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Pathways to Permanent Residence

Canada offers various economic pathways to live permanently in Canada. The economic pathways are open to applicants who can demonstrate an ability to become economically established in Canada. To “become economically established” is a broad term used by different Canadian governments (Federal and Provincial) to create programs that select applicants based on current and future skills, knowledge, and expertise gaps in the Canadian labour market. According to the Annual Report for 2017, permanent Immigration through economic streams made up 53% of the total permanent Immigration to Canada. This number is only expected to continue to increase over time. This signals that Canada is and will be seeking applicants providing, economic, cultural, and skills to Canada.

Through these economic pathways, Canada aims to:

pursue the maximum social, cultural and economic benefits of Immigration;
support and assist the development of minority official languages communities in Canada; and
support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which the benefits of Immigration are shared across all regions of Canada.

Express Entry

Express Entry is an online selection system reserved for foreign skilled workers seeking Permanent Residence (PR) in Canada. This system filters applications based on a number of selection criteria. It is a two-tier system.

The first tier is the Express Entry Pool profile creation stage, where applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria to enter the pool. If minimum eligibility criteria are met, applicants must fill out online forms with their requested information. At this stage supporting documents are not required. However, all information provided must be accurate and coincide with supporting documentation provided at the second stage. If a profile is accepted into the Express Entry pool, it will be valid for up to a one year and a Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”) score will be provided ranking the applicant’s profile against other candidates in the pool. The CRS score is based on an applicant’s age, language ability (either English, French or both), work history, education, marital status, a Canadian job offer, a provincial nomination, and family living in Canada. At HowTo Immigration Law, we advise on the most effective and time-efficient way to complete your profile so potential issues, errors or omissions are avoided from the outset.

The second tier is the Invitation to Apply (ITA) or PR Application stage, where recipients of ITAs have 60 days to electronically submit an application for PR. The highest-ranking candidates from the pool are invited to apply for PR generally on a bi-weekly basis. At this stage, additional information and supporting documents must be provided and be consistent with the online profile forms previously submitted. Once Immigration Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) receives a completed application package, they will typically process it within 6 months. We, here at HowTo Immigration Law, prioritize client files who have received an ITA and guide our clients with the document collection and online form completion process to maximize consistency from the first to second tiers. IRCC assesses applicants based on their: age; education; work experience; job offer, language skills, adaptability. These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Programs.

Express Entry manages applications from four economic Immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker

The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program is for skilled workers that have foreign work experience and want to live permanently in Canada. To qualify under this program, a skilled worker must:

have a professional work experience of at least one continuous year of full-time paid work experience or equivalent in continued part-time work experience listed in the National Occupation ( skill type/level – O, A or B) in the last ten years;
have a Canadian diploma, certificate, or credential, OR a foreign educational credential accompanied by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) provided by an agency approved by IRCC showing it is equivalent to a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary academic credential;
have enough money to support themselves and their accompanying family members (if applicable) for six months after arrival in Canadah
Score a minimum of 67 of 100 points under the FSW selection criteria – Age of Applicant (up to 12 pts); Education level (up to 25 pts); Official Language(s) Ability (up to 28 pts); Work Experience (up to 15 pts); Valid Job Offer (up to 10); and Adaptability (up to 10 pts).

HowTo Immigration Law, assists its clients to determine their score and, if needed, guides them on ways to improve their existing eligibility score.

Federal Skilled Trades

The Federal skilled Trades (FST) Program is for workers in skilled trades occupations. Eligible skilled trades occupations fall under the following trades:

Major Group 72, industrial, electrical, and construction trades;
Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades;
Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture, and related production;
Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing, and utilities supervisors and central control operators;
Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks;
Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers.

To be eligible, applicants must:

meet language requirements;
have at least two years of full-time work experience or part-time equivalent in a skilled trade position within the last five (5) years, and
have a valid job offer for at least a one-year period or have a Certificate of Qualification issued by a Canadian government authority (e.g. Red Seal Certificate).

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class Program (CEC) applies to persons who have obtained at least one year of skilled Canadian work experience. To qualify under this program, a candidate must:

have completed at least one year of paid full-time (or equivalent) skilled Canadian work experience (NOC skill level 0, A, or B) on a valid work permit within the last three years from the date of applying for PR;
demonstrate an intention to reside in a province other than Quebec; and
meet the minimum language skills requirement.

At HowTo Immigration Law our clients can rely on us to avoid the common (and uncommon) pitfalls faced by applicants applying for permanent residency through the CEC program. Regardless of what stage our clients come to us at, we are there to answer any question, provide useful resources, and help orient them throughout the process.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

PNP’s arise from agreements entered into by provinces/territories with the Canadian government to select foreign workers or students based on employment opportunities or ties to that particular province/territory. As such, Provincial nominees are those who may become permanent residents on the basis of having the skills, education, and work experience desired by the provinces/territories that nominate them. A provincial nominee applicant must showcase their ability to become economically established in that province or territory of Canada. Provinces and territories solicit invitations to candidates from the Express Entry pool or to those who apply directly through a province/territories’ program portal to meet local labor market needs. At HowTo Immigration Law we help match candidates based on their eligibility to the appropriate PNP programs outside of Quebec, based on their skills, education, and ties to a particular province or territory.

Federal Self-Employed Program

The Federal Self-Employed Person Program is for persons who can demonstrate the following:

relevant artistic or athletic experience;
an intention and ability to be self-employed in Canada; and
make a reasonably significant contribution to Canadian cultural activities and athletics.

Relevant Experience is when an applicant has either been a self-employed person in cultural activities or athletics at a regular or world-class level. Participation at a “World-Class” level relates to athletes who have performed on an internationally competitive level in the world of sports or self-employed persons who have achieved national and/or global recognition for their profession. It also identifies persons who may not be known internationally but performs at the highest levels in their discipline.

Unlike other entrepreneur/investor programs, the self-employed program does not have a net-worth requirement. An applicant must only have sufficient settlement funds for Immigration purposes.

At HowTo Immigration Law we help distinguished sporting professionals and cultural professionals such as actors, painters, dancers, journalists, writers, musicians, designers who have made a significant contribution in their fields come to Canada permanently. This program can apply also to those working behind the scenes as self-employed persons, for example, film producers, directors, choreographers, set designers, photographers, coaches and trainers.

Family Class Sponsorship Programs

The Family Class is a class of persons who may become permanent residents based on family reunification programs. Family reunification is one of the three pillars of IRCC’s Immigration programs, which allows both recent permanent residents and long-established Canadians to sponsor family living abroad or spouse/common-law/conjugal partners living in Canada on a temporary basis with their sponsor. Persons who can be sponsored in the family class include the spouse, common-law partner (including same-sex partner), conjugal partner, dependent children, parents, grandparents, children adopted from abroad, and other relatives in special circumstances.

HowTo Immigration Law provides detailed guidance through each step of a sponsorship application process. We help minimize errors or omissions in the applications and advise on the required documents to be included as well as the required subjective information needed to improve the chances of approval. Many people attempt to complete this process on their own and are often met with delays or in some cases flat-out refusals as a result of an incomplete application or because of errors in the application. Detail and documentation are key for these types of applications in order to establish relationships. We help assess each document against IRCC’s requirements and maximize the likelihood of a successful result.

Caregiver Programs

The Caregiver programs are for individuals who want to migrate and work in Canada as caregivers. Currently there are two available pathways for permanent residency through the caregiver programs. The new caregiver program has a quota of 5,500 total applications every year under both caregiver pilots distributed evenly through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot (HCCP), and the Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP). The two new pilot programs will only provide work permits to applicants who have job offers in Canada along with meeting language proficiency requirements (Canadian language benchmark (CLB) 5), education requirements (1 year), and admissibility requirements.

We at HowTo Immigration Law help caregivers with the entire process, starting with the application for the work permit required to work in Canada, as well as guiding caregivers through the permanent residency application. We also help employers who are in need of caregivers and guide them through the different resources available and the processes of employing a caregiver. This includes, once an employer finds a caregiver, checking the eligibility criteria of the caregiver, drafting an offer of employment, and ultimately guiding the caregiver through the work permit and permanent residency application. This can be an intimidating process which we help simplify for our clients.

Temporary Public Policy Programs

The Canadian government introduces Temporary Public Policy programs to achieve particular policy objectives each year. These programs often are created to assist vulnerable populations and have quotas as well as specific eligibility criteria that must be met. This year Canada introduced public policy programs for foreign nationals outside of Quebec, who were either recent graduates from a Canadian institution, spoke French, or were essential frontline workers who held valid work permits in Canada. Those that met the required criteria were able to apply for permanent residency through one of the “TR to PR” pathways, as that particular program was called. The most recent incoming Temporary Public Policy Program is for Citizens of Afghanistan who worked with Canadians in Afghanistan.

At HowTo Immigration Law we stay up to date with the various incoming and outgoing temporary public policy programs and help clients select the program best suited for their particular circumstance and assist with the application process for these programs.

We welcome all our site visitors interested in immigrating to or remaining in Canada permanently to complete our free online assessment questionnaire or schedule a consultation. Once your information is received, we are then able to match your individual profile to a specific program.

Start-Up Visa/Business/Entrepreneur Programs

Canada’s Start-up Visa Program is reserved for persons who may become permanent residents based on their ability to provide skills and their potential to start a business in Canada that is innovative, creates jobs for Canadians, and can compete internationally. The business must be supported by a designated Canadian organization. These are business incubators, angel investors, or venture capital firms who are willing to invest in and support the proposed start-up business in Canada. Up to five applicants can be included as business owners and apply for Permanent Residency through the Start-up Visa Program. Each applicant must hold at least 10% of the shares of the company. Also, the applicants and the designated organization must jointly hold at least 50% of the shares of the (proposed) business in Canada. In addition to this applicants must meet the minimum language requirements in either English or French.

Most provincial nominee programs (PNP) also have at least one entrepreneur or investor visa stream dedicated to applicants who want to expand an existing business or start their own business in Canada. Each province/territory has its own specific requirements that must be met to proceed.

The process for each of these start-up/entrepreneur programs are complicated and tedious. For this reason, we at HowTo Immigration Law help clients navigate this difficult process by making the entire process understandable and manageable. We do this in stages by guiding clients through the different resources and assisting with establishing a business here in Canada. We guide our clients through the specific requirements and eligibility criteria. We provide guidance on receiving a letter of support from a designated organization, applying for an interim work permit, and finally with the permanent residency application.

Contact us to receive advice on the most suitable program and begin your application process today!

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