Permanent Resident Programs

This program has been one of the more popular Immigration Programs to date and has been known as one of the quickest, cheapest, and easiest routes to settle into Canada. The program has undergone many revisions and restrictions, over the years and is now part of the Express Entry system. This program has been popular and will continue in popularity with good reason, while being the main route for someone to come into the country as a skilled worker.

Program Requirements

It is important to satisfy all of the requirements under the program and noteworthy that they can be changed/updated somewhat frequently with new streams being introduced or old streams being taken away. Currently, to be eligible you must have skilled work experience and your work experience must be:

• at least one year (1,560 hours total / 30 hours per week), continuous full-time or an equal amount in part-time,
• paid work (volunteer work, unpaid internships do not count),
• in the same job,
• within the last 10 years, and
• at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 National Occupational Classification (NOC).

If you meet all the conditions set out in the minimum requirements, your application will be assessed based on the selection factors in the federal skilled worker point’s grid. The selection factors are:

• your skills in English and/or French (Canada’s two official languages),
• your education,
• your work experience,
• your age,
• whether you have a valid job offer, and
• your adaptability (how well you are likely to settle here).

Program Privileges

Qualifying under this program will make you a Permanent Resident (PR). As a Permanent Resident, you can do anything that a Canadian Citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally, this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and PR’s. Lastly, after you satisfy the residency requirements as a PR, you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship.

This program is relatively new in relation to other Canadian Immigration Programs. It is based on the well-reasoned premise that if you are already in school or working in Canada, you are going to be able to settle easily and successfully into Canadian Society. The program seeks to provide a pathway for people who are already working in Canada as a Temporary Worker or a Student, to offer them the option of making Canada a long-term permanent home. This program has seen a lot of success in recent years and is a great option for people who are already in Canada to become a New Canadian.

Program Requirements

To be eligible under this program, you will need to be either a Temporary worker, who has a minimum of 12 months of full-time work experience (or equal amount in part-time) 3 years before you can apply; or a student, who has graduated from a Canadian Post-Secondary Institution and has worked for at least 1 year full-time in Canada. You will also need to have gained your experience on proper work or study permits in Canada and under the allotted time limit to qualify under this program. Additionally, you must be sure to apply within one (1) year of finishing your job in Canada. All applicants under this program will need to have worked in a Managerial; Skilled; or a Technical job and will be required to meet all of the requisite language benchmarks under this program in English or French. It is important to point out that in addition to the requirements listed above; this program is only for people who are planning to live anywhere in Canada except Quebec. Quebec has its own version of this program called the Quebec Experience Class.

Program Privileges

Qualifying under this program will make you a Permanent Resident (PR) of Canada. As a permanent resident, you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally, this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and P.R.’s. After you satisfy the requirements as a PR, you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship.

The Canadian government seeks to develop immigration programs that will address both the economic needs of the country and reduce stress on industries that are in need of workers. One such industry is for Skilled Trades People, and it is with this purpose that the government has identified workers from different trades categories to work in Canada.

The trades that qualify are as follows:

If you are part of one of these trades then you certainly have an excellent opportunity to not only immigrate to Canada permanently with your family, but also find an excellent job as well.

Requirements

The requirements for the program are as follows:

• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
• Meet the required English or French levels as determined through a recognized test.
• Have at least two (2) years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the five (5) years before you apply.
• Meet all job requirements as set out in the National Occupational Classification; &
• Have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year OR a Certificate of Qualification in that skilled trade issued by a provincial or territorial body.

In addition to the above, the person and all sponsored individuals must be able to pass all applicable medical and security checks to be eligible for the program while proving that he/she has enough initial settlement funds to support themselves and any individuals that they are wishing to sponsor.

Program Privileges

If you are a skilled trades person this is an excellent program and not only will it allow you to work in Canada but it will give you your Permanent Residence (PR) and all of the rights and privileges that are attached with it. In becoming a PR you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. This will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and PR’s. Additionally, after you satisfy the residency requirements as a PR you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship.

This program has been around for a number of years, but was discontinued on November 30th 2014 and replaced with the In Home Caregiver Program. Please see the New Program should you wish to come to Canada as a Caregiver or Nanny.

The program has been popular as it provides a direct pathway to Permanent Residency after the caregiver has met the work requirements under the program, while at the same time there is a great demand for caregiver services now and in the future. This allows the applicant and his/her family access to Canada permanently after completing the program requirements while providing an avenue for Citizenship. People who work under this program are competent to provide care for the elderly, children, and people with disabilities.

Program Requirements

To be eligible under this program, the prospective caregiver must already have been offered a job from an employer that has a positive LMIA, (granted prior to November 30th 2014) which is basically the approval from the government allowing the employer to hire them as a caregiver from overseas. In addition to having a good command of either English or French, the caregiver must also have at least 6 months of training or a minimum of one (1) year full-time paid work experience as a caregiver, or in a related field or occupation within the past 3 years.

Program Privileges

After you complete the required working term as outlined under this program, you can apply for your Permanent Residency (PR). . As a permanent resident, you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally, this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and P.R.’s. After you satisfy the requirements as a PR, you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship. Please note should you wish to get some more information about applying for your Permanent Residency, under the Live-In Caregiver Program please click here.

In-Home Caregiver – Permanent Residence

This program replaced the Live-in Caregiver Program as a direct pathway for caregivers to apply for permanent residency. Unlike its predecessor, the program is split into two different streams:

• Caring for Children; &
• Caring for People with High Medical Needs.

The government only processes 5000 applications under this program (2750 applications for each stream) and you are only able to qualify and apply for one pathway. The applicant is also able to sponsor and allow their family to come to Canada after completing the requirements.

Program Requirements

To be eligible under this program, you must have:

• At least twenty-four (24 months) of full-time work experience (30 hours per week) in Canada;
• The work must have been completed in the four years (48 months) before you apply;
• The job duties must match the job description for the NOC Code of their work experience;
• You must meet the minimum results for language (CLB 5) by taking an English/French Test; &
• You must have an Educational Credential Assessment completed.

The government is currently looking to adapt the pathway of how caregivers can apply for permanent residency. This program is scheduled to expire on November 29, 2019 and to be eligible to apply, you will need to have two years of full-time work experience as a caregiver and submit your application before that date.

Program Privileges

As a permanent resident, you will have the same benefits as a Canadian citizen and you can apply for a Canadian citizenship, once you have met the requirements. Permanent residents are able to live, work and study anywhere in Canada however they cannot vote or join the military.

Quebec is very unique when it comes to immigration in that it has certain exemptions and allowances that other provinces do not have when it comes to selecting the people that they wish to have settle in their province. It is with this in mind that the Quebec Skilled worker program was born as an alternative to the Federal Skilled worker. The program seeks to bring in workers with skills that are needed in the province, who will settle in and fill much needed skill shortages.

Requirements

To apply under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program the authorities will look at a number of different aspects, both for the principle applicant and the spouse. Some of these factors are:

• Your schooling (both your education level and the type of training that you have received).
• Your knowledge of French and English.
• Your age and work experience.
• The time that you have spent in the province and any family relationships you have with a citizen of Canada or a Quebec resident.
• If you have a valid Job offer: This applies only if you have received a job offer from a Quebec Employer that meets certain specifications
• The characteristics of an accompanying spouse or common-law partner if applicable.
• Must include the number of children under the age of 10 who will be accompanying you to Quebec.

On top of these requirements, there will need to be financial means shown and also the ability to live and adapt in the province. Once everything has been approved at the Quebec level the Federal government will initiate some processes to check security and medical requirements under Federal mandate.

Program Privileges

Qualifying under this program will make you a Permanent Resident (PR) of Canada. As this is a Quebec based program and you need to show reasonable intention to settle in Quebec. As a permanent resident you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and P.R.’s. After you satisfy the residency requirements as a PR you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship.

Although the federal government is in charge of Immigration for Canada (with certain exceptions in relation to Quebec) the government allows the provinces the ability to “nominate” people they wish to come to settle in their province. These programs are called PNP or “Provincial Nominee Programs”. There are different streams in these programs with most provinces having a Skilled Worker stream where they allow workers to apply to immigrate to Canada for occupations that have labor shortages or are in demand. These programs are open to people who are working in different jobs already in the province or for people who are going to immigrate to the province.

Although going through the PNP route adds an extra step in terms of the government application, it can have better success rates for certain categories of immigration.

Requirements

These programs are constantly changing and are different for each province. As such, we have chosen not to list the requirements here as they are very specific and the information is quite dynamic, in that it changes regularly.

Program Privileges

Being part of the PNP program is an excellent pathway to Canada and allows for people who would in some circumstances not qualify for Permanent Residency to apply and be successful with their application. In becoming a permanent resident you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and P.R.’s. Additionally, after you satisfy the residency requirements as a PR (stay in Canada for 3 out of 4 years) you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship

Although the federal government is in charge of Immigration for Canada (with certain exceptions in relation to Quebec) the government allows the provinces the ability to “nominate” people they wish to come to settle in their province. These programs are called PNP or “Provincial Nominee Programs”. There are different streams in these programs with most provinces having a Skilled Worker stream where they allow workers to apply to immigrate to Canada for occupations that have labor shortages or are in demand. These programs are open to people who are working in different jobs already in the province or for people who are going to immigrate to the province.

Although going through the PNP route adds an extra step in terms of the government application, it can have better success rates for certain categories of immigration.

Requirements

These programs are constantly changing and are different for each province. As such, we have chosen not to list the requirements here as they are very specific and the information is quite dynamic, in that it changes regularly.

Program Privileges

Being part of the PNP program is an excellent pathway to Canada and allows for people who would in some circumstances not qualify for Permanent Residency to apply and be successful with their application. In becoming a permanent resident you can do anything that a Canadian citizen can do except vote or join the military. Additionally this will entitle you to all of the other benefits extended to all Canadians and P.R.’s. Additionally, after you satisfy the residency requirements as a PR (stay in Canada for 3 out of 4 years) you can then apply for Canadian Citizenship