include:

  • You would be moving to Canada with a job offer in hand;
  • You’ll arrive in Canada with permanent residency;
  • Certain PNP streams' processing time can be done as short as 4 months;

Here are the 11 Provincial Nomination Programs in Canada:

How to apply for a Provincial Nomination?

Applying for a provincial nomination can go two ways. You could apply directly via a paper application or the Express Entry system. It’s good to know that applying directly will have additional costs because you’ll be using mail or courier services and it will take approximately 15 to 19 months to find out the results of your application.

However, if you go via the Express Entry system, your processing time will be much faster, and you’ll have two ways to apply. Either express interest through your Express Entry profile or apply through a Provincial Nominee Express Entry Stream.

Regardless of the method you choose to apply for a nomination, a good tip would be to always apply to a province in Canada where your occupation or skill is in demand. Doing so will increase your chances of receiving an ITA and immigrating to Canada in 2023.

Family Sponsorship

How to Immigrate to Canada in 2023

Family sponsorship is one of the simple ways to immigrate to Canada and allows a family member residing in Canada to sponsor a relative in another country to immigrate to Canada. If you are a Permanent Resident and don’t live in Canada, you won’t be able to sponsor someone to move to Canada. Here are the four streams within this program:

Spousal and Common-Law Partner Sponsorship

This stream allows the sponsor (a permanent Canadian citizen) to sponsor their spouse or partner for permanent residency in Canada, whether they are currently in Canada or not.

Parents' and Grandparents' Sponsorship

This stream is limited to 10,000 people as that is the amount that the IRCC invites per year. Applicants can sponsor their parents or grandparents to move to Canada. However, they will have the financial responsibility on their shoulders.

The government doesn’t offer financial assistance for this program.

Dependent Child Sponsorship

If the children receive approval from the IRCC, biological or adopted, the sponsorship will apply to them. Children qualify as dependents if they’re under 22 years old and don’t have a spouse.

Orphaned Family Members and Siblings

If you have a brother, sister, nephew, niece, or orphaned grandchild, you will be allowed to sponsor them if you reside in Canada. Other options are to sponsor one relative (brother, sister, nephew, niece, aunt, or uncle) of any age if you don’t have a closer living relative such as your spouse, dependent children, parents, and grandparents.

Who Is Eligible to Sponsor?

You can sponsor your spouse, partner, or dependent child if:

  • You are 18 years or older.
  • You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
  • If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
  • You’re able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
  • you can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor

As a sponsor, you must promise that you can take care of the person you’re sponsoring financially. This promise is known as an undertaking. The undertaking commits you to the following:

  1. provide financial support when your family members become permanent residents; and
  2. repay any provincial social assistance your sponsored family might have received during that period.

There’s also the sponsorship agreement which is a document stating that you and your sponsored family members agree that:

  1. you as a sponsor providing for the basic needs of sponsored family members, and
  2. the person being sponsored will make an effort to support themselves and their family members

The length of the undertaking depends on the age of the person you sponsor, the relationship with you, and where you live. Below is a table demonstrating the period of each sponsor type.

Length of undertaking for all provinces except Quebec
Person you sponsor Length
Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner Three years
Dependent child (biological or adopted) or child to be adopted in Canada under 22 years of age Ten years, or until age 25, whichever comes first
Dependent child 22 years of age or older Three years

The entire application process for the Family Sponsorship takes around 12 months but can be longer depending on the country you’re immigrating from.

Did You Know?

Spouses can work in Canada under Sponsorship Programs

This is yet another advantage of the family sponsorship program because it’s designed to allow spouses to work in Canada while waiting for their applications to be finalized. However, this part of the program is only for individuals living in Canada under a temporary visa.

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

The AIP was explicitly designed for Canada’s four Atlantic provinces. The main aim of this program is to assist Canadian employers with finding skilled or qualified foreign nationals who can close gaps in the market where they couldn’t fill them locally. This program enables skilled workers to immigrate to one out of four provinces:

  • New Brunswick;
  • Newfoundland and Labrador;
  • Prince Edward Island; and
  • Nova Scotia.

There are three programs within the AIP:

  1. Atlantic High-skilled Program;
  2. Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program; and
  3. Atlantic International Graduate Program.

Home Care Provider Pilots

You’ll need a valid job offer from a Canadian employer to qualify for the Home Care Provider Pilots. You’ll also need a one-year post-secondary education credential. There are two types of home care provider pilots.

Types of Home Care Provider Pilots

Home Support Worker Provider Pilot (NOC 44101)

  • Family caregiver
  • Home support worker
  • Personal care attendant
  • Respite worker
  • Doula
  • Home visitor
  • At-home attendant for persons with disabilities
  • Housekeeper
  • Live-in caregiver for seniors
  • Personal aide

Home Child Care Provider Pilot (NOC 44100)

  • Au pair
  • Live-in child caregiver
  • Private home child caregiver
  • Nanny
  • Parent’s helper
  • Babysitter

FAQS

How to Immigrate to Canada in 2023

What is the Maximum Age for Foreign Nationals to Immigrate to Canada?

There is no set age limit requirement for any Canadian immigration program. Although, applicants between the ages of 25-35 receive the maximum points. This in no way means that older applicants can’t be selected. Having enough work experience, connections to Canada such as relatives, high language proficiency, advanced education, or the equivalent of Canadian education can easily make up for any points lost for age in the economic immigration process.

Family sponsorship, humanitarian and refugee immigration to Canada don’t use a ranking system, so age will not influence the immigration process.

Can I Bring my Family to Canada?

Absolutely! Some immigration programs allow foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada with family members. The family members who can accompany the individual immigrating will depend on the immigration program of choice. Those immigrating through Canada’s Express Entry system can include their spouse and dependent children on the application, but their parents will not be included in this option. Canada specifically has a family sponsorship program enabling Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, and parents/grandparents.

What is the Difference Between a Canadian Citizen and a Permanent Resident?

A Canadian citizen is born in Canada or has acquired citizenship after being a permanent resident and following the rules to attain Citizenship. They have rights and privileges such as access to healthcare, social services, and support from the law. Canadian citizens can live, work, study anywhere in Canada and vote in Canadian elections.

A permanent resident is someone from another country who has permission to live in Canada as a resident. Permanent residents are allowed to work and live anywhere in the country. They also have many benefits, such as access to social services and healthcare, the right to live, work, and study anywhere in Canada, and is protected under Canadian law. Permanent residents are not allowed to vote in Canadian elections.

Can You Become a Caregiver Without Post-Secondary Education?

Yes, you can. You will be considered if you have experience or training in-home care support or child care. However, you must complete a year of post-secondary education in Canada to officially work there.

What are the Top Occupations in Demand in Canada?

Canada has many jobs to offer that require high skills or low skills. Canada's in-demand occupations range from engineers to electricians and more. 

Which City has the Most Job Opportunities in Canada?

Vancouver, British Columbia, has a fast-growing economy and is one of Canada's world’s wealthiest, most cultured, and more diverse cities. This means there are many jobs available across several different fields. Toronto also has the biggest population of immigrants in Canada and is a great city to find jobs. 


How We Can Help You Immigrate to Canada

How to Immigrate to Canada in 2023

Applying for a visa can be time-consuming and difficult to wrap your head around. With strict deadlines, procedures, and requirements, it can be easy to make a mistake that could cost you your chance of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency. But with our vast knowledge of how to immigrate to Canada, we can offer you the guidance and assistance you need for a successful application. One of our knowledgeable Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) can help you throughout the process, making your Canadian visa application stress-free.

When you choose to use our expert and government-trusted service, you will get the following: 

  • An in-depth eligibility assessment
  • Guidance on which of 70+ immigration programs and visas to choose from;
  • An immigration plan tailored to your individual needs;
  • A review and submission of all application forms and documentation, as well as
  • Support through every step of the application process.

All you have to do is fill out our application form to receive your eligibility assessment and let us take care of the rest. It’s just that simple! Your Canadian journey starts here.