A Complete Guide To Canada Permanent Visas

Overview of Canada Permanent Visas

Canada is agreed to be the most widely known immigrant destination all over the world. With its high living standard, outstanding security, development, and life-changing opportunities, Canada has become the best place for migrants to permanently move and settle in.

If your dream is to travel to Canada, then you don’t have to worry too much because Canada has one of the easiest and simplest migration policies in the world. This has made Canada the perfect country for migrants to go and get Permanent Residency visas.

Canadian Permanent Resident Visa

The Canadian permanent residency visa is a legal document that allows migrants to study, work, and settle in Canada with permanent residency status. It is a distinctive status given to migrants who have met Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requirements successfully with no fault.

There are many advantages of having a Canadian permanent visa as a migrant some of them include career opportunities, access to family and social security services, free education for your child, a chance to apply for Canadian Citizenship and other benefits Canadian citizens enjoy.

These are just a few of the benefits migrants gain from obtaining a Canadian permanent resident visa and there are many ways through which migrants can get a permanent residency visa in Canada

Method of Acquiring a Canadian Permanent Visa

There are different kinds of immigration programs through which you can apply and acquire a permanent visa from the Canadian government. They are:

Express Entry Program

Being the most frequently used method to apply for Canadian permanent residence, Express Entry is one of the quickest and simplest ways immigrants use to obtain a visa for a fresh and beautiful life in Canada. The Canadian government uses the express entry program to collect and process applications of skilled workers who intend to move to Canada and obtain a permanent residency visa.

Express entry has three main programs through which you can apply for a Canadian permanent visa:

Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program

This is a program created for workers across the world that are in search of the best working opportunities and environments can apply for a Permanent residency visa through this program with ease as long as you are eligible to apply.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

This is another express entry program intended for skilled individuals with the appropriate job experience and expertise. It targets professionally skilled individuals with work experience in jobs like baking, electrician, plumbing, painter, carpenter, welding, and other jobs in tier 2 or 3. Skilled immigrants usually choose this program since they required work experience or when they lack specific requirements like language, educational qualification, etc.

Canadian Experience Class Program

This is another program designed for immigrants who have experience working in Canada for at least a year. It targets skilled immigrant workers who have worked in Canada for at least one year and are interested in acquiring a Canadian permanent residency visa. This program is mostly used by international postgraduate students who have work experience when working with their permits.

Eligibility Criteria for Express Entry Program

Here are the general eligibility criteria to apply for the express entry program:

• You must have at least a year to 10 years of work experience in your occupation.
• You must have completed at least above high school education level based on Canadian Education Credential Assessment.
• You must pass the approved Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) language test minimum score in either English or French

Provincial Nominee Programs

This program is a partnership between the Canadian government and its provinces. Each province is expected to provide its own immigration requirements for students, businesspersons, skillful workers, and other immigrants who want to immigrate to their provinces.

Immigrants who failed to fulfill the requirement for the express entry program can simply check out some of the requirements of these provinces and see which of them they can fulfill.

Eligibility Criteria for Provincial Nominee Program

Your eligibility will depend on the province you want to move in. It is up to you to understand which programs you are eligible for and how to apply for them. The application for a provincial nomination is a completely separate application process from the main application.

If you are nominated by any province you will earn 600 points which will automatically improve your application profile.

Business Immigration Program

This program is for immigrants who are interested in starting or investing in a business in Canada. This program targets entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, or investors with the intention of moving to Canada. There are three different programs under the business immigration program. They are Entrepreneur start-up visa program, self-employed person visa program, and Canada investment visa program.

Eligibility Criteria For Business Immigration Program

The eligibility criteria for this program will be different depending on the program you choose. Here are the general eligibility criteria for the business immigration program:

• You must have business management and ownership experience
• You must have the minimum net worth and investment
• You must obtain a positive valuation from the official organization
• You must be capable of creating employment opportunities in Canada

Family Sponsorship Program

The family sponsorship program targets Canadian citizens who have the intention of sponsoring their family members to Canada. This program is the second largest and most used program to apply for a Canadian permanent residency visa.

This program allows Canadian citizens and permanent resident to sponsor their family to Canada easily. These family members include your spouse or common-law partner, conjugal partner, parent or grandparent, child, or other eligible relatives.

Eligibility Criteria

• The eligibility criteria to be fulfilled for this program are:
• Both you and the sponsored family member or relative must be 18 and above
• You must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
• You must provide proof of your relationship with the family member you want to sponsor
• You must sign an undertaking to show that you will financially support the family member you sponsored to Canada.

Eligibility for Acquiring a Canadian Permanent Visa

Here are the general criteria to be eligible of acquiring a Canadian permanent resident visa:

1. Age

There is usually no specific age limit because each program has its own specific age requirement. However, younger immigrants are more preferable.

• Education

You must at least have a high school level of education based on the immigration standard in Canada. However, the higher your level of education the higher your eligibility status.

• Language Proficiency

You must take the IELTS exam to prove you are capable of adapting and working in Canada. The required minimum score from your IELTS exam should be CLB 7 to be eligible for a permanent visa. However, if you earn higher points your eligibility status increases.

• Documentation

You must provide all the necessary documents needed and have a valid travel passport to be able to acquire a permanent visa.

• Adaptability

You must have the capacity of adapting to life in Canada with ease. Having a family member or a partner in Canada will help you increase your chances of acquiring a permanent visa.

• Work Experience

One of the biggest eligibility criteria for you to be able to acquire a Canadian permanent visa is your work experience and occupation. You must have at least a year of work experience to be eligible. However, having more years of experience gives you more chances of acquiring a permanent visa. You can check the national occupation classification on IRCC official website to identify if your occupation is transferrable or available in Canada.

• Finance

You must have enough funds to sustain yourself and your family member in Canada. This is important because you or your family member won’t be receiving any support from the government when you arrive.

Procedures for Acquiring Canadian Permanent Visa

The procedures for acquiring a Canadian permanent visa will depend on the program you choose. The procedures can sometimes be very complex, however with a good strategy and preparation it can become an easy and simple process.

Here are the procedures to follow:

1. Evaluate Your Eligibility and Select Your Program

The first and most important step is identifying and choosing the available program through which you can apply for a Canadian permanent visa. After which you will find out if you are eligible and meet the requirement to apply through the selected program of your choice. You check the official IRCC website to assess your eligibility before you apply.

• Prepare Required Documents

Preparing the required documents that will support your application is very necessary. Even though you won’t submit most of them until you receive the official invitation to apply (ITA), it is advisable that you gather all the necessary documents before applying. Some of these documents take months before they are processed. So start preparing your documents as soon as possible.

Here are some of the essential documents for a Canadian permanent residency visa:

1. International travel passport
2. Birth certificate to prove your age
3. Language exam results like IELTS, SAT, TOEFL, and the other exams
4. Education certificates like your academic degrees, postgraduate or undergraduate degrees, etc.
5. Financial statement to prove you can fund yourself.
6. Medical and Police clearance certificates
7. Letter of recommendation and employment document

After collecting all the necessary documents, make sure your documents are translated if they aren’t.

• Express Entry Profile And Comprehensive Ranking System Score

After confirming your eligibility and gathering all your necessary documents, the next thing to do is create an express entry profile and completing your application form in order to join the pool of other applicants.

Make sure your profile is accurate with no mistakes because this profile will help you rank higher in the comprehensive ranking system and help you easily get invited to apply. After creating your profile and joining other applicants, you will receive a score that will make you eligible or ineligible for a permanent residency visa. I recommend you visit the official IRCC website or visit any Canadian immigration consultant for proper guidance.

• Submit The Application Package

After completing your application form and gathered all the entire necessary documents, the next thing to do is to submit your application form with supporting documents. Make sure the application form is correctly filled and all the required documents are submitted together. You can submit them online or via mail to any official Canadian immigration office. Your submitted application package will be examined based on comprehensive ranking system and scored. If you pass the cut-off mark then you might receive an invitation to apply.

• Invitation to Apply
  After submitting application package and passing the cut-off mark, you will receive an invite to apply (ITA) for a permanent resident visa. An invite to apply is a letter sent to you by the Canadian government to inform or invite you to apply for permanent resident visa. After receiving your invite to apply letter, you have must submit the complete application for a permanent resident visa within the maximum of 60 days. Your invite to apply will expire if you are unable to submit within the limited time.

I recommend you check IRCC official website to find out more about invite to apply, it ranking, scoring method, responses etc.

• Final Permanent Resident Application

After receiving an invite to apply (ITA), you can then submit you permanent resident visa application with supporting documents that is requested. Supporting documents like your Biometrics, an approved medical exam result and a police clearance certificate if required.

• Pay Application Fees

During application process there are specific application fees you will pay when submitting your permanent resident visa application. This fee varies depending on the permanent visa program you are applying for and the country you are currently staying. You can make these payments with your credit card online. Check out more information how much you will pay and how you will pay on IRCC official website.

• Permanent Residence Confirmation

After submitting your Permanent Residence applications and paying the necessary fees, you will have to wait for a period of time for your application to be processed and selected.  The processing time will depend on the Permanent visa program you choose and the office processing your visa application.

If you are selected after your application is processed, IRCC will send you a confirmation or approval letter with a permanent residence visa. You can check the official IRCC website to know the current application process time

• Passport Stamping And Receiving Permanent Resident Card

After your visa application is approved, you are expected to take your passport to any Canadian embassy for stamping. This stamp will prove you are a permanent resident of Canada.

You permanent residence visa will arrive within three to four weeks after stamping your passport. Once you have obtained your permanent residence visa, you can start preparing to move to Canada. Your permanent residence visa expires after five years and you will need to renew it constantly.

Good news, you have become a permanent resident of Canada.

Conclusion

Applying for a Canadian permanent residence visa is not easy. It requires early strategic planning and preparation, time and effort to be able to smoothly acquire a permanent residence visa.

By following the guidelines and advice provided in this article, you will be able easily acquire a permanent residence visa and fulfil your dream of staying to Canada within a short time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which is the fastest program to move to Canada?

Express entry program has proven to be the fasted and efficient way of moving to Canada. The application processing time is averaged around six months.

• Can I apply for a Canada Permanent Residence Visa without any employment offer?

Yes, you can apply through Federal Skilled Worker program, Federal Skilled Trades program or Canadian Experience Class program since they don’t need employment offers to apply. However, having employment offer increases your chance of being selected.

• Must I be proficient in English or French to apply for Canada Permanent Residence Visa?

Yes, it is compulsory for you to be proficient in one of the two official languages of Canada English or French. You will need to take language test to proof your proficiency with the language. The better your test scores the higher you chances of being selected.

• Am I allowed to apply for Canadian citizenship after obtaining my Canada Permanent Residence Visa?

Yes. After obtaining your Canadian permanent residence visa, you are allowed to apply for Canadian citizenship. However, to be able to apply, you must have stayed for at least three years in Canada and fulfil other requirements such as language proficiency and citizen test.

• How do I increase my comprehensive ranking system score?

You can increase your comprehensive ranking system score by simply: retaking the IELTs if your score is low, increasing you work experience before applying, adding your spouse who lives in Canada to your profile, receiving a job offer, or getting a provincial nomination from any province.

• What do I do if my Canada Permanent Residence Visa application gets rejected?

You can simply reapply or you appeal the reason why your Permanent Residence Visa application was rejected. However you should try to improve your profile before reapplying.

THANK YOU.