Permanent Residence

A permanent resident is a person who has applied to immigrate to Canada through one of the programs identified in the Immigration Refugee Protection Act and Regulations.

There are several Federal and Provincial Economic Programs that enable a person to immigrate to Canada. The applicants for economic programs are selected on the basis of the ability to become economically established in Canada. The applicants for non-economic programs are selected on the basis of family reunification, social and humanitarian objectives.

All applicants must meet admissibility requirements including: health, financial, criminal, etc...For peace of mind, rely on our services to help you navigate Canadian immigration laws and to obtain all required documents. Contact us for a personalized consultation.

Express Entry: Express Entry system is used to manage applications for permanent residence under these federal economic immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class. Provinces and territories can also recruit candidates from the Express Entry system through their Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. The Express Entry system has two steps.

Step 1) Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile. They provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal immigration programs listed above will be accepted into a pool of candidates.

Step 2) Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool using a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System. Points are awarded using the information in their profile. Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will be issued an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.

Federal SKilled Worker Program: This program is for people who want to become permanent resident based on criteria that have been shown to help people succeed in the Canadian labour market. Your application will be assess based on six selection factors in the federal skilled worker points grid (skills in English and/or French, education, work experience, age, job offer and adaptability). You must meet three minium requirements to be eligible:

at least 1 year of full time work experience, in the last 10 years, at skill type O, A and B of the 2011 National Occupation Classification (NOC).
meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7, and take an approved language test.
a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or a completed foreign credential, and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an approved agency.

Federal Skilled Trade Program: This program is for people who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade. Among all the conditions, the minimum requirements are:

plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing, and take an approved language test.
have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply.
meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the NOC, except for needing a certificate of qualification.
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 Canadian provincial or territorial authority.

Skilled Trades currently eligible for this program are organized under these NOC groups (subdivided into different occupations, all are NOC skill type B):

Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades,
Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades,
Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production,
Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators,
Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks, and
Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers.

Canadian Experience Class: This program allows foreign workers or recently graduated international students working in Canada to apply for permanent residence. Among all the conditions, the minimum requirements are:

have at least 1 year of full-time skilled work experience (skill type O, A and B of the 2011 NOC) in Canada in the 3 years before you apply.
have gained your experience in Canada with the proper authorization.
meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs OR Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for NOC B jobs, and take an approved language test.
plan to live outside the province of Quebec.

Provincial Nominee Program: Most provinces and territories in Canada can nominate immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These immigrants must have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of that province or territory, and must want to live there. Each province and territory has its own "streams" (immigration programs that target certain groups) and criteria for their PNP. For example, in a program stream, provinces and territories may target students, business people, skilled workers or semi-skilled workers.

Each province and territory's streams, eligibility requirements and nomination guidelines for their PNP can change without notice. Check the websites of the provinces or territories for the most up-to-date information.

Self Employed Program: To be eligible as a self-employed person, you must have relevant experience, and intend and be able to be self-employed in Canada and meet the selection criteria for self-employed people. Your experience is relevant if you have: taken part in cultural activities or athletics at a world-class level, been self-employed in cultural activities or athletics, or experience in managing a farm. You will be assess on selection criteria that include your: experience, education, age, language abilities and adaptability.

Family Sponsorship: If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and at least 18 years old, you can sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada: spouse, common law partner, dependent children, parents, grandparents, adopted children and other relatives under certain conditions. There are requirements to meet for sponsor and each types of relative. There are also conditions where sponsorship application can be processed within Canada of from overseas.

Live in Caregiver Program: There are now three ways to apply for permanent residence through the Caregiver Program. You may apply for permanent residence through any of the options you are eligible for:

Caring for Children Pathway: a pathway to permanent residence for caregivers who have provided child care in a home.
Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pathway: a pathway to permanent residence for caregivers who have provided care for the elderly or those with disabilities or chronic disease in a health facility or in a home.
Live-in Caregiver Program: A pathway to permanent residence for live-in caregivers who are already working in Canada with a Live-in Caregiver Program work permit, as well as caregivers who are approved for their first Live-in Caregiver Program work permit based on an employer's positive Labour Market Impact Assessment application that was submitted to Service Canada on or before November 30, 2014.

Humanitarian and Compassionate: People who would not normally be eligible to become permanent residents of Canada may be able to apply on humanitarian and compassionate (H & C) grounds. (H & C) grounds apply to people with exceptional cases. Factors that are looked at include: how settled the person is in Canada, general family ties to Canada, the best interests of any children involved, and the degree of hardship that the applicant would experience if the request is not granted and they must leave Canada in order to apply for permanent residence.