Call us on 
English
French
Arabic
Making the move to Canada can be complicated and it takes a lot of time and effort to get it right. Canada is constantly on the lookout for talented and experienced immigrant employees to augment its dwindling labor market numbers.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set a target of receiving 500,000 new immigrants each year to Canada's shores for 2023-2025. There has never been a better opportunity for applying for a Canadian immigration program visa than ever before.
However, with over 100 immigration visa application streams it can get confusing for applicants regarding which immigration program they should use to apply. As a means to address this problem, we have compiled a comprehensive but brief list of immigration programs that you can use as means to move to Canada.
How to Move to Canada-Programs and Application Streams?
Step 1 - Take an Eligibility Test to see if you Meet the qualifying Criteria to Apply?
Canada has some of the most stringent, selective and demanding standards with regards to immigration. As extensive and varied its immigration programs may be in order to cater to the greatest number of prospective immigrants, it implements high standards for its qualifying criteria that disqualifies most people from applying before they even made the choice to apply.
The Eligibility test is a questionnaire that asks questions about your demographic data such as work experience, age, education, health/medical history, English language skills and fluency etc. Should you be able to meet the standards set by the eligibility criteria, then you can proceed to the next phase of the application process.
Step 2 - Make Sure That you are not Inadmissible to Canada
Just answer these simple questions to yourself.
- Do you have a criminal record?
- Do you have poor health?
- Do you not have any savings?
- Have you ever misrepresented your immigration application?
- Has one of your family members ever been denied a visa application?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may not qualify to move to Canada.
Criminal Record Check
A criminal record can be anything like Driving Under the Influence to not paying maintenance to your partner.
All applicants who want to immigrate to Canada must get a document called a Police Clearance Certificate. Please note, the document can go under another name depending on your country of residence.
This is normally completed at your local police station and the results are then sent to the Canadian Immigration Office along with your visa application.
Poor Health
You may wonder why your visa can be denied because of poor health. Canada takes into account the effect any applicants will have on its healthcare system. Canada works on a budget of CAD$6,500 per person per year.
Certain jobs may also involve you getting in close contact with others, so Canada needs to take steps to make sure all of its residents are kept as healthy as possible. If you are a nurse, teacher, or caregiver for the elderly, you will definitely need to get a Medical Examination.
To prove that you are in good health, you can apply for a Medical Examination from a doctor who belongs to the Canadian Panel of Physicians. Please note, if you visit another doctor, your application will not be accepted.
Just remember that this Medical Examination report will only be valid for one year. You will normally be requested to supply this document later on during the application process when you pass a certain phase in your application.
No Savings
It may come as no surprise that Canada requires you to have enough money in your savings account to support yourself in Canada during your stay.
You can show that you meet their requirements by supplying a Bank Statement that is no older than three months. If you have any properties or other assets, you can list them as well.
You should know that the more people who immigrate with you, the more funds you will need to immigrate with. This is to show that you can support the dependents who move to Canada with you.
An example of this is the Express Entry System that requires a single applicant to have at least CAD$12,475 in their account. If you apply with your spouse, you would need at least CAD$15,531.
Please note that you should not borrow money from friends or banks to meet this requirement. Should the Immigration Office find out, they can deny your application as you have been untruthful about your application. You can be banned for five years from applying for a Canadian visa.
Misrepresentation
Misrepresentation in your visa application is a big problem. It means that you have been untruthful about the facts you included in your application.
| Misrepresentation can include: |
|---|
| Failure to mention your visa application has been denied to another country; |
| Lying about facts on legal documents, like funds, birth certificates, LMIA, ECA, language exam results from IELTS, CELPIP or TEF and other documents; |
| Failure to mention family members; |
| Lying about work experience; or |
| Applying for permanent residence in a marriage of convenience |
If it is found that you have misrepresented yourself on your immigration application, you will be informed of this fact by the immigration office and you will then be given a chance to respond during an application process called Procedural Fairness.
Step 3 - Choose the Right Visa Option
Each Canadian immigration program, stream, and category is designed to help specific groups of immigrants i.e workers, students, couples, singles, dependents etc. apply to work, study, and live in the country.
There are three main categories to look out for when you decide to make the move to Canada. These are programs that are for:
- Permanent residency (programs include long-term immigration visas like the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, Family Sponsorship, Provincial Nomination Program, and many more)
- Study permits (this is for international students who have been accepted by Canadian educational institutions); and
- Work permits (for applicants who only plan to stay in the country for work temporarily)
- Most of the immigration visa options in Canada give you the chance to apply for permanent residence in the country as long as you meet all of the necessary requirements.
Don’t know which visa program could be your key to Canada? Get in touch with our experienced staff who will help you narrow down your options.
Click here and complete a contact form. We will call you to discuss your immigration so that you learn more about your case.
Permanent Residency programs
Express Entry System
The Express Entry system is the most common immigration visa program used by applicants who want to move to Canada. Its popularity is based on its fast application processing times which can be as quick as six months.
There is also a higher likelihood that you’ll obtain permanent residency (PR) status quicker through the Express Entry system through the work visa programs it offers such as: Federal Skilled Workers Programs (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Programs (FSTP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Provincial Nominee Programs
Provincial Nominee programs are permanent residency immigration programs offered by Canadian provinces in order to meet the in-demand occupations within their provinces. Should you meet the requirements for a job offered by a PNP then you can apply for it by submitting an expression of interest (EOI) for that job. If you’re successful, then PNP will offer you an invitation to apply (ITA) that you need to accept in order to become eligible for a job offer.
Study Permits
Study permits cater to international students who have been accepted by Canadian universities. The International Experience Class (IEC) program has a category called the International Co-operative (Co-op) program that facilitates educational student exchange programs between tertiary institutions of countries that have an international youth mobility program.
Work Permits
Work permits are issued to immigrants who are solely immigrating to Canada temporarily for the purposes of obtaining work. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is designed for Canadian employers to hire foreign workers within a wide range of job positions.
The most important part of the TFWP hiring process is applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This provides proof for Canadian companies that they tried to hire local citizens before deciding to hire foreign talent.
IEC also has a category called Young Professionals which allows new graduates from foreign countries an opportunity to gain work experience in Canada within the industry of their choice on a temporary basis.
Most of the immigration visa options in Canada give you the chance to apply for permanent residence in the country as long as you meet all of the necessary requirements.
Don’t know which visa program could be your key to Canada? Get in touch with our experienced staff who will help you narrow down your options.
Click here and complete a contact form. We will call you to discuss your immigration so that you learn more about your case.
Step 4 - Apply for Your Canadian Visa
There are different documents needed during the visa application process that have to do with your:
- Job
- Country of Residence
- Language ability and
- Admissibility
Certain jobs, like medical professions, certain tradespersons, and teachers, require additional certification. These are normally done through local boards or organizations in the province or territory you apply to after you have arrived.
Where you live can also have a huge impact on your application. Certain countries require more documentation and necessary paperwork than others to apply. This can be anything like applying for Biometrics, eTA (Electronic Travel Authorisation), Police Certificate, Labour Market Impact Assessment and more.
Certain documents must be supplied during different stages of your application so please be aware that there are deadlines that must be met.
Step 5 - Pay the Application Fee
Yes, there will be application fees for any documents you send to Canada. Depending on the visa you apply for the costs can vary, for example, under Express Entry the application can cost C$550 per person.
Just remember that unless you pay the full application fee, your Canadian visa application will not be processed. You can save a bit of money by applying online to avoid courier fees which can be quite expensive and, not to mention, take longer to get to the Immigration Office.
If any of your application documents are not in English, they must be translated by a legal professional that includes an affidavit with the translation. Please note that a certified photocopy of the original documents must also be handed in at the same time.
Step 6 - Wait for Your Canadian Visa
After you apply for your visa, there can be a bit of a waiting period. This depends on the visa type and the country you apply from and the volume of applications sent to the IRCC. If you plan to sponsor your partner to Canada, processing times are around 12 months, while the three main categories like the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades, and Federal Skilled Worker programs aim to have a processing time of around six months!
As we mentioned earlier, certain visa processing times can take longer than other countries for the same visa.
Below are a few examples of how the application process time can change from country to country for Student Visas.
| Country Name | Processing Time Weeks |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 7 |
| Austalia | 6 |
| Chile | 4 |
| Ghana | 11 |
| Mauritius | 7 |
Why Move to Canada?
Canada has developed into a hotbed of inbound international immigration. It has become so by leveraging its stellar credentials with regards to lifestyle, socio-cultural diversity, economic competitiveness and high living standards with regards to education, healthcare, housing and employment.
Should you decide to move to Canada on a permanent basis, these are some of the benefits that you -and your family if you choose to bring them along- will be a beneficiary of.
How can we Help you to Apply?
As is evident from the information outlined above, there are a lot of processes involved when applying to move to Canada. It is understandable why a lot of prospective immigrants to Canada are weary of engaging in this process.
As a means to spare applicants all of this anxiety and concern, we recommend applicants to contact the services of a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant or RCIC affiliated immigration consultancy company such as CanadianVisa.
CanadianVisa will assist you with facilitating the eligibility test, drawing up all the necessary supporting documentation, making sure all documents needing documentation are certified, alerting you about application deadlines and getting you in touch with a licensed and authorized RCIC.
FAQs
What Methods are the Easiest to Use to Move to Canada?
Express Entry and Provincial Nominee programs
Can you work and travel in Canada temporarily?
Yes. You can do so by applying for the Working Holiday Visa program that allows you to work and travel in Canada for about a year or two.
Does Applying for one Immigration Program Disqualify you From Applying for Another?
As long as you are eligible, you can apply for as many immigration programs as you want.
