Different Ways to Obtain Permanent Residency in Canada

Steps in Obtaining Permanent Residency in Canada

There are many students, workers and even visitors that come to Canada and eventually desire to stay in Canada permanently. However, this is easier said than done. Gaining permanent residency in Canada is not an easy endeavor. Yet, there are many ways to obtain permanent residency in Canada, if you are eligible. Much like any other immigration application process, in order to apply for permanent residency in Canada has eligibility requirements depending on which route you intend on taking to gain permanent residency. Therefore, in this article, I will address the different ways to obtain permanent residency in Canada and what each option entails.

Different Ways to Obtain Permanent Residency in Canada

Depending on the program or route you intend on taking in order to obtain permanent residency in Canada, it will require different eligibility criteria from you in order to qualify. It is extremely important to recognize whether you are eligible to apply under a specific program, prior to applying. Below, I will explain in detail each different way to obtain permanent residency in Canada.

Spousal Sponsorship

Believe it or not, having a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada as a spouse may be the easiest way of obtaining permanent residency in Canada. The Canadian government is very adamant about family reunification; therefore, if you’d like to permanently live in Canada with your spouse, the Canadian government gives these types of applications priority. On the other hand, it is important to note that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, also referred to as IRCC, is investigating marriage fraud in these types of applications. Marriage fraud is described as when two individuals become married in order for the foreign national to gain permanent residency in Canada. As a result, it is very essential for all married couples to prove to Immigration that their marriage is genuine and real.

Trade Agreements

In Canada, there are other trade agreements, apart from the most common NAFTA, that allow for foreign nationals to gain permanent residency in Canada. These trade agreements are only open to citizens from countries, such as Colombia, Chile, Switzerland, and more. Furthermore, if you are a citizen from one of these countries and work for a foreign company that either has a Canadian operation or has a contract with a Canadian company, then you may be eligible to work in Canada. Also, fortunately enough, you will not need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) in order to work in Canada. Moreover, with these trade agreements, you would be essentially able to work for your company, or their subsidiary, affiliate, branch or parent company, within Canada. This specific transfer is called an intra-company transfer.

International Experience Canada (IEC) / Working Holiday

For this specific program, you must be from a specific country. The countries that participate in this program include Australia, Belgium, Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia, and many more. It is important to determine whether your country is in this list prior to applying. If you fall between the ages of 18 and 35, you may be eligible to enter Canada on an open-work permit, however, this entirely depends on other eligibility criteria as well. In the IEC program, there are three different types of programs to choose from; they are the Working Holiday visa, the Young Professionals program, or the Co-Op program. The Working Holiday visa is open to most of the foreign nationals in the list of countries aged 18 to 35 as long as you meet the eligibility requirements as well. The Young Professionals program specifically requires you to have a completed university degree and a valid job offer. Lastly, the Co-Op program requires you to be a student at a post-secondary institution in your home country and in an eligible program to participate.

Work Permit with Valid Job Offer

Gaining permanent residency in Canada through a work permit with a valid job offer is one of the more difficult ways to do so. If you are a skilled worker from a foreign country and would like to obtain a work permit in Canada, you must generally go through two steps. The first step you must ensure you do is obtaining a valid job offer from the Canadian employer. This step can be quite difficult as you must obtain this prior to arriving in Canada and the Canadian employer must be willing to provide this to you. The second step in this process is that your Canadian employer must convince Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Service Canada that there is a shortage of labour of Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, thus they must fire a foreign national to fill the labour shortage. In order to prove this to ESDC, they must obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment prior to hiring the foreign worker.

Live-in Caregiver

The eligibility criteria for this specific program is less intense than most other programs. As a foreign national, in this program, you don’t necessary have to have high skilled work experience in order to qualify. This is not to say that you mustn’t have any work experience. You, of course, have to qualify as a live-in caregiver in order to qualify under the live-in caregiver program. For this specific program, you must have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer needing live-in caregiver services and either six-months or one year of live-in caregiver experience. If you meet these requirements as well as any other eligibility requirements, you may be able to get a work permit. Luckily, Canada has a permanent residency stream for individuals who have participated in the live-in caregiver program.

Study Permit / Post-Graduate Work Permit

There are many individuals from all over the world that come to Canada for educational opportunities. Fortunately for them, there are many options for permanent residency after studying in Canada. Specifically, there are certain provinces in Canada that offer permanent residency to students who complete post-secondary education in Canada. These streams can either be the Master’s Graduate Stream or the Ph.D. Graduate Stream, for instance. Additionally, there is also the post-graduate work permit that you may apply for after completing your post-secondary studies. With this work permit, you may gain work experience in Canada and then may apply under the Canadian Experience Class category which will lead to permanent residency.

Contact Akrami & Associates

It is essential that you have taken all of the aforementioned factors and information into consideration if you intend on applying for permanent residency in Canada. If you want to apply for permanent residency in Canada, it is extremely important to note that these are difficult applications to pursue on your own. It is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit the application. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients obtain permanent residency in Canada through these different programs. If you believe that you may be eligible, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!