Permanent Residence
Canadian Immigration has a slew of permanent residence categories tailored to meet the needs of individuals from all various economic, cultural and social backgrounds. From business professionals in search of a better life to individuals caught between the cross-fires of adverse country conditions and systemic political oppression, there is an immigration category just right for you.
Express Entry
The Express Entry category is the most effective economic immigration stream to attract foreign professionals who wish to settle in Canada. This category is based on a points system (referred to as a Benchmark to qualify) which consists of 6 selection categories otherwise known as the Federal Skilled Worker program. There is a comprehensive ranking system that calculates the eligibility points of any given applicant who wishes to apply. There is an Express Entry pool wherein the highest ranked candidates are selected strictly by their points. If selected, the applicant will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. In order to qualify, the candidate must be eligible for 1 of the 3 economic streams:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class Program
Applicants can also apply for the Express Entry pool through the respective Provincial Nominee Program of their choice. They will obtain additional points for having a Nomination Certificate for the purposes of their Express Entry application.
If you require assistance with your Express Entry application, please contact us. We can help.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Each province in Canada has their own unique set of selection criteria for certain skilled professionals and tradesman. There are specific economic needs that each province has tailored based on the demands of their local economy. That being said, eligible candidates can make an application to the province of their choice and if selected, they can use their Nomination Certificate to obtain permanent residence. The Provincial Nominee program stream is also open to Entrepreneurs who wish to invest into the Canadian economy through opening up their own business in Canada.
If you require assistance with selecting the best province for your immigration needs, please contact us. We can help.
Family Sponsorships
The Government of Canada places a high value on their policies toward family reunification. That being said, there are 3 main types of sponsorships under the Family Sponsorship category:
- Parent and Grandparent Sponsorships
- Spousal Sponsorships
- Dependent children Sponsorship
It is important to note that in all 3 of the above-noted categories, the sponsor has to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. There are also specific income requirements for sponsors of the parent and grandparent category in addition to the dependent children category. There is a financial evaluation assessment that must be completed by the sponsor to determine eligibility in the parent and dependent child categories in order for the sponsor to qualify.
With respect to the spousal sponsorship category, the spouse can qualify under 3 sub-categories:
- Legally married
- Common-Law
- Conjugal
Although there is no official income requirement for the sponsor to qualify in sponsoring their spouse, the sponsor is expected to meet the Low-Income Cut off base requirement.
Along with the economic and sponsorship streams of immigrating to Canada, newcomers also have an obligation to maintain their permanent residence status. If you are a permanent residence holder, you must renew your status every five years. In order to qualify for the renewal of your permanent residence status, you must have lived in Canada for 2 out of the last 5 years. For this reason, it is imperative that permanent residence holders keep track of their travel history during the time that they are a permanent resident. Your permanent residence card expires every 5 years and needs to be renewed. You cannot leave Canada and re-enter unless you have your permanent residence card on hand. That being said, if you misplace, lost or have your permanent residence card stolen, you will need to apply for a Permanent Resident travel document from the Canadian visa office closest to where you are outside of Canada in order for you to be able to re-enter Canada.
If you require assistance with sponsoring a member of the family class, please contact us. We can help.
Citizenship
In order to be eligible for Canadian citizenship, a permanent resident must meet the physical residence requirement. What this means is that an applicant must have physically resided in Canada for a minimum of 3 out of the 5 years immediately preceding the application. Children who are under the age of 18 and are accompanied by 1 parent who is a Canadian citizen or is in the process of applying to become a Canadian citizen and has met the residency requirement automatically absolves the child from meeting the residency requirement.
Furthermore, permanent residence wishing to apply for Canadian citizenship must take the language test in one of the two official languages, either English or French along with the Citizenship test if they are between the ages of 18 and 54. The applicant must also show that they have met the tax obligations for the past 3 years in the 5 year time period immediately preceding the date of the application.
If you require assistance with your citizenship application, please contact us. We can help.