10 Easy and Legal Ways to Travel to Canada as an Immigrant

Migrating to Canada can feel overwhelming, but with the right information, you can navigate the process smoothly.

Canada is known for its welcoming stance towards students, entrepreneurs, skilled and unskilled workers, and families eager for new opportunities.

Here, we present you with 10 easy and legal ways to make your move to Canada a reality in 2024. Let’s get straight to the essential details without the overwhelming statistics.

1. Quebec Selected Skilled Workers

Quebec-selected skilled workers are a good fit for you if you want to migrate to Canada permanently for employment.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Intention to Live in Quebec: You must genuinely intend to establish yourself in Quebec.
  • Eligible Occupation: A minimum of one year of work experience in an occupation listed in Quebec’s High Demand Occupation List or Areas of Training List is required.
  • Education: You must have completed a diploma, certificate, or degree equivalent to a Quebec secondary school diploma.
  • Language Proficiency: Proficiency in French is essential, and you may also need to demonstrate proficiency in English.
  • Financial Self-Sufficiency: Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself and your family in Quebec is necessary.
  • Medical and Security Clearances: You and your family must undergo medical exams and obtain police certificates to show admissibility to Canada.

Requirements

  • Application Process: Applications must be submitted online via the Permanent Residence Online Application Portal.
  • Documentation: This includes completing Schedule A—Background/Declaration (IMM 5669), Additional Family Information (IMM 5406), and Supplementary Information—Your Travels (IMM 5562).
  • Document Checklist: Ensure you complete and upload the Document Checklist (IMM 5690).
  • Biometrics: Depending on your age, you may need to provide fingerprints and a photo.
  • Fees: Payment of processing fees, Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF), biometrics fee, and any applicable third-party fees is required.

2. Atlantic Immigration Program

If you are a graduate of one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces, including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, or otherwise, you are eligible to apply for this program.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Work Experience: At least 1,560 hours of paid work experience in the last five years. International graduates from recognized post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada are exempt.
  • Educational Requirements: Depending on your job offer’s NOC 2021 category, specific educational credentials are required, including the need for an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) if your education was completed outside Canada.
  • Language Requirements: Minimum language proficiency must meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) standards corresponding to your job offer.
  • Settlement Funds: You must have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family upon arrival in Canada.

Requirements

  • Possess the necessary education and language skills, have sufficient settlement funds (unless exempt), and have appropriate work experience and qualifications.
  • Get an offer of employment from an approved Atlantic employer.
  • Compile the required paperwork and get it ready to be submitted.
  • Apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program’s permanent residence.
  • Optional: If you would like, you can also apply for a temporary work permit.
  • Once your application has been submitted, proceed with the guidelines given and bide your time for a response.

You will get a confirmation and more instructions if your application is accepted.

3. Caregivers

If you have compassion for young people, the elderly, or those in need of medical attention, Canada is open to you. There is a fantastic chance to work and live temporarily or permanently in Canada.

Permanent Residence for Caregivers:

  • In Canada, caregivers can choose to apply for permanent residency.
  • Caregivers must always have a valid temporary resident status while they are employed in Canada in order to be eligible.
  • Prior to its expiration, they can apply to modify its terms or extend their work permit.

Advantages of The Caregiver Program

  • Through these pilot programs, caregivers may be able to apply for permanent residency.
  • Possessing a job offer to work as a home support worker or child care provider in Canada is one of the eligibility requirements.
  • A labor market impact assessment (LMIA) is not necessary for occupation-restricted open work permits, which are granted to successful applicants.

Temporary Work for Caregivers

  • Caregivers may be permitted to work temporarily in Canada if they do not fit the requirements for permanent residency.
  • Via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), they can submit an application to extend their work permit.
  • Before the caregiver can submit an application for a work permit, the employer must receive a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
  • A new work permit’s eligibility is contingent upon a number of variables, including the application’s location and the LMIA’s date.

4. Startup Visa

An immigration program in Canada called the Start-up Visa Program enables business owners to relocate there and launch their enterprises.

In order to qualify for the Start-up Visa Program, candidates need to fulfill the subsequent requirements:

Possess a legitimate business

  • When you get a commitment from a designated organization, you have to own at least 10% of the voting rights in the corporation.
  • When you receive the commission, you and the designated organization must jointly own more than 50% of the voting rights.

Fulfill the required language requirements:

  • Candidates must pass a language test administered by an authorized organization to prove their fluency in either French or English.
  • The minimum language skills required are Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in speaking, reading, listening, and writing.

Bring enough money to settle

  • Applicants must provide proof that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents upon arrival in Canada.
  • The required amount of funds depends on the size of the applicant’s family.
  • It is crucial to remember that immigrants with startup visas are not eligible for financial assistance from the Canadian government, and applicants are not permitted to borrow the necessary settlement funds from third parties.

If an applicant meets all the eligibility criteria and requirements, they can apply for the Start-up Visa Program, and, if approved, they will be granted permanent residence in Canada.

5. Self-employed

Creating an opportunity-generating business or participating in profitable entrepreneurship is an inventive approach to immigrating to Canada.

Eligibility
  • Relevant Experience: Two years or more of relevant experience is a requirement. This can take two forms: either engaging in world-class cultural events or athletics, or working for oneself in these domains.
  • Time: Your relevant experience must be within the five years before the day you apply and should end on the day a decision is made on your application.
  • Additional Experience: You can earn more points if you have three, four, or five years of relevant experience.

Requirements

  • Self-employment Capability: You must be willing and able to be self-employed in Canada. This means you should possess the necessary skills, experience, and resources to establish and maintain a viable self-employed business in Canada.
  • Selection Criteria: Your application will be assessed based on various selection criteria, including:
  • Medical and Security Checks: You and your family members must undergo a medical examination to ensure you meet the health requirements. Additionally, you will need to provide police certificates to demonstrate good character and to prove that you do not pose a security risk to Canada.
  • Sufficient Funds: You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after arriving in Canada.

6. Rural and Northern Immigration

The Government of Canada launched the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program with the goal of luring foreign nationals to Canada’s northern and rural areas who can establish themselves economically.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the RNIPP, you must fulfill the following requirements:

Community Recommendation

Under the RNIP, recommendations from one of the participating communities are required for applicants. The government decides which particular communities are eligible to participate.

Education Requirements

Applicants must meet the minimum educational requirements listed in Guide 0118—Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. The specific educational requirements may vary depending on the needs of the community.

Language Proficiency Requirements

Candidates must show that they are proficient in either English or French, the official languages of Canada.

The community-specific requirements for language proficiency may differ, but generally speaking, candidates must submit language test results as proof of their language abilities.

Work Experience

Candidates must have a minimum amount of work experience in a specific industry or occupation.

Different work experiences may be required, depending on the demands of the industry and the community.

Job Offer Requirements

Applicants must obtain a valid job offer from an employer in one of the participating communities. The job offer must meet the requirements specified by the community and be in an eligible occupation.

7. Agri-food Pilot

The Agri-Food Pilot is a program under the Immigration and Refugee Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that allows foreign workers in specific industries to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Agri-Food Pilot, applicants must meet the following criteria and requirements:

Work Experience

  • possess at least 1,560 hours or a minimum of one year’s worth of full-time, non-seasonal work experience from the previous three years.
  • The work experience must be in one or more of the eligible occupations listed under one of the eligible industries.
  • The applicant’s work experience must have been obtained through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and the employer hiring the candidate must have provided a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for at least a year.

Job Offer

  • Must have a genuine job offer in Canada outside of Quebec.
  • The job offer must be in an eligible occupation listed under one of the eligible industries.
  • The job must be full-time, meaning the applicant works at least 30 paid hours per week.
  • The job must be non-seasonal, with consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year.
  • The employment must be permanent, without a set end date.

Language Requirements

Educational Requirements

  • The educational credential assessment (ECA) report from a recognized organization or professional body demonstrating completion of a foreign credential at the secondary school level or above, or a Canadian high school diploma, is required of all applicants.
  • The ECA report must have been issued on or after the date the organization was designated, and it must not have been older than five years on the application date.

Settlement Funds

  • The ability to pay for their stay in Canada must be demonstrated by applicants.
  • The applicant does not need to submit documentation of settlement funds if they are currently employed in Canada under a valid work permit at the time of application.

#8. Economic Mobility

In Canada, the economic immigration and refugee settlement programs are combined under the Economic Mobility Pathway Pilot (EMPP).

It seeks to boost the economy of the nation and help qualified refugees locate jobs.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to qualify for the EMPP, candidates must show that they can support their families’ basic needs during their first year in Canada as well as establish themselves.

Regional EMPP

The Regional EMPP offers several application streams through which candidates can apply, including the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).

The public policy supporting the EMPP—Phase 2 lays out the eligibility requirements for candidates under the regional EMPP.

Federal EMPP

The Federal EMPP stream, which has two streams—the Job Offer stream and the No Job Offer stream—is where applicants can submit their applications.

Candidates for the Federal Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot must fulfill the requirements for eligibility listed in the Public Policy that supports the Federal EMPP.

Applicants under the Federal EMPP have access to EMPP-specific services, just like those under the Regional EMPP.

Intake Caps

There are specific intake caps for the Federal EMPP’s No Job Offer stream and the Regional EMPP, but there is not one for the EMPP program as a whole.

To make sure that these intake caps are followed, monthly reports are checked.

Important Note

This page offers an overview of the EMPP program; it might not include all of the specifics and requirements.

It is advised to visit the Government of Canada website for complete information.

9. Seeking Asylum in Canada

People can apply for asylum in Canada if they feel threatened if they go back to their country of origin.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible to file a refugee claim in Canada, a person needs to be physically present there and not be facing deportation.

Requirements

If someone is outside of Canada, they might be able to come here as a refugee or through immigration schemes run by the country.

They must file a claim for refugee status with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an impartial body tasked with adjudicating immigration and refugee disputes.

Exceptions

People might not always be qualified to have their refugee claim forwarded to the IRB.

These situations comprise, if they have not already:

  • acknowledged in another nation as Convention refugees, to which they may return
  • given Canadian protected person status,
  • reached through the US-Canada border,
  • filed a refugee application abroad,
  • are prohibited from entering Canada for security reasons,
  • criminal activity, or human rights violations, or have a previous ineligible
  • rejected, abandoned, or withdrawn refugee claims.

10. Study Permit

Being a student is among the greatest and simplest ways to immigrate to Canada. International students studying in Canada are granted a temporary residence permit called a study permit, which is also referred to as a student visa.

Eligibility Requirements

Students must be enrolled in a program at an approved Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada in order to be eligible for a study permit.

Financial Requirements

Students must show they have enough money to pay for their tuition, living expenses for themselves and any family members traveling with them, and return transportation costs.

Character and Health Requirements

In addition to abiding by the law and not having a criminal record, students might be required, depending on the circumstances, to have a medical exam to attest to their overall health.

Intent to Leave Canada

When their study permit expires, students will need to show the immigration officer proof that they plan to leave Canada.

Additional Information

When applying online, the Student Direct Stream expedites the processing of study permit applications for students who are lawful residents of specific nations.

Responsibilities While Studying in Canada

Both academic progress and adherence to the requirements of their study permits are mandatory for students.

They have to stop studying if they are no longer able to meet the requirements.

Conditions associated with study permits could include the ability to work, limitations on travel, dates of departure, or access to the designated learning institution (DLI). It is essential that you abide by these guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What documents are required for entry into Canada?

You must present a number of documents for validation when entering Canada.

The most crucial one is a legitimate National ID card or other recognized document proving your nationality.  You also need to provide access to the following documents:
  • Results of language tests
  • Education assessments
  • Job offers
  • Police clearances
  • medical examinations
  • Evidence of finances

What are the high-demand skills in Canada?

Canada is actively looking for people with creative business ideas, both semi-skilled and skilled, whose experience can benefit the nation.

Among the in-demand abilities are, but are not restricted to:

  • Engineers in Biomedicine
  • Designers of buildings
  • web designers
  • Teachers
  • Nursing Staff
  • Drivers
  • Midwives
  • Pickers of fruits and more

Conclusion

Immigrants from all over the world are now drawn to Canada. Canada provides a wealth of opportunities for personal development, whether you are a skilled worker seeking better prospects or a student seeking scholarships.

It is crucial to remember that this content is a summary; for more thorough and in-depth information, go to the official authority websites.

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