Business Immigration

The Business Immigration Program is for individuals who are in a position to contribute to Canada's economic development through their investment and managerial skills. Applicants under this category have financial resources that will strengthen the Canadian economy and help create more jobs. Those with business experience and relatively high net worth may apply under one of three categories of the Business Immigration Program. Each of these categories has its own requirements and targets a different contribution to the Canadian economy.

The Entrepreneur Program is focused towards business immigrants who plan to have a hands-on role in their contributions to the Canadian economy. The net worth requirements for the Entrepreneur Program are lower than for Immigrant Investors ($300,000cdn rather than $800,000cdn). Applicants under this category of the Business Immigrant Program must commit to both managing and owning at least one-third of a Canadian business, which will create or maintain employment within three years of landing in Canada.

The Immigrant Investor Program seeks to attract experienced business people who have managed a qualifying business (as defined by Canadian Immigration authorities) and are willing to make substantial investments. Applicants under this program must establish a ‘legally obtained’ net worth of at least $800,000cdn. In addition, Immigrant Investors must make an investment of $400,000cdn, which the government of Canada will return to them at the end of five years, with no interest.

The Self-Employed Persons Program is in place for individuals with relevant experience and skills in business, culture, athletics or farming who are able willing to support themselves and their dependents through self-employed income. To apply under this program, an individual may need to demonstrate experience, net worth and/or artistic qualifications depending on the criteria under which they are applying.

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class exists specifically for temporary foreign workers or international students who wish to become Canadian Permanent Residents. Having previously obtained Canadian work experience while on a legal permit, these individuals have already settled into Canadian society and have established important networks in their communities and their careers.

The minimum requirements for Canadian Experience Class are as follows:

Temporary Foreign Workers must have:

If the applicant is still in Canada on either a Post-Graduate Work Permit or a Temporary Work Permit, they may apply from within Canada. If the applicant is no longer in Canada the application must be submitted within one year of leaving their job in Canada.

Caregiver

Most previous caregiver programs are no longer operated, but the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot are 5-year pilot programs that let qualified caregivers and their family members come to Canada with the goal of becoming permanent residents.

If you’ve been offered a job in Canada as a caregiver or have experience working in Canada as a caregiver, you may be able to apply for permanent residence through one of these pilots. The application process will be different depending on your situation and how much qualifying work experience you have.

Qualifying work experience means you must have worked full-time in Canada as either:

- OR -

If you’ve never worked full-time as a caregiver in Canada then you cannot qualify. Tell us how much work experience you have to find out how to apply.

Family Sponsorship

The Family Class Sponsorship program allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are at least 18 years of age to sponsor close family members, who wish to immigrate to Canada. To sponsor a relative for Family Class immigration to Canada, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident must sign a contract promising to provide financial support to the family member who wishes to immigrate for a period of three to ten years after their arrival. The length of the agreement depends on the age of the family member being sponsored and the nature of the relationship. To apply for Family Class immigration, the sponsored relative must also sign a contract promising to make every effort to be self-sufficient.

To be eligible to sponsor a relative, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident must demonstrate the financial ability to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored relative, should that be necessary. As a general rule, the sponsor must also be physically residing in Canada in order to sponsor. An exception is made for Canadian citizens who wish to sponsor a spouse, common-law partner or children if the sponsor can demonstrate an intention to reside in Canada by the time the sponsored relative lands in Canada.

Family members eligible for sponsorship are:

Federal Skilled Worker

The requirements of the Federal skilled worker category are intended to assess applicants, who are likely to quickly become economically established in Canada after arrival.

Firstly, to be eligible applicants must either:

Secondly, eligible applicants must have:

Applicants are awarded points based on six different selection factors. An individual must reach 67 points on this assessment to qualify for immigration to Canada. A satisfactory score on this evaluation does not, however, guarantee approval, as Canadian Immigration Visa Officers may use their own discretion to approve or refuse an application based on a substituted evaluation.

Altogether these elements, along with other requirements such as security clearances and medical examinations, make up the bulk of the criteria to come to Canada under the Skilled Worker category.

Provincial Nomination

One way to speed up the process of immigration to Canada is through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP). The PNP consists of partnerships between the Government of Canada and provincial governments to select individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and settle in that particular province. Most provinces in Canada have agreements in place to participate in this program. Under the terms of these agreements, provinces may nominate applicants who are in occupations in high demand, or who will otherwise make important contributions to the province.

To immigrate to Canada under the PNP, an individual must first apply for a Provincial Nomination Certificate to the provincial government where they would like to reside. Each province has different requirements based on their particular needs. After receiving the Provincial Nomination Certificate, an individual then must apply for a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa. Provincial nominees receive priority processing for their permanent residency applications.

The following provinces currently participate in the Provincial Nomination Program (click on a Province to investigate):

    • Alberta
    • British Columbia
    • Manitoba
    • New Brunswick
    • Newfoundland and Labrador
    • Northwest Territories
    • Nova Scotia
    • Ontario
    • Prince Edward Island
    • Saskatchewan
    • Yukon

Provincial nominees are not assessed on the six selection criteria of the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Study in Canada

While study is not in itself strictly an immigration program, it is a route chosen by many as the foundation of an immigration plan. Apply to study in Canada as an international student, extend your study permit and find out about working while you study or after you graduate.

Temporary Foreign Worker

For individuals who wish to come work in Canada, they may apply for a temporary work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. As a general rule, these work permits require a valid job offer from a Canadian employer, though there are exceptions. In most cases, it is possible to extend work permits from within Canada, but some work permits have a maximum duration.

In many cases, work permits require that the employer obtain Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), which confirms that the employment will not adversely affect Canadian workers. There are several exemptions to this rule.

Spouses and common-law partners of individuals who hold a Canadian work permit may accompany the work permit holder to Canada. In many cases, spouses are eligible to apply for an open work permit, which allows the holder to work for any employer in Canada.

Post Graduate Work Permit

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows students who have graduated from eligible Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) to obtain an open work permit to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Skilled Canadian work experience that is gained through the PGWPP helps graduates qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian experience class within Express Entry.

Students who have completed their program of study are allowed to work while they are waiting for a decision on their post-graduation work permit application, provided they meet all of the following criteria:

    • they are or were holders of a valid study permit at the time of the post-graduation work permit application
    • they were a full-time student enrolled at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program
    • they were authorized to work off-campus without a work permit
    • they did not exceed the allowable hours of work

Refugee Programs

Seeking asylum is not a shortcut to get around normal immigration rules and procedures. There must be legitimate reasons why asylum is necessary or it won’t be granted.

For persons with legitimate claims, Candi can help obtain permanent status in Canada.