Canada welcomes over 300,000 new permanent residents every year and is rated as one of the top countries for immigrants to live in. This should not be surprising, since the standard of living in Canada is among the best in the world. Furthermore, Canada is a multicultural country which has officially embraced diversity and the Canadian government and businesses want more immigrants to relocate to Canada so they can contribute to the economy and society. Canadian citizens and permanent residents get free public healthcare, they can receive a quality education at highly-rated schools, and spectacular scenery is never far away. There are excellent Canadian employment opportunities available for immigrants living in Canada, which has the world’s 10th largest economy. In fact, the majority of people who immigrate to Canada are skilled foreign workers and their families. Canadian permanent residents even have the option to start their own business, buy a home or purchase other property in Canada. Finally, a permanent resident of Canada can apply to become a Canadian citizen after living in Canada for only three years and satisfying other requirements. These are just some of the many reasons why you and your family should consider Canadian immigration!

Yes – Canada Immigration Express sub-contracts the professional services of Authorized Representatives in order to perform eligibility screening of the profiles of Canada Immigration Express clients. They can use their training and many years of experience to evaluate the eligibility of individuals to apply for immigration to Canada and also provide personalized guidance during the Canadian visa application process.

The amount of time required to go through the Canadian immigration process will depend on the specific program (including its particular requirements and procedure) as well as other variables that may be unique to the applicant. In general, a skilled foreign worker who is eligible to apply for a Canadian immigration program that qualifies for Express Entry (such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program) could potentially complete the procedure in about 8-12 months. Other Canadian visa programs could take more or less time. Two major factors that can affect the Canadian immigration timeline are how quickly the applicant does what he/she needs to do and also how fast the Canadian immigration authorities are able to process the applicant’s file. Of course, there are other personal variables that might influence how long it takes someone to move to Canada. Once you know which Canadian visa program you are eligible to apply for, then it will be possible to have a more accurate estimate of the timeline.

Skilled foreign workers and their family members who meet the criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Program, or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) may be able to apply for immigration to Canada through the Express Entry system.

The Invitation to Apply (ITA) refers to the official invitation from the Canadian immigration agency that is given to a skilled foreign worker whose profile is in the Express Entry pool of candidates inviting him/her to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada under the Express Entry system. The ITA is issued to applicants in the Express Entry pool who have the highest scores on the Comprehensive Ranking System, or who received a nomination from a Canadian province or territory under their Provincial Nominees Program (PNP), or who have a qualifying offer of employment in Canada. Once the ITA is received, the foreign worker has up to 60 days to file a complete Canadian visa application with the national immigration agency and a decision is usually made within six months about whether to approve the applicant for Express Entry to Canada.

A skilled foreign worker who received his/her education outside of Canada and who is applying for Canadian immigration through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will usually need to get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) from an authorized independent evaluation company. The purpose of the ECA is to evaluate to what extend an education received outside of Canada is equal to a degree, diploma or certificate received from a Canadian post-secondary educational institution or secondary school. A favorable ECA will be needed when a skilled foreign worker completes an Express Entry profile for Canadian immigration through the FSWP. It is sometimes recommended that a skilled foreign tradesperson get an ECA if applying for immigration to Canada through the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), although it may not be required.

There is a two-step process to apply for Canadian immigration through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Skilled foreign workers must first apply to the PNP of a participating province or territory where they want to live and work in Canada. If they satisfy the PNP criteria and receive a provincial nomination, the second major step is to apply to the national immigration agency for a Canadian visa. The exact procedure will depend on the rules established by the participating province or territory for their particular PNP, and whether application is made through the “traditional” PNP process or through the Express Entry Canadian immigration system. As with all Canadian immigration programs, health and safety criteria must be satisfied. Skilled foreign workers and their family members who are approved for Canadian immigration through the PNP will be permitted to live and work long-term in the province or territory that nominated them and can receive all of the relevant benefits of Canadian permanent residency.

Canadian permanent residents are authorized to live and work in Canada for an unlimited length of time. They are permitted to attend educational programs, start a business, buy a home and own other property in Canada. Additional benefits include receiving free public healthcare, getting a driver’s license in their province or territory of residence, opening a bank account in Canada, sponsoring eligible family members for a Canadian visa, traveling to and from Canada, and applying to become a Canadian citizen after living in Canada at least three years and satisfying other requirements. Furthermore, Canadian permanent residents and citizens can live in a peaceful, prosperous, immigrant-friendly country that is known for its freedom, tolerance, high quality of life and beautiful natural scenery.

A permanent resident of Canada can apply to become a Canadian citizen after living in Canada for at least three years during the previous five years and also satisfying all of the other requirements. After a Canadian permanent resident becomes a citizen of Canada, he/she can then apply for a Canadian passport and also receive other benefits.

There are several Canadian immigration programs available and each one has different eligibility criteria. In general, skilled foreign workers who want to relocate to Canada as permanent residents must have good English or French language abilities, be within a certain range of ages, and also satisfy the requirements for education, work experience, good health, good character, and other criteria. Some Canadian visa programs for skilled foreign workers use a points system in which points are given for different factors (for example, age, English/French skills, education, work experience, etc.) and a minimum points score must be reached. Canada Immigration Express works with authorized immigration consultants who can review your details and determine which Canadian visa program you might qualify to apply for.

Canada Immigration Express works with authorized immigration consultants to guide clients through each step of the Canadian immigration process. Our clients can receive a personalized assessment of their relevant details to determine their eligibility to apply for Canadian immigration. Clients who are assessed as likely to satisfy the criteria for a particular Canadian visa program have the opportunity to receive professional guidance from the authorized immigration consultants during each step of the procedure, so that the forms will be completed and filed correctly with all of the required documents. Our clients can also receive answers to questions that they may have about their particular case throughout the process. This guidance can make the complex Canadian immigration procedure much easier to understand and help to avoid mistakes that could result in unnecessary delays. Additionally, Canada Immigration Express provides customer service in English, French and other languages and helps to make the procedure affordable with a variety of secure payment options. Therefore, if you and your family want to relocate to Canada for a better life, the professionals at Canada Immigration Express are ready to help!

Yes – You can include your spouse/partner (opposite sex or same sex) and your dependent children (who are under 22 years of age and do not have a spouse/partner) on your Canadian visa application (as relevant) and if you and your family members satisfy the eligibility requirements and complete the procedure successfully, you could all be approved for immigration to Canada!

Express Entry is a points-based system for processing the applications of skilled foreign workers and their family members for immigration to Canada through certain Canadian visa programs designed for “economic immigrants” (e.g., the FSWP, FSTP, CEC, and PNP). An Express Entry profile must be filed online with the Canadian immigration agency and eligible applicants will be placed in the Express Entry pool of candidates. An Invitation to Apply (ITA) may be given to candidates in the Express Entry pool who have the highest scores on the Comprehensive Ranking System, or who get a qualifying offer of employment in Canada, or who are nominated by a Canadian province or territory for their Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). After the ITA is issued, the applicant will have up to 60 days to submit a complete Canadian visa application with all of the necessary documents and governmental fee(s) to Canada’s national immigration agency. The decision about whether to approve the applicant(s) for Express Entry immigration to Canada is normally made within six months after the complete Canadian visa application has been filed. Applicants who are approved for immigration to Canada will be sent a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada will be stamped on a page inside of their valid passport.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of the Canadian immigration programs for skilled foreign workers and their families which qualify for Express Entry immigration to Canada. The FSWP uses a points system and a minimum of 67 points out of 100 points possible is required. Points are given for adaptability, age, arranged employment in Canada, education, English/French language skills, and work experience. In order to apply for Express Entry immigration to Canada through the FSWP, a skilled foreign worker must have at least one year of paid full-time work experience in a qualifying occupation during the past 10 years. An Education Credential Assessment (ECA) will normally be needed. Additionally, a passing score (less than two years old) on an authorized language assessment test for English (such as the IELTS) and/or French (such as the TEF) will be required. As with all Canadian immigration programs, health and safety criteria must be satisfied. Skilled foreign workers and their family members who are approved for Canadian immigration through the FSWP will be permitted to live and work in Canada as permanent residents with all of the relevant benefits.

Qualifying foreign tradespeople who want to live and work in Canada as permanent residents may be able to apply for Express Entry through the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Some of the requirements for the FSTP include having at least two years or paid full-time work experience in a qualifying skilled trade during the past five years and satisfying the criteria for English/French language abilities, good health and good character. If you and your family are approved for Express Entry through the FSTP, you will be allowed to live and work in Canada as permanent residents with all of the relevant benefits.

Skilled foreign workers and their family members who want to live and work in Quebec as Canadian permanent residents can apply for the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP). This is a points-based Canadian immigration program in which points are given for different factors (e.g., education/training, work experience, age, French and/or English language proficiency, connection to Quebec, family, job offer) and a minimum point score must be reached. Although English and French are both official languages in Canada, it should be noted that French is the main language used in Quebec, so having good French language abilities is important and will be very helpful. The two-step procedure for this Canadian immigration program basically involves applying for the QSWP and if Quebec’s provincial officials issue an Invitation and the Certificat de sélection du Québec (Québec Selection Certificate), the next step is to apply for a Canadian visa with the national immigration agency. As with all Canadian immigration programs, health and safety criteria must be satisfied. Skilled foreign workers and their family members who are approved for Canadian immigration through the QSWP will be allowed to live and work in the province of Quebec and can receive all of the relevant benefits of Canadian permanent residency.

There are various non-governmental and governmental fees that you may need to pay at different stages of the Canadian immigration process. For example, there are fees for English and French evaluation exams; the Educational Credential Assessment (if required); Canadian visa application fee; medical exam(s); police certificate(s); biometrics fee(s) (if required); translation(s) of documents into English or French (if needed); Right of Permanent Resident Fee (RPRF); Canadian Permanent Resident Card fee; transportation when moving to Canada; accommodation and related expenses while living in Canada. As of January 2019, the Canadian Permanent Resident Visa Application Processing Fee was $550 CAD; the Biometrics Fee was $85 CAD; the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) was $490 CAD; and the Permanent Resident Card Fee was $50 CAD. These examples of governmental fees are provided to give you a basic idea of some of the costs involved for one person applying for Canadian immigration and are subject to change.