Canadian Immigration

There are 5 ways you could immigrate to Canada:

1. Business Immigration – Invest and Immigrate

The Business Immigration Program seeks to attract experienced business people to Canada who will support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy. Business immigrants are expected to make a C$400,000 (approx. INR 2 Cr) investment or to own and manage businesses in Canada.

Canada has three classes of business immigrants:

• investors
• entrepreneurs and
• self-employed persons

2. Skilled Professionals – Work Permits

Skilled workers are selected as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other criteria that have been shown to help them become economically established in Canada.

Selection Criteria: Each application under the Skilled Worker category is evaluated based on six selection criteria. Each selection category allows for a maximum number of points that may be awarded to the applicant, for a maximum total of 100 points in all categories. If enough points are awarded in combination from the six criteria, a pass mark will be achieved.

The six selection criteria are:

• Education
• Language Skills
• Work Experience
• Age
• Arranged Employment
• Adaptability

3. Provincial  Nomination Programs – Fall in shortage skilled category of Provinces

Persons who immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them. They are ready to establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada. To apply under the Provincial Nominee Program, applicants must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory.

4. Family Class Sponsorship – If you have family in Canada

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) knows it is important to help families who come from other countries to reunite in Canada. If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child (including adopted child) or other eligible relative (such as a parent or grandparent) to become a permanent resident.

CIC refers to the immigrants who are eligible to use this family sponsoring process as the Family Class. If you become a permanent resident, you can live, study and work in Canada. For more information about being a permanent resident in Canada, see the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

When you arrive in Canada as a permanent resident, you must make every reasonable effort to provide for your own essential needs and those of your family. If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you are responsible for supporting your relative financially when he or she arrives. As a sponsor, you must make sure your spouse or relative does not need to seek financial assistance from the government.

In addition to being a Canadian citizen or Canadian Permanent Resident, the Sponsor must meet certain requirements for Family Class Immigration Sponsorship:

• The Sponsor must demonstrate the financial ability to provide the Family Sponsorship Immigrant and dependents with their essential needs (should they be unable to provide for themselves):
  • Food, clothing, shelter and other basic requirements of everyday living; and
  • Dental and eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services available to all Canadian citizens and Canadian Permanent Residents.

• The Sponsor must be willing to enter into an agreement with:
  • The Government of Canada or Quebec, whereby he or she agrees to provide the above essential needs for a prescribed period of time; and
  • The Sponsored relative (if over 22 years of age and not elderly), whereby the Sponsor promises to support the Sponsored person(s) for a prescribed period of time, and the Sponsored person(s) promises to make every effort to become self-supporting.

• The Sponsor must have either:
  • Physical residency in Canada; or
  • For Canadian citizens sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child, a demonstrated intention to reside in Canada by the time the Sponsored family member lands in Canada as a Permanent Resident.

• In addition, the Sponsor must be: at least 18 years old; not in prison; not bankrupt; not under a removal order if a Permanent Resident; and not charged with a serious offence.

Financial requirements for Canada Family Class Sponsorship for those residing in Canada (excluding Quebec):

A Sponsor must demonstrate a level of income that meets the minimum necessary income or low-income cutoff (LICO) for a given family size, as established by Statistics Canada. The Sponsor is freed from this requirement if:

• The individual requiring sponsorship is the spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner of the Canadian Sponsor; or
• The individual requiring sponsorship is the dependent child of the Canadian Sponsor.

To determine if the Sponsor’s total income is sufficient, deduct the following from the total family income:

• Workmen’s compensation board payments, except for permanent disabilities;
• Payments from provincial or municipal sources for welfare assistance;
• Payments from federal, provincial or municipal sources for employment training, or for any social or welfare benefits which are not of a fixed and continuing nature; and
• All debts.

The resulting amount must exceed the minimum income levels shown in this chart:

If the Sponsor is unable to demonstrate a financial ability to provide for essential needs, his or her spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner may act as a co-signer, if:

• Their combined income meets the minimum necessary income; and
• The co-signer meets all the other sponsorship requirements of a valid Sponsor.

Financial requirements for Canada Family Class Sponsorship for those residing in Quebec:

A Canadian Sponsor must demonstrate a level of income that meets the minimum income for a given family size, as established by the Quebec government in the chart below. The Sponsor is free from this requirement if:

• The individual requiring sponsorship is the spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner of the Canadian Sponsor; or
• The individual requiring sponsorship is the dependent child of a Canadian Sponsor.
• The Sponsor must be able to prove a steady income and one that has consistently exceeded the low income cutoff over the last 12 months.

Basic needs of Sponsor and Dependent Persons:

Basic needs of Sponsored Person(s):

5. Canadian Experience Class – after studying in Canada

If you are a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student who graduated in Canada, you often have the qualities to make a successful transition from temporary to permanent residence. You are familiar with Canadian society and can contribute to the Canadian economy. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience.

Also Read: Immigrate to Canada Faster | Apply for Canada Immigration

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