The Canadian immigration type can be categorized into economic, family, and refugee class. This article outlines the high level requirements of Permanent Residency under the economic class

Immigration programs evolve over the years due to economic changes and other factors. As you may notice, some immigration programs have been closed, for example: Live-in Caregiver Program is closed to new applicants; the Immigrant Investor Program is closed as of June 19, 2014, however, there are other business/entrepreneur program streams at the federal and provincial level.

Several paths to become a Canadian permanent resident are currently as follows:

1. Express Entry (Federal)
   • Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program
   • Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Program
   • Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience
2. Immigrant Entrepreneurs (Federal)
   • Start-up Visa (for immigrant entrepreneurs with the skills to build innovative business)
   • Self-Employed Person (in cultural activities or athletics at a world-class level). Cultural activities include job generally seen as part of Canada’s artistic and cultural fields, for example: authors and writers, creative and performing artists, musicians, painters, sculptors and other visual artists, technical support and other jobs in motion pictures, creative designers, and craftspeople.
3. Caregivers (Federal) – Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot
4. Health-care workers permanent residence pathway (Federal) (for refugee claimants)
5. Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
6. Agri-Food Pilot (Federal) – for applicants with relevant work experience in agri-food industry. Some occupation examples include: general farm workers, harvesting labourers, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers, food processing labourers, retail butchers, industrial butchers. Note that there’s an annual limit of applicants can be accepted.
7. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – being nominated by a Canadian province or territory
   • Applicants must intend to live in the province
   • Each province and territory has its own “streams” and requirements
   • In a program stream the province may target business people/entrepreneurs, skilled workers or semi-skilled workers

High Level Eligibility Criteria

The general eligibility criteria or requirements are:

1. Work experience – occupation classification and number of years in the job. At least 1 year of relevant full-time work experience. Some immigration program streams require more experience and different occupation classification/level
2. Job offer – having a valid job offer increases your chances of success. Some immigration streams don’t require a job offer, e.g. Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities for financial officer occupation, or Ontario Tech Draw stream for applicants with relevant work experience in Information Technology
3. Education
4. Language (English and/or French). The higher the occupation skill, the higher the language requirements.
   • English (as first official language)
     1. IELTS (International English Language Testing System) – General Training test
        • score for first official language: at least 6 in all ability (Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing)
     2. CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) – General test
        • at least 7 in all ability
   • French (as first official language)
     1. TEF Canada (Test d’évaluation de français)
        • at least 310 (Speaking), 249 (Listening), 207 (Reading), and 310 (writing)
5.  Age
   • Under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), no points are given for applicants aged 17 years or less; and 45 years of age or more. However, you may receive more points under different factors, e.g. being nominated by a province, having graduated from a Canadian college/university, or having a valid job offer.
6. Adaptability – have relatives living in Canada who are Permanent Residents or citizens
7. Proof of settlement funds (not required for Work Permit or if you have a valid offer of arranged employment in Canada) – see “Proof of Funds” section below for more details

Requirements Overview

Overview of requirements for the program stream at the federal and provincial level (if applying under PNP) are as follows:

1. Work experience listed on Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC)
   • Skill Type 0 (zero): managerial level, e.g. financial managers, purchasing managers, restaurant managers, shore captains (fishing)
   • Skill Level A: skilled work experience that typically requires a degree from a university, e.g. doctors, dentists, architects, software engineer
   • Skill Level B: technical jobs and skilled trades usually call for a college diploma or training as an apprentice, e.g. chefs, plumbers, electricians
   • Skill Level C: semi-skilled/intermediate jobs that usually call for high school and/or job-specific, e.g. industrial butchers, tourism/hospitality, long-haul truck drivers, food and beverage servers
   • Skill Level D: labour jobs that usually give on-the-job training, e.g. fruit pickers, cleaning staff, oil field workers
2. Occupation/work experience for the immigration programs:
   • Federal level: NOC Skill Type 0, Level A or B
   • Provincial/regional level – each province has its own requirements, needs and priorities: all skill type and levels, i.e. Type 0; Level A, B, C, or D. For provincial skilled worker/express entry, the work experience must meet the requirements at the Federal level
3. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): for candidates who intend to live in the province. There are multiple streams such as skilled/entry level/semi-skilled workers, entrepreneur immigration, international graduate entrepreneur immigration
4. For investor/business immigration stream:
   • Personal net worth of at least CAD$300,000 (for smaller communities under the PNP, e.g. for BC – Regional Pilot). It’s higher for other category, e.g. at least CAD$500,000 net worth and also depends on the province
   • Business investment – a minimum of $150,000 investment for the business. Level of investment differs for each province and/or region. Higher investment is required if the business is situated in more populated regions.
   • Meet the personal requirements set out by the individual province or territory, e.g. typically at least 3 years of full-time work experience as business-owner manager and/or senior manager; and other human factors (e.g. language, adaptability, age)
   • Meet the business requirements set out by the individual province or territory, e.g. eligible businesses, established franchises, farming

Unsure if you meet the eligibility requirements? We offer a free assessment – simply fill out this questionnaire here.