Immigrate to Canada as a worker
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How to immigrate to Canada as a worker?
Canada is one of the most sought-after countries in terms of immigration for several reasons: high-quality education, universal healthcare, employment opportunities, cultural and religious diversity...
As a worker and depending on your current situation, you have different options for immigrating to Canada[1]. Thus, in this article, we will go over point by point the various opportunities available to you as a worker[2].
First, we will examine the federal-level immigration programs, namely Express Entry, the program for self-employed workers, as well as the Start-up Visa program. These programs will allow you to immigrate to any province except Quebec (I).
Next, we will cover the programs designed for young people, namely the Working Holiday Visa and the Young Professionals permit, which make it easier to immigrate than other programs, and are available throughout Canada, including Quebec (II).
Finally, we will look at the programs specific to the province of Quebec, namely the Quebec program for permanent workers, temporary workers, and business people (III).
**I. WORKER PROGRAMS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL OUTSIDE QUEBEC
EXPRESS ENTRY**
Express Entry is an application process for skilled immigrants who want to settle permanently in Canada. Note that this program allows you to live outside the province of Quebec.[3]
Express Entry manages applications for three economic immigration programs:
1. Federal Skilled Worker Program
2. Federal Skilled Trades Program
3. Canadian Experience Class
Most Express Entry applications are processed in 6 months from the date your application is complete, a timeframe that may be extended due to the health situation.
1. FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER PROGRAM
The Express Entry program has minimum requirements regarding:
Skilled work experience: you must have skilled work experience, meaning you have held a job corresponding to one of the occupations listed in the National Occupational Classification ("NOC") A, B, or 0 established by the Canadian government. This experience must have been acquired within the last 10 years and must include at least 1 year of continuous work on a full-time basis (30 hours per week for 12 months, or 1560 hours) or part-time (reaching a total of 1560 hours is necessary). Student work experience may also be taken into account if it meets the general requirements of the Express Entry program.
Language ability: to be eligible for Express Entry, you must take an approved language test in French and/or English.
Education: you must have a diploma, degree, or trade or apprenticeship certificate equivalent to a diploma from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational institution.
If you meet all the minimum requirements, the immigration service will also assess:
Your age, education, work experience, whether or not you have a valid job offer, your French or English language skills, your adaptability, and proof of sufficient funds to settle in Canada with your family, unless you are legally allowed to work in Canada or have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
All of these factors are assessed on a 100-point grid used to evaluate eligibility for the Express Entry program. The current passing score to qualify is 67 points.
FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAM
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
The minimum requirements are comparable to those for skilled jobs, but differ in substance:
Skilled work experience: skilled trades are classified under specific groups of the NOC (industrial, electrical trades, natural resources sectors, chefs and cooks, butchers and bakers, etc.). You must also have acquired at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equivalent amount of part-time experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years preceding your application.
Language ability: you must take approved language tests in French and/or English.
Education: there is no educational requirement, but you can provide proof of a diploma, degree, or trade or apprenticeship certificate equivalent to a diploma from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational institution to improve your eligibility.
Job offer: to be eligible for this program, you must have either a valid full-time job offer for at least 1 year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial, or federal authority.
You will also need to show proof of funds unless you are legally allowed to work in Canada or have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
Under the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the province in which you wish to settle will assess your application. For this assessment, you will likely need to travel to the province or find an employer in Canada to obtain the required experience and training.
3. CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS
The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have work experience in Canada and want to become permanent residents.
Skilled work experience: you must have acquired at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada within the 3 years before you apply, meaning you have accumulated at least 1560 hours of full-time or part-time work while you held temporary resident status and were authorized to work.
Language ability: you must take one or more approved language tests in English and/or French.
Education: there is no educational requirement. However, proof of a diploma, degree, or trade or apprenticeship certificate equivalent to a diploma from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational institution will help improve your eligibility.
B. FEDERAL SELF-EMPLOYED PERSONS PROGRAM
The self-employed immigration program allows you to immigrate to Canada permanently if you have relevant experience in cultural or athletic activities.To immigrate as a self-employed person, you must:
Have relevant experience - you must have at least 2 years of experience acquired in the last 5 years in the field of cultural activities or athletic activities;
Intend to create your own employment in Canada; and
Meet the selection criteria established for the program: experience, education, age, language skills, and adaptability.
Meet requirements regarding, among other things, medical examinations and security screening.
The processing time for applications under this program is 34 months.
C. FEDERAL START-UP VISA PROGRAMIt is also possible to immigrate to Canada by starting a business and creating jobs or by providing support to innovative entrepreneurs.
Applicants can receive funding, guidance, and expertise to open and operate their business in Canada through private sector organizations in Canada called "Designated Organizations" by the Government of Canada.
To be eligible, applicants for a start-up visa must meet the following conditions:
Have a qualifying business: First condition: At the time you get a commitment from a designated organization, each applicant must hold at least 10% of the voting rights attached to all outstanding shares of the corporation & the designated organization and the applicants must jointly hold more than 50% of the total voting rights attached to all outstanding shares of the corporation. Second condition: At the time you receive your permanent residence, you must incorporate a business in Canada, provide active and ongoing management of the business from within Canada, and an essential part of its operations must be conducted in Canada;
Get a letter of support from a Designated Organization;
Meet language requirements - as with Express Entry applications, you must take a language test in French and/or English;
Bring enough money to settle: You must prove that you have enough money to support yourself and your family upon your arrival in Canada[4].
The processing time for applications under this program is 12 to 16 months.
NB: while your application for permanent residence is being processed, you can apply for a temporary work permit to come and start your business in Canada.
II. THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR YOUTH: THE WORKING HOLIDAY VISA & THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PERMIT
The "International Experience Canada" (IEC) initiative is aimed at young people aged 18 to 29, 30 or 35 (depending on their nationality) wishing to travel and/or acquire professional experience anywhere in Canada on a temporary basis.
The IEC program is composed of several categories: the Working Holiday Visa (“WHV”), the Young Professionals Visa (”YP”) and International Co-op Internships. The first two permits, intended for workers, will be discussed in this article.
Depending on your nationality, you have access to one, two or three of these categories. French citizens have access to all 3 categories. The WHV and YP cannot be combined, in other words if you have already obtained a WHV or a YP permit before 2015, you will only be able to submit an application under the Internship category and vice versa.
THE WORKING HOLIDAY VISA (WHV)
The WHV is an "open" work permit, which means that you have the opportunity to work in Canada for one or more employers. You will thus be able to leave for Canada for a maximum of 1 or 2 years (depending on your nationality) to travel and/or work.
There are several conditions to be eligible for a WHV:
You must be between 18 and 35 years old (30 years old for Belgians) at the time of your visa application;
You must hold a valid passport issued by a country that has signed a WHV agreement with Canada;
You must have the equivalent of $2,500 CAD in your bank account;
You must not have already obtained a Canada WHV in the past, with some exceptions;
You must take out health/hospitalization/repatriation insurance valid for the duration of your stay.
You will be able to register in the candidate pool without having a job offer. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you must obtain a job offer in order to receive an invitation for the Canada WHV.
Your application must be made in several steps:
First, you must create an account on the Canadian immigration website, canada.ca, and then submit a free application in the WHV category of the IEC program.
Once your application is submitted, you must find an employer ready to hire you in Canada to obtain an invitation to submit your application.
Once you have found a job, you must notify the Canadian authorities that you have a job offer and then wait to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to proceed to the next step.
Once your invitation is received, you only have 10 days to accept or decline it. In the event that you do not receive an invitation, you can re-register in the candidate pool the following year.
From the moment you accept your invitation, you will have 20 days to finalize your application. You will need to provide a number of documents and pay the participation fees ($314 for the WHV).
Within 24 hours of submitting your work permit application, you will receive an instruction letter inviting you to provide your biometric data. You then have 30 days to go to a Canada Visa Application Centre to verify your identity and provide your biometric data.
Within a maximum of 8 weeks, you should receive a "Port of Entry letter of introduction", also called a "correspondence letter", which will allow you to enter Canadian territory. Your Canada WHV is valid for 12 months from the issue date of your letter of introduction, otherwise it will be cancelled.
THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS VISA (“YP”)
Unlike the WHV, the Young Professionals visa is a "closed" work permit, meaning once in Canada, you can only work for one single employer, the one who carried out the procedures with you to obtain your work permit.
The conditions for participation in the YP category are similar to those of the WHV category, you must:
Be between 18 and 35 years old;
Have a passport from a State that has signed an IEC agreement with Canada;
Have taken out health/hospitalization/repatriation insurance and have a minimum of $2,500 CAD in your bank account.
The YP permit nevertheless requires specific conditions regarding your employment:
You must have a job offer in Canada, in your field of expertise, meaning directly related to your studies or career;
Your employment must be paid and you cannot be self-employed;
Your job must be classified under NOC categories A, B, or 0. Your job can also be at level C if you attach a post-secondary diploma, certificate, or degree to your application.
The application procedure takes place as follows:
As with the WHV, you must create an account on the Canadian immigration website and register in the "candidate pool" of the Young Professionals visa.
You must then wait to receive an Invitation to Apply (“ITA”) once you have proven that you have indeed found a job in Canada.
Once the ITA is received, you have a period of 10 days to accept the request. If you accept it, you have 20 days to finalize your application. You will need to fill out an online form, attach documents, and pay the participation fees, which amount to $241 for the YP permit. During this period, your employer must submit your job offer on the Canadian immigration website. They will have to pay a $230 employer compliance fee and provide information about the position you will hold.
Once these steps are completed, the employer will obtain an "employment offer number" which you will need to complete your YP visa application. To obtain a YP, your employer will not need to conduct a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Once you have sent all the documents, you will receive an instruction letter within 24 hours to collect your biometric data. Within 30 days, you must go to a center authorized by Canada to complete this step.
Once your biometric data has been transmitted, the Canadian authorities will study your work permit application and within a maximum of 8 weeks they will send you their final decision. If your work permit application is accepted, you will receive a letter of introduction/correspondence that you must present upon arrival.
The YP visa will allow you to acquire professional experience that will be useful for a permanent residence application in Canada via the Canadian Experience Class through Express Entry after one year of Canadian experience to immigrate outside Quebec, see details I.A, or the Quebec Selection Certificate via the Quebec Experience Program to immigrate to Quebec after two years of experience, see details III.C.
III. SPECIFIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS FOR THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC
The province of Quebec offers several immigration pathways for individuals wishing to settle there, which are distinct from the system provided at the Federal level.
Quebec thus offers a procedure for:
**A. Permanent skilled workers;
B. Temporary workers;
C. Quebec Experience Program - for foreign nationals already in Quebec;
*D. Business people**.*
A. QUEBEC PROGRAM FOR PERMANENT WORKERS
The Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP) allows you to immigrate to Quebec permanently to work there without yet having an employer before arriving on Canadian soil.
To access this program, you must first fill out an expression of interest to immigrate to Quebec. To do so, you must be 18 years of age or older and intend to reside and work in Quebec. You will also need to provide information on your educational and professional background, your knowledge of English and French, as well as your family situation.
Once all your information has been reviewed, if your profile matches Quebec's needs, you will receive an invitation to submit an application for permanent selection. You will need to provide additional information and documents and pay the fees for the review of your application.
After your application is reviewed, there are three possibilities:
- Your application is accepted, in which case you will receive your Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ);
- Your application is refused, notably if you have not met all the program conditions or if you have not submitted all the requested documents in the given format and timeframe;
- You may present documents or justifications to improve your application, which will be re-examined once these supporting documents are submitted;
The processing time for your application under this program is 15 to 17 months.
B. QUEBEC PROGRAM FOR TEMPORARY WORKERS
This program is intended for individuals wishing to stay in Quebec and work there temporarily. Some Quebec businesses turn to international recruitment when they struggle to find the staff they need within Quebec.
Under this program, the positions offered and available are classified based on the median hourly wage in Quebec, and each category of position will involve different administrative procedures:
High-wage position (equal to or higher than the median hourly wage in Quebec): you must first find an employer in Quebec who wishes to hire you temporarily. Your employer must then take certain steps with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration and afterwards with Service Canada, steps including a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application, unless your job is exempt from a work permit or from the LMIA (study details at the end of the article). Your employer will then need to draft a written employment contract. You must then obtain the consent of the MIFI to stay in Quebec to work temporarily, through a permanent selection. If your application is accepted by the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, you will have to apply for a work permit with the Government of Canada.
Low-wage position (lower than the median hourly wage in Quebec): if you have found an employer in Quebec wishing to hire you temporarily in a low-wage position, you must normally obtain a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ). You may be exempt from obtaining the Certificate when the duration of continuous work is less than 30 days, or when the employee is not remunerated, or when the employer is exempt from the LMIA or exempt from the obligation to hold a work permit.
In the event that you wish to settle permanently in Quebec after working there temporarily, you will be eligible for the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).
Obtaining the documents authorizing you to come work in Quebec can take several months. This period may vary depending on your country of origin.
C. QUEBEC EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
This program is intended for skilled foreign workers wishing to obtain a Quebec selection certificate in order to live in Quebec permanently.
The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) consists of two streams: one for temporary foreign workers and one for Quebec graduates.
The general conditions for foreign workers are as follows:
Have respected the conditions of your stay in Canada;
Intend to settle in Quebec to hold a job;
Be 18 years of age or older;
Have a knowledge of oral French equivalent to level 7;
Be legally in Quebec when you submit your application;
Be financially self-sufficient.
The job(s) you previously held must:
Correspond to a profession under NOC level 0, A, or B;
Have been performed legally and full-time on a paid basis (minimum of 30 paid hours per week);
The job must have been held for at least 24 of the 36 months preceding the submission of your application.
If you meet all these conditions, you can submit an application for permanent selection under the PEQ on the Quebec government's Arrima Platform.
Once the documents are uploaded to the platform, you will need to pay the fees for the review of your application. The fees are $822 CAD for the principal applicant, $176 for the spouse or common-law partner, and $176 for each dependent child.
You have 60 days after submitting your application to pay the fees for the review of your application.
If your application is complete, it will be processed within 6 months, a period that begins when the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration receives your application for permanent selection, your supporting documents, and the payment of the fees for the review of your application.
When your application is processed, you will need to obtain an attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values, an attestation that will be necessary for the success of your application and must be obtained within 60 days after it is requested of you.
After your application is reviewed, there are three possibilities:
Your application is accepted, in which case you will receive your Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ).
Your application is refused, notably if you have not met all the program conditions or if you have not submitted all the requested documents in the given format and timeframe.
You may present documents or justifications to improve your application, which will be re-examined once these supporting documents are submitted.
You can then submit an application for permanent selection, following the same procedure as under the Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP).
D. QUEBEC PROGRAM FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE
The province of Quebec has its own immigration program for business people, and offers a typical multi-step pathway.
First, you must inform yourself about Quebec and its business environment.
You will then need to develop a business project, in the form of a business plan, which will be at the heart of your application to Quebec.
Subsequently, you will need to apply for business immigration, which includes 5 major phases:
Quebec Selection Phase - The candidate must meet the conditions required by one of the three immigration programs for business people (entrepreneur, investor, self-employed worker). If selected, the candidate receives a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ);
Canada Admissibility Phase - The candidate and their family members must apply for permanent residence and successfully pass the medical exam and security check;
Phase of Choosing One of the Three Business Immigration Programs - Each program requires specific eligibility conditions;
Final Selection Phase, which aims to examine specific points of your application based on the chosen immigration program. You may be required to present additional documents or be called for a selection interview;
Admission Phase of Your Application: Once your application is accepted, you must send the official immigration application and pay the application fee based on the chosen immigration program. Finally, you can submit your admission to the Government of Canada.
The processing time for your application under this program is 50 months.
In any case, if you obtain a job offer before arriving on Canadian soil without being part of the aforementioned programs in I, II, and III, you can apply for a closed work permit with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): most employers need to obtain this assessment before they can hire a temporary foreign worker. Your employer must fill out a form, depending on your professional category, and send it to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), which will verify that the temporary foreign worker fills a need and that no Canadian or permanent resident is available to do the work in question.
[1]The province of Quebec provides a specific immigration system for skilled workers, which is covered in Part III.
[3]This article does not include the possibility of immigrating through a family member residing in Canada, or if you already have work experience in Canada, or if you wish to immigrate to Canada as a student.
[4]This article outlines the various immigration programs in Canada along with their main requirements, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. It is an article providing an overview of the different programs to date.
