PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN CANADA
Any person who is willing to become a naturalized Canadian Citizen must first apply and receive a Canadian status of permanent resident.
It is important to remember that such status of a Canadian permanent resident brings a variety of privileges and obligations upon those who have received it. While a holder of such status, an individual has a right to live and work anywhere in Canada and use the privileges and right extended to the residents of their province.
Canadian Permanent residents can not vote and hold a Canadian passport and in order to maintain their status of permanent resident, must
abide by the so-called "residency obligations" described in section 20 of IPRA ( Immigration Refugee and Protection Act).
The categories under foreign individuals might apply for permanent residence in Canada are:
Skilled Workers category
Family Class category
Business category
Provincial Nominee Category
Humanitarian and Compassionate cases category
SKILLED WORKERS
Those who are willing to apply for permanent residence in Canada in "Skilled Workers" category are assessed
on the basis of a point system, where points are awarded for the following factors:
- Education ( Maximum 25 points)
- Official Languages ( Maximum 24 points)
- Experience ( Maximum 21 points)
- Age ( Maximum 10 points)
- Arranged Employment in Canada ( Maximum 10 points)
- Adaptability ( Maximum 10 points)
Further following requirements are to be met by the applicant:
- the applicant must possess at least 1 year of full-time paid work experience within the period of not more the 10 years immediately prior to applying for permanent residence;
- the applicant must have worked in the professions, described in Skill Type 0, or Skill level A or B of the National Occupation Classification;
- the applicant must have funds in accordance with the requirements for the family composition;
- the applicant must have scored at least 67 points;
FUNDS
An Applicant must provide the proof that he or she possesses certain amount of money, depending on the
1 person - Can $ 10,389.00
2 -"- Can $ 12,933.00
3 -"- Can $ 15,900.50
4 -"- Can $ 19,305.00
5 -"- Can $ 21,895.00
6 -"- Can $ 24,694.50
7 -"- Can $ 27,493.50
FAMILY CLASS
Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents are allowed to sponsor their family members, residing abroad to Canada.
According to the definition provided by Immigration Regulations, a foreign national is a member of the Family Class, if, with respect to a Canadian Sponsor, the foreign national is:
- the Sponsor's spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner;
- a dependent child of the Sponsor;
- the mother of father of the Sponsor's mother or father;
- an orphaned child of the Sponsor's mother or father; etc.
A Canadian Sponsor, willing to bring his or her parents to Canada, must meet the LICO ( Low Income Cut Off) requirements, posted each year by Canada Immigration, in order to be found eligible to sponsor family members to Canada. Canadian Sponsor undertakes to provide for the parents for the period of 10 years, starting from the date of the family members' arrival to Canada, and enters into the Sponsorship Agreement with the sponsored family member, which is a binding contract, remaining in force for 10 ( ten ) years.
A Canadian sponsor willing to bring his or her foreign spouse or dependent child to Canada, is exempt from financial requirements and undertakes to provide for such sponsored family member for the period of 3 ( three) years commencing from the date of sponsored family member's arrival to Canada. Such type of a Canadian Sponsor enters into a Sponsorship Agreement with sponsored family member, which is a binding contract, remaining in force for 3 (three) years.
BUSINESS IMMIGRANTS
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act provides the foreign national may be selected to comer to Canada as a permanent resident as a member of the business class. Selection of immigrants under this wide category is made on the basis of the immigrant's ability to successfully establish themselves in Canada upon arrival.
Canada offers three classes of business immigrants: investors, entrepreneurs, self-employed persons;
Once the person has chosen under which category he is applying and submitted his or her application, the class of the application can not be changed.
INVESTORS
The Investor Class applicant must have a new worth of at least Can. $ 800,000.00. They are required to make an investment of $ 400,000, paid to the Received general of Canada. The investment is subsequently allocated to participating provinces and territories of Canada. These governments use the funds for job creation and economic development. The full amount of the investment (without interest) is repaid to the investor after five years. The exact date of the repayment depends on when the amount of $ 400,000.00 is received by the Citizenship and Immigration of Canada. The return of the investment is fully guaranteed by participating provinces and territories.
Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the Province of Quebec operates its own immigrant investor program. All investors of Quebec must intend to live in Quebec and must be selected by Quebec. In common with the Federal program, investors in Quebec program must invest
$ 400,000.00 and have a net worth of $ 800,000.00.
There are no conditions imposed on Canadian Permanent Resident Visa of the applicants, who received the right of residency under Investor's category.
ENTREPRENEURS
Entrepreneurs must have business experience. They must have managed a qualifying business and controlled a percentage of equity of a qualifying business for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of the application.
The entrepreneur class of immigrants must have a net worth of at least Can $ 300,000.00. Additionally, they must have an intention and the ability to:
1. Control a percentage of equity of a qualifying Canadian business equal to or greater than 33 1/5;
2. Provide active and ongoing management of the qualifying Canadian business;
3. Create at least one full-time job equivalent for one or more Canadian citizens of permanent residents other than the entrepreneur applicant
and their family members;
At the time of arrival in Canada as permanent residents' of this country, entrepreneurs are required to sign a declaration stating that they intend and will be able to meet the conditions of their permanent residence. In case such conditions are not met during the period 2 years after they have become permanent residents of Canada, the immigrant's visa of the entrepreneur and his family members might be canceled.
FEATURES OF THE ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM
- a minimum net worth requirement of $ 300,000;
- a requirement that within three years of becoming a permanent resident, the entrepreneur must have controlled and have actively managed a qualifying Canadian business for a period of at least one year, and that the business must have created employment opportunities for at least one Canadian citizen or permanent resident, other then the immigrant's family member;
- all family members are admitted under the same condition as the principal applicant; the conditions are removed once the entrepreneur satisfies the conditions;
Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec operates its own immigrant entrepreneur program. All entrepreneurs in the Quebec program must intend to live in Quebec and must be selected by Quebec. In common with the federal program, entrepreneurs in the Quebec province must have a net worth of $ 300,00,
SELF-EMPLOYED
The group of Self-employed immigrants has been created for those foreign nationals who have the intention and the ability to be self-employed in Canada and make a significant contribution to specified economic activities in Canada. Usually, a self-employed person, selected by the federal program, is a person who has been engaged in cultural activities, athletic or has an experience in managing a farm and is prepared to purchase a farm and provide it's management.
Self-employed people must have relevant experience, for which the points are awarded for the period within the five-years immediately preceding the date of the application.
Feature of the Self-Employed person program: no immigrant conditions are imposed on the class