Permanent Residence | Megacity Immigration

PERMANENT RESIDENCE: EXPRESS ENTRY

Express Entry is Canada’s immigration application management system for economic immigration. Candidates for Express Entry are awarded up to 1200 points under a ranking system meant to identify those candidates most likely to succeed in Canada. The highest ranked candidates in the Express Entry pool will receive an “Invitation to Apply” after which they will have 60 days to complete an application for Permanent Residence in Canada.

QUALIFYING FOR EXPRESS ENTRY

In order to apply through Express Entry, you must be:

Eligible for one of Canada’s three economic immigration streams:
Canadian Experience Class
Federal Skilled Trades Program
Provincial or Provincial Nominee Program

THE COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM

500 Points: Core Human Capital Factors which include age, education, language and Canadian work experience.

100 Points: Skill Transferability which is a combination of foreign qualifications, work experience, education and language ability.

600 Points: A Provincial Nomination certificate
50-200 Points: For arranged Employment

STEPS IN APPLYING THROUGH EXPRESS ENTRY

The first step is to create a candidate profile online. Profiles may remain in the candidate pool for up to one year. If, during this time, any of your ranking factors change, you must ensure you update your profile in the candidate pool.
If you do not currently hold a qualifying job offer you must register with the Canada Job Bank. Candidates are encouraged to promote themselves to prospective employers in order to increase their chances of being invited to apply.
Draws from the candidate pool occur every few weeks. If selected, you will receive an “Invitation to Apply” for Permanent Residence. You will have 60 days in order to provide Immigration with all the necessary information and documentation so that the final stage of the Permanent Residence process can take place.
Once your application is complete, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada estimates a total processing time of approximately six months.

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS

The Canadian Experience Class permits foreign nationals who have been working in Canada for a period of at least one year to apply for Permanent Residence on the basis of their Canadian work experience. In order to qualify, applicants must have a minimum of one year of full time work experience in Canada in the three years preceding the application, meet certain language requirements, and intent to settle outside Quebec. The program uses a point system to assess candidates. This point system is not the same as the Comprehensive Ranking System used to rank candidates in Express Entry. In order to create a candidate profile and be assigned a score using the Comprehensive Ranking System, candidates must first qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades or Canadian Experience Class. The points for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are a minimum requirement in order to be eligible to participate in Express Entry.

Please be advised that qualifying for the Canadian Experience Class is only the first step in immigrating to Canada. Applicants who qualify for the Canadian Experience Class must create a candidate profile in Express Entry and receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence before submitting their application.

FEDERAL SKILLED TRADE

The Federal Skilled Trade is for skilled tradespeople who want to immigrate to Canada. In order to qualify, applicants must have at least 2 years work experience in a skilled trade in the last five years and meet certain minimum language requirements. The program uses a point system to assess candidates. This point system is not the same as the Comprehensive Ranking System used to rank candidates in Express Entry. In order to create a candidate profile and be assigned a score using the Comprehensive Ranking System, candidates must first qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades or Canadian Experience Class. The points for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are a minimum requirement in order to be eligible to participate in Express Entry.

Applicants to the Federal Skilled Trade Program must make their application using the Express Entry immigration application system.

FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for applicants who possess a high level of education and/or significant work experience that can be easily transferred to the Canadian labour market. The applicants must meet certain criteria in order to qualify for this category. The program uses a point system to assess candidates. This point system is not the same as the Comprehensive Ranking System used to rank candidates in Express Entry. In order to create a candidate profile and be assigned a score using the Comprehensive Ranking System, candidates must first qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades or Canadian Experience Class. The points for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are a minimum requirement in order to be eligible to participate in Express Entry.

Prospective Applicants must obtain 67 points* in order to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Points are assigned in accordance with six factors, per below:

Education (maximum 25 points)– the highest level of education attained and the total number of years of education

Language Ability (maximum 24+4 points) – the applicant's ability to speak, listen, write and read in either one or both of Canada’s official languages – French or English. Please note that if the applicant claims points under the language factor, proof of language proficiency must be provided. Proficiency in a second official language is worth an additional 4 points.

Work Experience (maximum 15 points) – number of years of full-time or equivalent paid work experience in a high skilled position.

Age (maximum 12 points) – the current age of the applicant, with the most points being awarded to applicants between 21 and 49 years of age.

Arranged Employment in Canada (maximum 10 points) – Either a permanent job offer in Canada for which the applicant is qualified or the applicant is currently employed in Canada and holds a work permit that is valid for at least 12 months.

Adaptability (maximum 10 points) – the applicant may be awarded points for this factor if they can show that they, their spouse or common-law partner, or their dependents will adapt easily to life in Canada. Examples include education in Canada, arranged employment in Canada and family members who are Canadian Permanent Residents or Citizens.

*Applicants who receive scores only slightly below the pass mark may be awarded discretionary points if they can demonstrate to the visa officer that they are able to successfully establish themselves in Canada (proof of settlement funds). For more information on qualifying for the Federal Skilled Worker program, please contact Green and Spiegel to arrange a consultation.

PERMANENT RESIDENCE TRHOUGH INVESTMENT

Some individuals will use investment as a route to Permanent Residence in Canada.

The Immigrant Investor Program was created in 1986 by the Government of Canada to promote the immigration of business people to Canada from around the world. At present, there are two routes to immigrate to Canada by way of investment: the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program and the Provincial Nominee Program for Entrepreneurs. The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is specifically designed for experienced management professionals who desire to immigrate to Canada and settle in Quebec. The Provincial Nominee Program for Entrepreneurs was created to permit the other provinces of Canada to actively manage immigrant selection in accordance with provincial plans and priorities.

If you would like to immigrate to Canada by way of investment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

THE QUEBEC IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM

The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is open to certain qualified investors who undertake to live in Quebec and make a passive investment of $1,200,000 via an authorized financial institution in the province. The investment amount may be financed through certain authorized intermediaries. The investor must have alone or with accompanying spouse, including de facto spouse, net assets of at least $2,000,000 CAN obtained legally, excluding the amounts received by donation less than six months before the date on which the application was filed.

Investors must have experience in management in a legal farming, commercial or industrial business, or in a legal professional business where the staff, excluding the investor, occupies at least the equivalent of two full-time jobs, or for an international agency or a government or one of its departments or agencies.

PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM-ENTREPRENEUR

The Provincial Nominee Program is a joint-program involving the provinces of Canada and the federal government, permitting provinces to design their own immigration programs and actively manage immigrant selection in accordance with provincial plans and priorities.

Applicants to all provincial nominee programs must meet federal admissibility criteria in order to enter Canada. Applicants seeking a provincial nomination from any one of the participating provinces must first ensure they meet the program criteria specific to that province, and make their applications in two parts: first to the provincial program administration and then to the federal government department responsible for immigrant selection.

Each province may run multiple programs at different times during the year based on their own needs and goals. Program requirements vary widely and are subject to change at any time. To find out more about various provincial programs and to assess your qualifications, Please contact us.