Canadian Permanent Residence Applications

Express Entry System

On January 1st, 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada started the Express Entry System for economic immigration.

The Express Entry System is NOT a new immigration program. It acts like a filter for choosing “better” candidates for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Two steps are required:

Step 1 – you must upload your profile to Job Bank Canada by answering required questions online. Citizenship and Immigration Canada would choose you, if qualified, to apply for your permanent resident status in Canada. There are two priority classes - (1) foreign workers with a Labour Market Impact Assessment and (2) selected provincial nominees. After those qualified candidates are invited, then, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite those with high score on Comprehensive Immigration Ranking Score, four main criteria: (1) Canadian Work experience; (2) Education; (3) Language; (4) Age.

In addition to the highest scores as ranked by the four main criteria, the CIC may also seek to find candidates in each of the Economic Classes of immigration and may therefore accept lower overall rankings in an effort to provide a certain number of candidates in each Economic Class.
Step 2 – if you are invited to apply, you must submit your completed permanent resident application within 60 days from the date you are invited to apply.

It is critical to note that there is no predictable timeline or certain rules for candidates to be invited to apply, if ever. All information provided on the profile must be accurate, complete and true.

Upon being invited to apply, all information on your last profile will automatically be transferred to your immigration application forms. Therefore, you need to make sure to update your profile as soon as you are aware of any changes in circumstances; otherwise, you may end up misleading or misrepresenting your information to CIC. In such case, it can lead to your permanent resident application be refusal.

Federal Trade Application

As of January 1, 2015, the Express Entry System affects all potential applicants for the Federal Trade Skilled Worker Program.

Upon being invited to apply by CIC under the Express Entry system, you will be given 60 days to file your complete permanent resident application. You must meet four main criteria:

You intend to reside outside the Province of Quebec;
You have sufficient language proficiency in English or French;
You have at least two years out of the last five years of work experience in an eligible trade occupation, (those starting with a “72” or “73” in the NOC classification system);
You have a job offer from a Canadian employer with favourable LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) or you have a trade certificate to be able to practice your trade in the province in which you want to live.

There is no longer a restriction on the number of applications received per se, but it is implied by having you invited to apply through the Express Entry System in the first place.

It is critical to make sure that you are eligible to apply under this class BEFORE you create your Express Entry profile. There is no point for you to get invited to apply, if your PR application is not accepted at the end.

Federal Skilled Worker Application

As of January 1, 2015, the Express Entry System affects all potential applicants for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Upon being invited to apply by CIC under the Express Entry system, you will be given 60 days to file your complete permanent resident application. You must meet four main criteria:

Have at least one full year of continuous working experience in the occupation listed under NOC 0, A or B; - "work experience" = employment only!
Have sufficient language proficiency in English or French;
Have your foreign education and training compared to Canadian education; "foreign education assessment by qualified assessment centre"
Show how you will be successful in adapting in Canada by scoring a minimum of 67 points out 100 in a six-factor adaptability profile based on:
1. Age
2. Education
3. Language skill
4. Work experience
5. Arranged employment and
6. Other factors like
  1. Their Spouse’s language;
  2. Having Family in Canada or
  3. Having previous Study or work history in Canada

There is no longer a restriction on the number of applications received per se, but it is implied by having you invited to apply through the Express Entry System in the first place.

Canadian Experience Class

If you are a foreign student who is graduating from post-secondary studies at qualified Canadian educational institutions or a foreign temporary worker in designated job classes in Canada, you may be eligible to apply to become a permanent resident under the Canadian Experience Class. Such applicants may not need to stay in Canada while their application is in progress.

As of January 1, 2015, the Express Entry System affects all potential applicants for the Canadian Experience Class.

Upon being invited to apply by CIC under the Express Entry system, you will be given 60 days to file your complete permanent resident application. The Canadian Experience Class has 4 main qualifications:

You must intend to reside in Canada, excluding Quebec;
You must have completed at least 12 months’ work experience in Canada in a job that is classified under a National Occupation Code 0, A or B. During that year, you must have worked at least 30 hours per each week, without averaging;
You must have a verifiable reference letter from your Canadian employer; and
You must have sufficient language proficiency in English or French.

Family Sponsored Applications to Come to Canada

If you have eligible family members working and living in Canada, they may be able to sponsor you in order to migrate. We can assess if such sponsorship is available and guide you through the right process. Having loved ones sponsor you to their present location can be quite confusing and frustrating since a lot of questions on both sides will be raised. We are here to provide information to help answer such questions.

Be aware that it is not possible to sponsor any family member under the family sponsorship program. If you are living in Canada, as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and if you are over the age of 18, you are allowed to sponsor:

Your spouse and/or your children under specific age and circumstances
Your parents or grandparents
Your brothers, sisters, nieces or nephews or orphaned grandchildren. However, these members must be under the age of 18 and may not be married or living in a common-law relationship.
Other relatives can be sponsored under special situations such as when you have no living relatives in Canada.

It is not possible to sponsor other relatives, such as siblings over the age of 18 or adult children, however, these individuals may be eligible under other immigration venues.

Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications

In pursuing the maximum social, cultural and economic benefits of immigration, Canadian immigration system provides for applications for permanent residence based on the humanitarian and compassionate grounds. This immigration option allows flexibility to approve deserving cases not covered by the legislation and allows for exemptions under the legislation through discretion exercised within set guidelines. We can build a compelling case by highlighting undeserving hardships and disproportionate suffering that are generally recognised as humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

Skilled Worker Applications

If your occupation is on the specifically eligible occupation list under the skilled workers class, you may be eligible to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker. However, if your occupation is not on such list, then you must have pre-arranged employment in Canada as defined under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act before applying to become a permanent resident. Furthermore, it is important to demonstrate high proficiency in one of the official languages in Canada by taking an eligible language test in advance.

Self-Employed Class

If you have relevant experience in farm management, culture or athletics, we may assist you in preparing your application under the Self-Employed class. We know how to increase your chances of approval by explicitly showing your expertise and what you are capable of.

Provincial Nominee Programs

To gain entry under the Provincial Nominee program, you must have the skills, work experience and education needed to make an immediate economic contribution in the province to which you apply. We can assist you in determining which province in Canada would be most suited for your set of skills and background.

Most provinces now have two classes – one for outside of Express Entry and the other with inside Express Entry. Therefore, it is important to note the differences and make sure that you are qualified before filing.

Start-Up Visa

Your application to come to Canada through the start-up visa program will be assessed on a pass/fail basis on four requirements. You must have:

A Letter of Support from a designated angel investor group, a venture capital fund or a business incubator.
An ability to communicate in either French or English equivalent to a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5.
An adequate amount of money in order to settle and provide for the cost of living prior to earning an income.

Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program

If you are an international investor with the skills and abilities needed to contribute to our economy and integrate into Canadian society, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Pilot Program.