Ways to Immigrate to Canada
While immigrating to Canada requires a significant financial and emotional investment, the result is worth it. Canada is consistently ranked among the top countries for quality of life and is renowned for its welcoming attitude towards immigrants.
These are the four most popular ways for overseas applicants to immigrate to Canada in 2023:
01. Express Entry
Canada’s fastest and most popular immigration program is Express Entry. Through the Express Entry system, candidates can obtain permanent residency status within six months.
By 2025, Canada aims to invite half a million newcomers, with a significant percentage coming through one of the three Express Entry streams:
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
The Express Entry system involves submitting an online profile scored by Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). To submit an Express Entry profile, you must first be eligible under one of Canada’s above three federal streams. The Canadian government then issues invitations to apply for permanent residence to the highest-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool.
The Express Entry process may be the easiest way to come to Canada for certain candidates eligible to submit a profile. It can be challenging to meet the CRS cut-off in the federal draw. However, just by being in the pool of candidates, you could be nominated for permanent residence by a province.
02. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
There are nominee programs offered by Canada’s ten provinces and three territories. Each PNP has its own unique eligibility criteria. If you want to immigrate to Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), a Canadian province or territory has to nominate you.
PNP Program is for applicants who
- have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory
- want to live in that province, and
- want to become permanent residents of Canada
A provincial nomination enables the application to be processed faster, and thus, the applicant can come to Canada sooner. To be nominated by a province or territory, you must follow the instructions on their website and meet specific requirements.
03. Business Immigration
Canada welcomes successful business people who are seeking new opportunities and challenges. The Business Immigration Program is designed to encourage and facilitate the admission of these individuals. Federal and provincial/territorial governments welcome business immigrants and offer services to help immigrants start businesses and settle in Canada.
- Entrepreneur Immigration
- Start-up Visa
Overseas candidates interested in starting a business in a certain Canadian province have access to several province-specific PNP programs.
04. Sponsorship
If you are over 18 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you may be eligible to sponsor relatives overseas or within Canada for permanent residency. Sponsoring anyone is a complex legal process, and you must meet all the official requirements required by the Canadian government. There are a number of relationships that qualify for Family Class sponsorship:
- Spouse and common-law partners
- Parents and grandparents
- Dependent child
- Super Visa for parents and grandparents