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Immigration to Canada is the immigration of foreign nationals into Canada or permanent residents by immigration authorities of various departments and agencies in Canada. The immigration plan for 2022-2023 shows that immigration targets will be 310,539 people. This number includes different types of immigrants to Canada: economic immigrants (about 172,000) and members of the family class (about 146,000).

Basically, there are three different types of immigration to Canada:

  1. Family Class immigration (146,000)
  2. Economic immigration (about 172,000)
  3. Refugees/protected persons (28,000)

There are some immigration programs you need to know about when you immigrate to Canada. Find these immigration programs below:

Types of work permit in Canada

In Canada, there are different types of work permits available to residents. Depending on the terms, conditions, and duration of stay, there are three main categories:

Temporary Work Permit (TRP)

The TRP permit is required for Americans that will be working in a country for a short period. This temporary residence permit is a precondition for a work permit in Canada. The validity of a TRP can be between a few days and a few years, determined by the Canadian government depending on the nature of the visit you are planning to make. To get the work permit under this status, you will have to satisfy certain requirements that include evidence of sufficient funds to finance your visit.

Work Permit (WP)

The WP permit is required for Americans that will be working in a country permanently. A work permit can be issued either before or after entering Canada. In certain cases, you might need to apply from within the country while others who apply from outside are given a closed work permit until their application is processed. Once you have a work permit, you can then apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to look for a Job and start work in Canada.

Off-Campus Work Permit

American students that are enrolled as full-time students at an accredited Canadian post-secondary institution and holding a valid study permit may be eligible for an off-campus work permit. This is a special work permit for students to allow them to gain valuable Canadian work experience during or after their studies. To be eligible, the student should have completed at least six months of full-time study in Canada before applying for an off-campus work permit.

Work Experience (WP)

The WP permit is required for Americans who are coming to Canada for work experience. It allows you to have paid or unpaid employment in some cases with certain restrictions. This temporary resident permit can be issued after entering the country at a port of entry or even before you arrive in some cases.

Express Entry

Express Entry is a new system for immigration to Canada which aims to select immigrants who are the most likely to succeed in Canada and contribute to the Canadian economy. Express Entry manages applications under various Express Entry streams and pools and then issues an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Express Entry is currently open only to skilled workers with at least one year of full-time work experience in the past 10 years. Express Entry also manages applications for students who graduated from designated learning institutions, and who wish to apply for a permanent residence through Express Entry’s Ph.D. stream or Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Express Entry streams. Express Entry is expected to be extended to Express Entry Entrepreneur applications after modifications are made. Express Entry is a key component of Canada’s economic plan for immigration, the Express Entry Action Plan.

Express Entry has two phases:

Application management Express Entry manages and processes permanent residence applications for people who meet or exceed the minimum requirements under one of three different Express Entry streams, to issue an Express Entry Profile Number (EEN) and Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence promptly. Express Entry also manages applications for students who graduated from designated learning institutions, and who wish to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry’s Ph.D.

Family Sponsorship

Canada provides a migration process that allows Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents to sponsor their close relatives for permanent residency in Canada.

Relatives must be related by blood, marriage, common law, or adoption if they are not already Canadian citizens or permanent residents. There are several kinds of family sponsorship within the Family Class, including sponsorships based on being a parent, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandchild, child, sibling, or if the sponsor wants to resettle in Canada.

Every year thousands of people immigrate to Canada through family sponsorship based on either their relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (sponsor) or if they are sponsored by the government (refugee or in need of protection).

If you want to move to Canada and if you have a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada willing to sponsor you, there are many options available that may suit your needs. You can apply for Canadian immigration if you don’t live in Canada, you need to qualify as a member of the Family Class to sponsor your family for permanent resident status.

The three immigration types to Canada of family sponsorship are: if you’re an, if you already live in Canada or if one of your parents is a Canadian citizen.

Other programs

Other immigration programs to Canada are available if you are interested in immigrating to Canada, but don’t qualify for either the skilled worker or business immigration programs. Here are other options that might be interesting to you if you are interested in immigrating to Canada.

If you have a relative or if your spouse is Canadian, then there are immigration programs for you, including the family sponsorship program and the spousal sponsorship program. For if you already have enough money to invest, there is also an investor immigration program. If you are willing to invest in a Canadian business, the entrepreneur program may be worth considering. If you want to immigrate to Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds there is also an opportunity for that if your case fits into some specific circumstances, if not then this option might not be available to you.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program Canada helps you in the country. The Federal Skilled Worker Program, which is also known as FSWP, was created to help give people who want to immigrate to Canada a better chance of finding a job and settling there successfully.

The program has been active since January 28th, 1991 under the Canada Immigration Act. In the past, the program has been highly selective and demanding. Applicants had to get a certain number of points to qualify for immigration under FSWP.

In recent years, though, things have gotten much easier when it comes to applying under the skilled worker program. There are several reasons why you may want to consider creating a profile and applying for this program.

First, the number of points you need to get under FSWP has been considerably lowered in recent years. This means it is easier than ever before to qualify. People with a high-level background (like engineers and doctors) were previously required to get well over 100 points in order to be accepted into Canada under this program. Now, people in these same categories only need around 60 points to qualify.

Applicants with a technical or professional degree from Canada or the United States were once required to get over 70 points to even be considered but that is no longer the case. Again, applicants in these fields now need about 60 points under FSWP and can help you in the country.

Until recently, people who did not have a job offer in Canada were ineligible to apply under FSWP. Now, though, this is no longer a requirement. As long as your skills are in demand in the country, you should be able to get enough points for this program and help you immigrate to  Canada.

Secondly, under the new system in place, you can help you immigrate to Canada even if your spouse has never worked or has very little work experience. This opens up the program to many more people.

Federal Skilled Trades Class

With the world becoming more and more reliant on technology, skilled trades are in higher demand than ever before. This is especially true for immigrating to Canada with a Federal Skilled Trades Class. There are many different types of skilled trades that one can immigrate with to Canada, and if you immigrated with a skilled trade before April 1st, 2013, you can immigrate under the Federal Skilled Trades Class.

The Federal Skilled Trades Class is a great option for immigrating to Canada because of the points that can be earned in this immigration category. To immigrate under the Federal Skilled Trades Class, you must obtain either 75 or 100 points, which are based on your age, language ability in English and/or French, work experience in your skilled trade, education level, and whether or not you have arranged employment in Canada. Another great thing about immigrating to Canada with the Federal Skilled Trades Class is that persons immigrating under this class are allowed to immigrate as permanent residents, rather than having to immigrate temporarily.

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program immigrates to Canada immigrated in 1966 under labor immigrations, and was later amended in 1967, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1994, and 2002. With the new immigration reforms in 2014 immigrants to Canada will employment distribute their immigrants to immigrate in the Provincial Nominee Program immigrated in Canada.

Canadian Experience Class

Canadian Experience Class is a process that involves immigrating to Canada based on the previous work experience of at least two years in length. To immigrate as part of the Canadian Experience Class immigration program, applicants must have been working with a valid work permit for at least one year.

Family Class

Family Class Immigration to Canada is for those wishing for a family member to come and settle in the country. For the past decades, immigrants have been coming over for various purposes.  For instance, for education or work. However, for the Family Class, they come to reunite with family members in Canada. This is due to Canada’s open-door policy for immigrants wishing for their families to be with them once again. The immigration process for this type of class is only possible if the immigrant has had a close relative in Canada for the past 12 months. The close relative must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for them to apply for this type of class.

Business Investor

Immigration to Canada is a program aimed at attracting investment from foreign entrepreneurs who wish to settle in the country and contribute to its economy. In fact, this immigration category is one of several ways business people can immigrate to Canada through an approved Canadian employer or as self-employed Candidates need only demonstrate the required amount of net worth to be eligible for this program. Depending on the amount of investment they make, immigrants need to make at least $300,000 in the form of investments. Canada has three main immigration categories for business people: Business Investor, Entrepreneur, Self Employed Person.

Business Entrepreneur

Canada is a business-friendly country that has many benefits for those interested in immigrating. Business entrepreneurs who want to invest or run a business need to seek permission from the Canadian government first before they do so, as this is part of Canada’s immigration policy. For those who are not familiar with immigration policies, it is a written guideline that decides who can enter a country and under what conditions.

When you immigrate to Canada, you need to have an immigration plan set out for yourself before anything else. The most common immigration plan is the business entrepreneur immigration because it allows entrepreneurs from other countries to gain permanent residency in Canada, which means they can open up businesses in Canada and settle in permanently.

The need to apply for a business entrepreneur visa or permit is high because of the need to obtain the visa before you go over to Canada so that you can obtain work permits immediately, which will give you more authority within your new country.

Business Self-Employed

To immigrate as a permanent resident in Canada, the applicant must invest in a business. But not just any business; permanent residents cannot buy an existing business. They must be willing to create or purchase a new business and continue operating it for at least one year.

As permanent residents, they can work full-time, but they must also be involved in the business they have purchased. They cannot outsource the running of their business to a third party without losing permanent resident status.

Since permanent residents cannot apply for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence for family members from within Canada, many permanent residents choose to remain as permanent residents, living and working in Canada full-time.

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