This status grants people who are not Canadian citizens the right to live and work in Canada without any time limit on their stay.
Permanent Residence
Express Entry (Federal Skilled Workers Program)
It is an online system that is used to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.
How the program works
Canada ranks candidates in the express entry pool using a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). They select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool and invite them to apply for permanent residence.
How to qualify for the program
Before applying, you need to obtain 67 or more points on a 100 point scale system, known as the Federal skilled worker points. There is a selection factor that assesses and assigns applicants interested in Express Entry an overall score out of 100.
The criteria for the point system are language, age, education, work experience, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability.
How to apply
Fill out the online form, if you’re eligible, the tool will send you to your online account to fill out an Express Entry profile.
To complete your profile, you’ll need:
- information from certain documents (for example, language test results)
- your National Occupational Classification (NOC) job title and code
Get ready to accept an invitation to apply. If you are invited to apply, you’ll have 60 days to submit a complete application.
If you are invited to apply for permanent residence, you’ll get a message in your account telling you:
- which program you’ve been invited to apply for
- what to do next
You’ll need to show proof of the information you gave in your Express Entry profile.
If you’re not invited to apply within 12 months of submitting your Express Entry profile, it will automatically expire, and it will be removed from the system. You can still create a new profile. If your profile is about to expire, you can print out screenshots of your profile to make it easier to re-enter your data.
Canadian Experience Class
The CEC is a permanent residence category for people with skilled work experience in Canada. It was developed for temporary foreign workers and foreign graduates with qualifying Canadian work experience.
The Canadian Experience Class program is one out of three economic programs within the online Express Entry system.
Minimum Requirements
- have acquired at a minimum of 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) paid skilled work experience in Canada and within the 3 years before applying
- gained work experience with the proper work authorization
- skilled work experience within any occupation in skill type 0, A or B of the 2011 NOC
- 30 hours per week for 12 months or 15 hours per week for 24-month
- self-employment or employment gained while being a full-time student does not count
- meet the minimum level benchmark depending on the skill type level of your occupation
There is no education requirement for this program, but to be awarded points for Express Entry you must complete an Education Credential Assessment (ECA). You will need; a Canadian secondary school (high school) or post-secondary school certificate, diploma, or degree.
How Canadian Work Experience is calculated
Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. Volunteer work or unpaid internships are not counted.
For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply!
- Obtain a Canadian work permit and complete a year of work:
- Create an Express Entry profile:
- Receive an ITA
- Complete a medical, provide security background checks, and submit an application
- Receive confirmation of permanent resident status and receive PR card
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
Each province and territory has its own “streams” (immigration programs that target certain groups) and requirements. For example, in a program stream, provinces and territories may target: students, business people, skilled workers, or semi-skilled workers
This program is for workers 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
To be nominated by a province or territory, you must follow the instructions on their website and contact them directly. The province of Quebec does not have a provincial nominee program.
How is it different from express entry?
PNP Canada programs allow Canadian provinces to nominate individuals for immigration to their province based on criteria set by the provincial government. Successful applicants obtain a provincial nomination, which may then be used to apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.
Provinces and territories that operate a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) can nominate candidates through the Express Entry pool, in addition to nominating foreign nationals to the existing paper-based process.
- Determine Your Eligibility
- Start the Application Process
- Check the Process Times
- Provide Required Documents
- Prepare Your Arrival to Canada or Apply Again With Corrections to Application
The Business Program
If you are interested in doing business in Canada, you may be eligible for a permanent residence through the Canada Business Immigration Program.
Who qualifies for this program?
Individuals with business/managerial experience and relatively high net-worth may apply for a Canadian permanent residence under the Canada Business Immigration Program in one of the following sub-categories:
- Investors
- Entrepreneurs
- Self Employed Persons
- PNP Business Programs
- Corporate Immigration
Eligibility criteria
For your application to be eligible for processing, you must:
- have received a Letter of Support from a designated entity
- meet the language requirements
- have sufficient settlement funds (transferable and available funds, free of debts or other obligations and excluding any investment made by a designated entity into their business)
Test your eligibility!
Take our FREE online test
Work Permit
The Canadian work permit visa allows business people, permanent workers, temporary workers, students, and others to work in Canada.
Types of work permits
An employer-specific work permit lets you work in Canada according to the conditions on your work permit, such as:
- the name of the specific employer you can work for
- how long you can work
- the location where you can work (if applicable)
An open work permit lets you work for any employer in Canada, except for one that:
- is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions
- regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services, or erotic massages
Eligibility requirements
Post-graduation work permit
You may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you graduated from a designated learning institution (DLI) and want to stay in Canada temporarily to work.