Immigration Category

There are several categories of Canadian immigration under which you can apply to immigrate to Canada and make Canada your new home:

Skill Professional / Worker: One of the most popular ways is to come to Canada as a "Skilled professional / Worker" Canada has many employment opportunities for the qualified person and welcomes Skilled Workers from every part of the world Skilled workers are people who can become permanent residents because they are able to become economically established in Canada. The goal of encouraging this type of immigration is to attract people with good education and employment skills who will contribute to Canada’s economic growth & development. Skilled immigrants are increasingly important to ensure the growth of Canada’s strong and diversified economy. The "Independent" or "Skilled Professional /Worker" category is subject to a point system. To be eligible for immigration to Canada under this class the applicant must achieve a minimum of 67 points. Points are awarded in the following six selection factors: • Age • Education • Language abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages • Work experience (according to NOC) • Arranged employment in Canada ( full-time job offer approved by HRDC ) • Adaptability (spouse’s level of education, close relative in Canada etc.) Business Immigration: The Business Immigration Program seeks to attract experienced business people to Canada who will support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy. Canada has three classes of business immigrants: • Investors • Entrepreneurs and • Self-employed persons. Investor: The ever-increasing popularity of the Investor Program among new / desirous immigrants to Canada is self-evident To qualify as an investor the applicant must have a legally obtained net worth of at least CDN $16,00,000 and have 2 years business experience. As an investor, you must make a prescribed investment of CDN $800,000 to the Receiver General of Canada and CIC will return the same amount to you without interest after five years. The investment is managed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and is guaranteed by the Canadian Government. This amount can be arranged through loan from any recognized bank/financial institution of Canada with a down payment of CDN $180,000. Down payment portion is non-refundable and the bank will receive it as advance interest of their loan amount for five years. This category is ideal for those who want to immigrate to Canada but who do not wish to be obligated to engage in any type of business / employment actively. No immigration conditions are imposed on the investors upon admission to Canada and they are not subject to monitoring or other regulatory requirements once they arrive in Canada. Entrepreneur: The Entrepreneur Program seeks to attract experienced business persons who will own and actively manage businesses in Canada that contribute to the economy and create jobs. To qualify as an entrepreneur the applicant must have a minimum net worth of CDN $300,000 and have 2 years business experience. An entrepreneur who becomes a permanent resident must comply with the following conditions: The entrepreneur must control a percentage of the equity of a qualifying Canadian business equal to or greater than 33 1/3 per cent; must provide active and on-going management of the qualifying Canadian business; and must create at least one incremental full-time job equivalent in the qualifying Canadian business for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, other than the entrepreneur and their family members. The entrepreneur must meet the conditions for a period of at least one year within the period of three years after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident and must provide to an officer evidence of compliance with the conditions within the period of three years. Net worth means the fair market value of all of the assets of the investor / entrepreneur and their spouses or common-law partners minus the fair market value of all of their liabilities Self-employed Persons: Self-employed persons are those who must have the ability to create their own employment and contribute to the cultural, artistic or athletic life of Canada, or, to create their own employment by purchasing and managing a farm in Canada. They are not subject to monitoring or other regulatory requirements once they arrive in Canada. Family Immigration Sponsorship This category is designed to facilitate family reunification through the sponsorship scheme. Family reunification has long been a key objective of Canada's immigration policy. Canada allows permanent residents and citizens to sponsor their family members who want to join them in Canada but there are some terms and conditions If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and have a family member that wants to join you in Canada, you may be able to sponsor him/her for immigration; or, if you are from another country with a relative in Canada, he/she might qualify to be your sponsor. As pointed out by Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration: "Canada has a long tradition of supporting the reunification of Canadians with their close family members from abroad. On the one hand this tradition has enriched the lives of the families and assisted them in achieving self-reliance. On the other hand, it has enriched Canadian society by ensuring social integration and the building of stronger communities. Family reunification enriches the lives of those involved and strengthens Canadian communities." As a sponsor you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada who is at least 18 years of age. Only certain family relations qualify for this class.

Sponsorship of a spouse/partner or dependent child: You can sponsor a person as your spouse if that person is of the opposite or same sex, sixteen (16) years of age or older and married to you. The marriage must be legally recognized in the country where it took place and in Canada. You can sponsor a person as a dependent child if that person is under age twenty-two (22) or if twenty-two (22) years of age or over, that person has been unmarried, continuously enrolled in a full-time program of education and financially dependent upon the parent since his/her twenty-second (22nd) birthday. Although the Immigration Act requires all immigrants to apply for and obtain an immigrant visa from outside Canada, exceptions to this rule do exist. In some cases, you may sponsor your spouse or common-law partner who is already living with you in Canada under the “Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class” Sponsorship of other eligible relatives: • Parents • Grandparents • Brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship • Another relative of any age or relationship if none of the above relatives could be sponsored, and you have no other relatives who are Canadian citizens, persons registered as Indians under the Indian Act or permanent residents and • Accompanying relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children). Refugee status: The right to life, liberty and security of a person is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada has obliged itself to protect genuine refugees, that is, not to send them back to persecution. Refugees and people needing protection are those in or outside Canada who fear returning to their home country. In keeping with its humanitarian tradition and international obligations, Canada provides protection to thousands of people every year. Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution or who may be at risk of torture or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, and are unwilling or unable to return to their home country. To be granted asylum in Canada as a refugee, a person must be outside his or her home country and have a well-founded fear of persecution. According to the Geneva Convention, the fear must not only be well-founded, the persecution must also be based on reasons of race, nationality, membership of a particular social group, gender or political opinion. A variety of circumstances can make a person a refugee If you feel that you will be persecuted or otherwise at risk as mentioned above, if you return to your home country, you can seek protection in Canada as a Convention Refugee or a person in need of protection. To be eligible, you must apply from within Canada or at a point of entry to Canada. Canadian Experience Class Immigration Program: The Honorable Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced that certain temporary foreign workers and students can start applying for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class starting September 17, 2008. “With the Canadian Experience Class fully in place, Canada will be more competitive in attracting and retaining individuals with the skills we need,” said Minister Finley. “It, along with other recent improvements to modernize the immigration system, will go a long way in bringing Canada in line with its global competitors while further spreading the benefits of immigration into smaller centers across Canada.” The Canadian Experience Class is a new avenue of immigration for certain temporary foreign workers and foreign student graduates with professional, managerial and skilled work experience. Unlike other programs, the Canadian Experience Class allows an applicant’s experience in Canada to be considered a key selection factor when immigrating to Canada. The Canadian Experience Class is a immigration category for Canada's temporary foreign workers and international graduates who wish to become Permanent Temporary foreign workers and international students are ideal candidates for Canadian immigration (Permanent Residency). Having obtained a Canadian education and/or Canadian work experience, these individuals have already settled into Canadian society and have established important networks in their communities and their careers. There are separate requirements for the two types of applicants: International Graduates with Canadian Work Experience Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements. They must have: • Successfully completed a program of study of at least two academic years at a Canadian post-secondary educational institution; • Obtained at least one year of skilled, professional or technical work experience within 24 months of the application date; and • Moderate or basic language skills, depending on the skill level of their occupation. Temporary Foreign Workers Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements. They must have: • Obtained at least two years of skilled, professional or technical work experience within 36 months of the application date; and • Moderate or basic language skills, depending on the skill level of their occupation. Applicants can remain in Canada throughout the application process. However, the Canadian Experience Class is also open to individuals who are no longer in Canada, provided that they submit their application within one year of leaving their job in Canada. The Canadian Experience Class requirements are based on a pass or fail model. If the minimum requirements are met, the applicant would be eligible.