Emigrating to Canada and receiving status there as a permanent resident entitles you to live, work and study there for as long as you like.
Canadian permanent residents have almost all the same rights as a Canadian citizen who was born there. The rights you’ll be entitled to include:
• Government-funded health care
• Subsidised education
• Unrestricted access to Canadian jobs
• Unemployment insurance benefits
• Pension benefits
• The freedom to live anywhere in Canada
Canadian immigration restrictions
Unlike many other countries, the Canadian Government’s policies promote immigration and as such, rather than having an immigration limit, Canada has immigration targets. For example, in 2009 Canada hopes to admit up to 265,000 permanent residents.
Immigrants can move to Canada from any country in the world.
Applying for permanent residence in Canada
It is possible for whole families to move to Canada and you can apply for yourself, your spouse and any children at the same time.
You can also be sponsored to move there by anyone who is Canadian or has permanent residence.
The first stage for applying for permanent residence in Canada is to work out the category that’s best for you.
The available categories are:
• Family Sponsorship – This means you would be sponsored by a Canadian relative or close friend who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or over. The sponsor would need to promise to support you and your family for a period of three to ten years whilst you settle in Canada.
• Skilled Worker Programme – This is a points-based system for professionals who can show that they will be able to support themselves financially. You need at least 67 points to be eligible.
• Investors – To move to Canada as an investor you need to have at least $800,000 saved up, have managerial experience and be prepared to donate a specified lump sum, or sums over a period of time, to the Canadian Government. You don’t have to intend to start a business in Canada.
• Entrepreneurs – To qualify for this category you must, amongst other things, be planning to, and prove that you can, start a business in Canada and be worth at least £300,000.
• Self-employed – This category of visa is for applicants with relevant experience in culture, athletics or farm management. You’ll need to prove that you can make a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada or purchase and manage a farm in Canada.
• Humanitarian and compassionate grounds – This is for those who can demonstrate good reasons why they would suffer hardship if they had to leave Canada.
Canadian citizenship
Once you’ve been a permanent resident in Canada for three years, you can apply for citizenship and if accepted you’ll be eligible for a Canadian passport. You will still be able to keep your passport from your country of origin too because Canada recognises dual citizenship.
By: Sarah Cornish
Posts Tagged ‘Canada Immigration’
Canada Immigration – Members of My Family Already Live in Canada, Can I Move There Too?
December 23rd, 2009
Under the ‘Family Class’, citizens and permanent residents of Canada may sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, or another approved relative, to enable that person to become a Canadian permanent resident. Application must be made to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and different processes apply depending on whether the sponsored person is in the first group of relatives (spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child), or is another type of eligible relative such as a parent or grandparent.
A person is a common-law partner if he or she has been living with the sponsor in a conjugal relationship for a year without interruption (other than short trips away for business or family reasons). However, sometimes a sponsor and his or her partner may have lived apart, and will not qualify as ‘common-law’ partners, in which case Citizenship and Immigration Canada will consider whether there were exceptional reasons, beyond the couple’s control, which prevented them from living together, so they may qualify under the ‘conjugal’ partners category.
However, a sponsored spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner must be aged 16 or over, and the sponsor must not have sponsored another spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner within the previous 3 years.
A dependent child must be under 22 years old (or in full-time study, or disabled) to qualify, and will not usually be approved if they have a spouse or common-law partner themselves. Each case will be carefully considered against the rules for the relevant category.
The process starts with an application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada by the sponsor, and the sponsored person must also file his or her own application to become a permanent resident. The two applications are usually filed at the same time. Applicants for permanent residence are required have medical clearance, and any applicant with a criminal conviction (depending on how serious the offending was) may be declined, and denied entry to Canada.
If the application for residency is approved, a permanent resident visa will be issued, along with a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document. The permanent residence visa must be current at the time when the applicant arrives in Canada. The applicant’s sponsor will then be responsible for supporting the relative financially upon arrival in Canada, at least until the new resident is able to support him or her self.
By: Stephen G Bourne
What Are the Ways to Apply For Canada Immigration?
December 19th, 2009
There are four main classes allowed for Canada immigration. These are the skilled worker, the family, and business classes. The fourth is as a temporary worker or student.
The skilled worker class, or points system, is the most popular class under which to apply. The applicants are awarded different amounts of points based on their age, education, work experience, and their proficiency in English or French. Points can also be granted if a person has arranged employment or is already working in Canada. Additional points can be awarded for factors such as a partner’s qualifications, or if a person had previously studied in Canada for at least two years. Special considerations are made for people that have family already living in Canada.
For Canada immigration under the family class, a person must have a Canadian residing relative who is eligible and willing to be their sponsor. These sponsors must hold a Canadian passport or be a permanent resident. These include a husband or wife, conjugal or common-law partners, dependent children, a parent, or grandparent. They may also be a sister or brother, nephew, niece or grandchild that is orphaned and under 19 years of age. Any relative who currently has no other relations living in Canada can also be a sponsor. Most often the typical family class application is by individuals who are currently engaged or married to citizens of Canada.
Applicants for Canada immigration who are applying under the business class will be separated into three sub-categories which are the investor, the self employed and the entrepreneur. Those wishing to apply for immigration under the category of self-employed will have to provide a business plan that has been extensively researched, possess enough capital and a good amount of solid experience for establishing a Canadian business. The net worth of the entrepreneur must be a minimum of C$300,000 and must have past experience in a qualifying business. Within three years of arrival the entrepreneur will have to establish or purchase a business which creates at the very least a single new job that is full time for a citizen of Canada. An investor’s net worth must be a minimum of C$800,000 and they will be required to make an investment of C$400,000 of that in the Canadian Receiver General for a period of 5 years.
Temporary visas for Canada immigration are allowed for students or workers. These workers must be presented a job offer that could not otherwise be taken by a Canadian. The issuance of the work permit is for the length of employment, which does not usually exceed three years. Canadian employers hesitate in hiring foreign workers unless there is a certain skill advantage that they possess or there are labour shortages. Most workers on a temporary visa were on a transfer to Canada from their current employer. Students who enrol in a qualifying Canadian institution have the option to put in an application for a student visa. This allows the student to study full-time and to work limited hours.
By: Graeme J Fraser