The Canadian Immigration system can often times feel overwhelming. Deciding what pathway to take or understanding what options are available to you can be a daunting task; The first question you have to ask yourself is what is my long-term goal?
If you plan to visit for a short time and then leave, whether it is to study in Canada temporarily, visit family, tour this vast nation, or even work; The options available to you are part of an umbrella group of “Temporary Residency in Canada”.
It is important to understand which one you need for what it is you wish to do. If you wish to come visit Canada to perhaps take a quick certification course and then return back home; you may think you need a study permit but if the course lasts less than six-months, then you only need to apply for a visitor visa and indicate your intention. If you wish to visit friends and family or tour Canada, you will only require a visitor visa; however if you wish to work while you are visiting even just temporarily, you will need a work permit along your visitor visa. A visitor Visa does not grant you authorization to work OR study (as long as it is a course over six-months to complete)
Learn more about your options below for Temporary Residency. If you wish to work, please contact us to explain your unique situation to us as you may have international agreements available to you and this often requires a full evaluation. We provide free consultations to let you know your options so get in touch today!
If your long-term goal is to obtain permanent residency and eventually citizenship, it is important to be informed of what is the best pathway available and to plan accordingly.
The path to Permanent Residency is broken down into four major components:
Express Entry
Family Class Sponsorship
Provincial Nomination Programs
Other Federal programs not covered by Express Entry such as the Federal Self Employed Stream and the Start-Up Visa Program
Express Entry is further split into three branches that are all contained in the same ‘pool’. The Federal Skilled Worker Category, The Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades. Express Entry draws are run by a comprehensive ranking system that is used to provide applicants with a score. The system with then automatically draw a certain amount every draw from the pool starting from the highest scored applicant. They then receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.
The Family Class Sponsorship helps reunite families by allowing permanent residents inside Canada or Canadian Citizens residing in Canada or abroad to sponsor their parents, spouses, dependent children or other relatives. Canada believes strongly in family reunification and has been increasing the maximum amount of applications per year to allow more families to become reunited.
The Provincial Nomination Programs are programs created by each province of Canada to help bolster their own unique situations. Often, Provinces will request occupations that have a market shortage to help fill the gap that is left by Canadians. This will give an eligible applicant 600 points in the express entry CRS on top of their current score which will guarantee them an invitation to apply and the path to permanent residency.
The other Federal Programs available are programs that do not fit into the Express Entry system. The Start-Up Visa Program which is still a pilot program for the next few years, is a program designed to bring innovations to Canada by providing the necessary support for foreign entrepreneurs to materialize their innovation and create a company that can compete in the international market.
The Federal Self-Employed program gives a chance for international applicants that can impact the culture and society of Canada such as a Singer, Dancer, professional Athlete, or Coach a chance to come to Canada. This program is restricted to those in the arts or athletics.
If you'd like more information on these programs, please click below