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A Canadian immigration visa offers great opportunities for you to work and live in Canada. This has made Canada reach the milestone of having the highest per capita net immigration rate in the world. There are many types of immigration visas for your specific needs or requirements. The Canadian Skilled Worker visa can provide permanent residency in Canada. If you just want to visit Canada, a Temporary Resident Visa or TRV is required. There are 2 visa classes you can choose from, and these include:

Immigration Visa

In order to qualify to apply for a visa to Canada, the following must be possessed by the individual:
  • a valid travel document, such as a passport
  • in good health
  • satisfactory examination by an immigration officer that you have ties, such as a job, home and family, that will take you back to your country of origin
  • satisfactory examination by an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit and have enough money for your stay. The amount of money you needed can vary with the circumstances of the visit, how long you will stay and whether you will stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives.

Any of the two are issued when the application is approved:

•    Permanent Canadian Visa; and
•    Temporary Canadian Visa.

A popular visa program intended to attract people with lots of experience and skills is called the Skilled Worker Visa. Canadian immigration also allows special visa type for business immigrants. The Canadian Government’s Immigration Department also allows the province of Quebec to choose its immigrants.

Permanent Immigration Visa

Under the permanent immigration visa, one must have minimum points in education, work experience, age, adaptability, arranged employment and language ability.

If you’re interested in business immigration to Canada, you can apply as an entrepreneur, a self-employed individual, or as an investor. You need to prove your skills and pass a minimum mark for the Business Points Test.

For those applying under the Canadian family visa, they have to be sponsored by an eligible permanent Canadian resident (for those aged 18 years) or by a Canadian citizen. They also need to undergo medical and security checks.

These kinds of visas are also issued to permanent residents based on education, work experience, knowledge of Engliah and/or French and other criteria that can help in becoming economically established in Canada.

The application process was described in a post at the Canada Expat Forum last August 26, 2009:

We got our SIN cards, exchanged our drivers licenses for Ontario ones, and have also received our PR cards.

SIN - 1 week, Drivers - 2 weeks, and  PR 4 weeks. Luckily uncle lives there and mailed them to us.

We are moving permanently as from March 2010, with myself first to get a house to rent for us and our dog, and hubby arriving 26th March (dog flying in between!). The process took 2.5 years from September 2006 till passperts received 7th May this year. Boy it's been a long wait, but by golly it's a worthwhile one!

I would like to wish anyone who is thinking about emigrating to look at Canada first, as different provinces have different landscapes, jobs, etc, You may find that the one you first thought actually isn't the one for you!



For those who have applied, Good luck, and don't forget to keep saving, as there are so many hidden costs that, to be perfectly honest, you would never have thought about.

Temporary Immigration Visa

Under the temporary immigration visa of Canada, the applicant should be issued a work permit to be finalized by the HRDSC or Human Resources and Social Development Canada organization or sector.

The skilled worker’s visa is intended for those applicants who have experience working in a thriving Canadian industry. To qualify, you must pass the minimum points required for work experience.  You need to prove that you have the funds and earn enough score in the 6 selection factors.

Tourists or visitors are required to submit a temporary resident visa before their departure from Canada. As a visitor, you will be provided a temporary visa if attending a business meeting, visiting relatives, participating in conferences, or going to cultural shows or pleasure trips.

Immigration Law

The Immigration Act in Canada was authored in 1976 by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and it centered on who must be allowed to enter in Canada. This Act provided more power to the province of Canada in defending their culture and setting their own immigration law. At present, individuals who are considered as a burden for social health and welfare services can be refused entry to the country.

This also created alternatives to exile immigrants for less serious medical or criminal offences. Starting from deportation, the immigrant is banned from entering Canada and for the rest of the deported immigrant’s life. The government will then issue a twelve-month departure notice and exclusion order. This law also merges all previous legislations dealing with the immigration office.  It further prohibits immigration to Canada for a group of unwanted people, primarily people who are either physically or mentally handicapped. The bill gives the government the right to deport unwanted immigrants.

However, Canadian lawyers are doing their best to help foreigners as part of Canada’s immigration rule. This is because it is difficult to deal with Canadian migration. The lawyers help out family members in Canada to support their families and later on facilitate their entry to Canada.  Likewise, Canadian businessmen assisted by the lawyers also recruit foreign workers. These lawyers help people who were issued deportation orders from Canada.

The Canada Immigration and Refugee Protection Act emphasized the significance of immigration in Canadian economy and society. It also made Canada a culturally diverse nation. It also states the government’s commitment to allow family members to join them in Canada.  It tries to integrate immigrants while protecting the safety and health of all Canadians. The refugee program, on the other hand, plans to implement Canada’s international legal obligation and give balanced considerations to all Canadian immigrants and citizens being persecuted.

The Permanent Resident Card is required for permanent residents re-entering and leaving Canada. This has improved the country’s boundary security. The bill allows a child born outside Canada to be adopted by a Canadian citizen and receive Canadian citizenship.

Immigration Work Permits

To work in Canada, a foreign national should receive authorization permits. A work permit is a document issued by the Immigration of Canada. It allows foreign individuals to work for a limited time at specific jobs. The work permit is issued only by the Canadian Immigration Officer after the HRDC or Human Resources Development Canada has approved the job offer of a Canadian employer to a foreign national. The Human Resources Development of Canada allows the Canadian Immigration Officer the right to determine whether the foreign worker has a positive, negative or neutral impact on the labor market.

As part of the employment process, the following information is important to would be work permit applicants :
  • Your employer helps determine if you are eligible. Your employer may need to get a labor market opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada ( HRSDC ). A labor market opinion confirms that the employer can fill the job with a foreign worker.
  • To work in Canada, you must meet the general requirements for entering the country and for staying here, in addition to those for getting a work permit. This means you may need a temporary resident visa. For information on visas, go to the Visit section on the left–hand side of this page.
  • A work permit is not an immigration document. It does not allow you to live in Canada permanently. To live here permanently, you must qualify under an immigration category, such as skilled worker. Live–in caregivers can stay in Canada permanently if they meet certain requirements.
  • If you want your spouse or common–law partner and your dependent children to come with you to Canada, they must apply to do so.
  • If you are authorized to work in Canada, your accompanying family members may also be able to work here by virtue of the permit you have obtained yourself. No other authorization is required. If they intend to work while in Canada, they should find out if they are eligible for an “open” work permit. Open work permits allow them to work in any job with any employer. An open work permit also means that they may be hired without the employer having to obtain a labor market opinion (the normal authorization required). Certain jobs may require medical checks or licensing from professional organizations. Their work permits will be valid for the duration of your own work permit.
  • Your spouse’s (and in some cases your children’s) eligibility for open work permits depends on the skill level of your job. You must also be authorized to work in Canada for at least six months. Note that open work permits for dependent children are available on a trial basis in participating provinces only. Accompanying family members must always apply for their own work permit. They should apply for one at the same time as you, before entering Canada. If they only decide to work after they arrive, they can apply once they are here.

Immigration Points

In order to migrate to Canada as a skilled worker, you should get enough points. The minimum points for education in Canada are 25 points. For work experience, it is necessary to obtain a maximum of 21 points (1year is 15 points, 2 years 17 points, 3years 19 points, and 4 years 21 points). For language skills, it is required to get a maximum of 25 points (primary language goes for 16 points and secondary language come with 8 points).

Immigration Allowance

Under the Canadian skilled worker class, you have to prove that sufficient settlement money is available for you to be successful.  You should have enough money to support you from the time you enter Canada until such time that you find a job. The required funds also depend on the number of family members who will join you.  The range for single is 10,000 Canadian dollars and for a family of eight or more is 25,000 Canadian dollars.

Canada Immigration Restriction

Applicants with a criminal record in any country or with financial problems may be refused during the process of their application.  They may also be refused if they:

•    fail the medical exam;
•    fail to present any of the requested documents or information by the immigration office;
•    fail to give proof of language skills; or
•    fail the background check.

The federal government of Canada created a group called Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This is responsible for the immigration criteria, visa level requirements and refugees. It also focuses on the citizenship application process and on the final stage of citizenship immigration. The Canadian Citizenship and Immigration maintains the number of people entering Canada and approves the types of immigrants entering Canada.

An expat explained how one deals with the CIC in a post in Canada Expat Forum last August 27, 2009

When you say "all your documentation" I'm assuming your initial application was quite some time before. There has been a fairly recent change in processing procedures/times and it depends if you got in before the change. If so then your application kind of falls behind those who applied after the change, at least so I'm told/understand.

I wouldn't bug them, it probably pisses them off. I know it's frustrating but that's part and parcel of the emi/immigration process. Youwillhear from them and hopefully be delighted by their response.