A Guide on How to Immigrate to Canada as a Family or Student

Are you looking to immigrate to Canada? That is a great decision. Irrespective of the country you are migrating from, it is worth it to have a new experience in another country. Currently, Canada is one of the top countries favorable to immigrants.

Wikipedia estimated the country to be the 8th largest in the world, with over 21% of its population being foreign nationals.

Statista reported that over 300,000 immigrants move to Canada every year, with Ontario being the most-preferred province in the country.

Although you may not be looking to migrate to Ontario, there are several other provinces to choose from. In this guide, you are going to discover the best and fastest way to migrate to Canada either as a family or as a student.

Options to Explore for Canada Immigration

The Canadian government has made it simpler for intending immigrants to move from their home country and come live in Canada permanently.

Over fourteen (14) programs have been developed to make this simpler for everyone. These immigration options are:

• Express Entry
• Self-Employed
• Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers
• Agri-Food Pilot
• Provincial Nominees
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
• Family Sponsorship
• Start-up Visa
• Caregivers
• Atlantic Immigration Program
• Refugees
• Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway
• Permanent Residence Pathways for Hong Kong Residents
• Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot

Each of those options will be discussed below. Before that, understand that you need to meet the requirements of any of those programs. That way, your immigration application will be processed faster.

1. Immigrate to Canada with Express Entry

Express Entry is the easiest way to immigrate to Canada. As the name suggests, it is “express” and can be faster, if you meet the requirements.

So, what is the Canadian Express Entry program? It is a program that is exclusive to “skilled workers,” meaning that you must have one or more of the required skills to be qualified.

The Express Entry program is also popularly known as “Federal Economic Class Program. As a skilled worker, you will be allowed to immigrate to Canada to live and work. You may even be able to work out your Permanent Residency (PR) through the program.

Here are the common types of Express Entry or Federal Economic Class Programs:

• The Canadian Express Class (CEC)
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The FSWP and the FSTP are the most popular in the Canadian Express Entry. For the FSWP, intending immigrants are expected to have at least ten (10) years of working experience in either the skilled trade, managerial job, or professional job niches. Technical jobs are also considered.

Intending immigrants using the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) option must have at least two (2) years of working experience in a skilled trade. They must also meet the core language requirements, including:

• Listening
• Writing
• Reading
• Speaking

2. Caregivers Program

Are you compassionate about taking care of kids or elderly ones? Canada’s older population is increasing by the day. With more of these elderly ones’ kids tied up with their professional lives, there may no one to take care of them as they age.

You can become a caregiver and migrate to Canada through the Caregivers program. As per the information from the official website, immigrants are expected to take care of:

• Elderly Canadians who need special care
• Kids

You can also choose to become a live-in caregiver rather than a freelance worker for many elderly Canadians.

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3. Family Class Sponsorship

Looking to migrate to Canada as a family or do you want to bring your family over? You can use the Family Class Sponsorship program to do that.

With this, you can sponsor or “bring over” your relatives to Canada. By your relatives, I mean your:

• Parents
• Spouse (if you are married)
• Grandparents
• Siblings

However, the Canadian Family Class Sponsorship comes with a couple of conditions. For example, sponsors (those looking to bring their family members over to the country) must be Permanent Residents. Second, you may be unable to sponsor your parents and grandparents, as the option is now exclusive to the Canadian Super Visa program.

4. Agri-Food Pilot

Do you have experience in agriculture? Canada is waiting to welcome you with open arms if you work in “specific agri-food industries and occupations.”

Click here to learn more about how the Agri-Food Pilot program works.

5. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Some provinces in Canada have developed independent immigration programs. Ontario is leading with British Columbia and Alberta trailing behind.

The Provincial Nominee Program or PNP requires the immigrants to be full-time residents of the provinces. For example, if you immigrated with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (ONIP), you wouldn’t be able to live in Alberta or Manitoba. You need to use the respective PNPs of those provinces to qualify for immigration.

6. Self-Employment Program

Do you have something doing? Maybe you are a freelancer or have an independent business. You may be able to migrate to Canada using the self-employment program. Click here to find out what it entails and how to get started.

7. Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers

Quebec is one of the Canadian provinces that have the autonomy to set their immigration policies and determine who is qualified or not.

Immigrants looking to use the Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers are “high net worth individuals” who are looking to invest in the province.

Through the program, you can settle in the province, operate a business there and have access to bringing your family over.

The conditions include:

• Immigrants must make an investment of up to $1.2 million in a government-approved business.
• The business must be interest-free.
• Immigrants cum investors would leave the investment to run for 5 years.

8. Start-up Visa

Every country needs to generate revenue to keep running optimally. In Canada, immigrants are offered the opportunity to be a part of the country’s economic growth by opening businesses and employing Canadians in its workforce.

The Canadian Start-up Visa program is targeted at immigrants who want to start a business in the country. To do this, immigrants cum business owners are linked to private-sector investors in the country. This includes Business Incubators, Angel Investors, and Venture Capitalists.

You will have access to funding and business management strategies to start and grow your business in Canada.

However, your business must show signs of growth, especially in the aspect of generating revenue in the first couple of years.

In addition, immigrants using the Start-up Visa program must meet the basic language qualifications and must receive a letter of support from a designated organization before it is approved.

9. Atlantic Immigration Program

This type of immigration program allows immigrants to come live in the Atlantic part of Canada. You can choose to reside in either:

• Labrador
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland
• Nova Scotia

These provinces have labor gaps and can fill the same with immigrants who are skilled and who migrate to live there.

10. Permanent Residence Options

There are three (3) Permanent Residence (PR) pathways for immigrants to Canada. These are:

• Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot: This is for eligibly-skilled immigrants who want to migrate to the country for economic reasons.
• Permanent Residence Pathways for Hong Kong Residents: Hong Kong residents can take advantage of the two-way immigration programs to move to Canada. This is only available for Hong Kong residents who currently live in the country.
• Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident: Have you been living in Canada temporarily as a resident? It is high time you converted that to Permanent Residency (PR). Note that this program is exclusive to temporary residents who currently work in the country. The program is open to both individual residents and their family members.

11. Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

This program is open to immigrants who want to live in certain rural areas in Canada.

12. Refugee Claims

Do you feel unsafe in your home country? Canada may accept you as a refugee. You only need to provide valuable information on the circumstances of your plea for asylum. If convinced, the immigration service will admit you as a refugee in Canada.

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What You Need to Know About Immigrating to Canada with Your Family

You can immigrate to Canada with your family members, based on the stipulations of the Family Class Sponsorship program. Through this, you can bring your spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child to the country. You may also be able to sponsor:

1. Dependent Child of a Dependent Child

Do you have a dependent child that has another dependent child? You can sponsor the person using the Family Class Sponsorship.

2. Spouse’s Dependent Child

Canada’s Family Class Sponsorship also permits sponsorship for a dependent child begotten by your spouse or common-law partner.

3. Mode of Sponsorship

According to the IRCC, sponsors or people looking to bring their families over to Canada can only do so as Permanent Residents (PRs). You can also do that if you are a Canadian citizen.

Another condition is that your dependents (the people being sponsored) wouldn’t arrive in Canada before you do. Instead, you are expected to bring them along with you or after you must have arrived in Canada.

4. Disqualified Family Members

Going by the current changes to the Family Class Sponsorship, certain persons have been removed from the program.

Thus, you wouldn’t be able to sponsor the following members of your family to Canada:

• Niece
• Nephew
• Parents
• Aunt(s)
• Uncle(s)
• Grandparent(s)
• Brother(s)
• Sister(s)

Migrate to Canada as a Student with Study Permit

Looking to study in Canada? Apply for the Study Permit that allows you to study and possibly, work in the country.

You must, however, be enrolled in a valid educational program at select educational institutions in the country.

The downside to this route is that you can only immigrate to Canada to study. If you are looking to study, you must apply for a Graduate Work Permit.

How to Bring Your Family to Canada as a Student

Congratulations on getting a Study Permit to school in Canada. You can now process the migration visa for your loved ones back home.

According to the CIC, students in Canada can bring their families to the country through the Student Direct Stream.

To do this, students are expected to submit the applications of the persons they want to bring to Canada at the same time they submit their Study Permit application.

The category of persons you can sponsor to Canada as a student through the Student Direct Stream are:

• Dependent child
• Spouse
• Common-law partner

Steps on How to Immigrate to Canada

By now, you must have realized how easy it is to start your Canadian immigration process. now, we are going to talk about the exact steps you should take to move from your home country to the “country of your dreams” – Canada.

1. Do You Need a Visa?

The first thing you want to know is the conditions of Canadian visas and immigration. Do you need a visa before you can become a Canadian immigrant?

This depends a lot on your home country and other factors, such as your profession. For example, United States citizens don’t necessarily need to have a visa to migrate to the country.

2. Pick an Immigration Program

Which of the shortlisted programs in this article do you need to immigrate to Canada? If you need to bring your family over, the Family Class Sponsorship program is the best. Otherwise, go for either the Start-up Visa or Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers programs if you are migrating for investment and economic reasons.

3. Contact a Canadian Immigration Agency to Put You Through

Since this is your first time trying to immigrate to Canada, chances are that you will make some mistakes.

Therefore, consider contacting the best immigration consultants for Canada immigration to put you through.

Not sure of whether the Canada immigration agency is worth its onion? Here are expert tips on how to find the best agency for Canadian immigration:

Licensing

The best Canadian immigration agency is licensed or registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

The licensing or registration means that the agency or consultant is permitted to offer professional advice and guidance to intending immigrants to Canada.

Ask for the Consultant’s Experience

The best immigration consultants for Canada are experts who offer professional advice on a broad range of immigration topics.

You need to ask for the consultant’s experience in processing your type of immigration application, especially if you are going through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams.

Note Everything on Paper

Your discussions with the Canadian immigration agency should be binding and every aspect of the agreement should be in a contract.

Ask for Recommendations

You probably know a couple of friends or family members who have immigrated to Canada. Ask them for the contact of the best immigration consultants for Canada that helped process their applications.

Compare Your Options

Always get quotations from different Canadian immigration agencies because it helps you know the cheaper agency.

However, note that being cheap doesn’t equate to quality because some “cheap” agencies may not provide the exact service you need.

While comparing the options, focus on excellent service delivery.

Have in mind that the quotations typically include the cost of getting the type of Canadian immigration program you want, including the service fee of the consultant.

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Final Words: Migrate to Canada Today

Canada is one of the best countries you can migrate to today. Whether you have a family, a dependent child or you are migrating to study, the country has several programs to cover you. Reach out to the best immigration consultants for Canada for expert advice and guidance in your immigration. And while you are on that, you may need to get any of these remote jobs that pay more than the average American salary.