Professional Immigration to Canada

(Workers, Businessmen, Investors, Self-employed, Entrepreneurs)

All Professional Immigration programs are designed to bring immigrants to Canada who can establish themselves economically in the country.

For the purposes of simplification and due to a large number of professions and occupations, the Canadian Government decided to classify them according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) by assigning a unique NOC Code to each profession/job/occupation. Jobs are grouped based on the type of:

job duties
work a person does

For immigration purposes, the main job groups are:

Skill Type 0 (zero): management jobs, such as:
- Chief Executive Officers, Finance Directors, Partners ,etc.
- restaurant managers
- mine managers
- shore captains (fishing)

Skill Level A: professional jobs that usually call for a degree from a university, such as:
- doctors
- dentists
- architects
- accountants
- lawyers
- financiers, accountants, bankers, etc.
- IT Professionals (web developers, software developers, IT security, etc.)

Skill Level B: technical jobs and skilled trades that usually call for a college diploma or training as an apprentice, such as:
- chefs/cooks
- plumbers
- electricians
- pilots

Skill Level C: intermediate jobs that usually call for high school and/or job-specific training, such as:
- industrial butchers
- long-haul truck drivers
- food and beverage servers

Skill Level D: labour jobs that usually give on-the-job training, such as:
- fruit pickers
- cleaning staff
- oil field workers

Our immigration programs use the NOC to decide if a job or type of work experience meets their eligibility. We consider “skilled” jobs those with NOC Skill Type 0, A or B. We assess jobs against the 2016 version of the NOC.

If you want to apply as a skilled worker, find your job title, code and skill level or type in the NOC.

If you want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant

Then you can the system which is called Express Entry. Your job, and the work you have done in the past, must be skill type 0, or level A or B to use Express Entry. The Express Entry system manages applications for permanent residence and these three below are the most popular "standard" programs for most skilled professionals workers in Canada:

as a Federal Skilled Worker
under the Federal Skilled Trades Program
or under the Canadian Experience Class

If you are seeking for easier ways to immigrate then you can use the Program which is called Atlantic Immigration Pilot (See below for more info).Your work experience must be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C.

If your job is skill level C or D

you may be able to come to Canada as a provincial nominee (all skill types/levels),
you may be able to come to Canada through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (skill type/level 0, A, B, or C), or
you may be able to work here for up to two years.

People who come to work on a temporary basis are not permanent residents. However, some go on to immigrate here on a permanent basis.

Federal Skilled Workers

for people with professional jobs which require university or higher degree (Information Technologies (software developers, IT security, etc.), accountants, lawyers, financiers, bankers, etc.)

All professional jobs (See here the full list of occupations for NOC 0, A and B to see if you qualify by your primary trade/profession)

The Federal Skilled Worker program is part of the Economic Class and this is managed by the Express Entry program. Approximate processing times are currently 6 months once an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is received.

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the program requirements.

Federal Skilled Worker program requirements:

Have professional work experience of at least one continuous year of full-time paid work experience or the equivalent in part-time continuous employment listed in the National Occupational Classification (O, A or B) in the last 10 years. OR Qualify for Arranged Employment In Canada with a full-time, permanent job offer from a Canadian employer along with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or without an LMIA if you are exempt.
A Canadian diploma, certificate, or credential AND/OR a foreign educational credential, and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) by an agency approved by IRCC to show it is equal to a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational credential.
Meet the minimum language score of CLB 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark, or equivalent.

Have settlement funds to support yourself and your family for six months after arrival in Canada.

Prof Imm 1

There are two steps for getting your permanent residence under the Express Entry system:

1. Your profile is electronically entered into a pool of candidates with different education and professional backgrounds, different language skills, etc. And only the strongest candidates, if selected by the immigration office, will obtain so called an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Permanent Residence. This step may be as quick as one week if your profile is strong.

2. Once you are selected and granted an Invitation to Apply, then you can apply for Permanent Residence. You need to provide your medical exam results and security clearance certificate in order to be granted Permanent Residency in Canada,

Prof Imm 2

Canadian Experience Class

for people with Canadian education and/or work experience

The Canadian Experience Class is part of the Economic Class and this is managed by the Express Entry program. Approximate processing times are currently 6 months once an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is received.

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the program requirements.

Canadian Experience Class requirements:

Have obtained at least one year of full-time skilled, professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date. Self-Employment or work experience gained while being a full-time student does not count.
The job experience is in a Managerial job (NOC skill level 0), Professional job (NOC skill type A), Technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)
Meet the minimum language score of CLB 5 or CLB 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark, depending on the level of the job
Plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec (individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec may apply to the Quebec Experience Class).

Federal Skilled Trades Class

for trade professions (cooks, construction workers, electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, car mechanics, etc.)

Federal Skilled Trades Class requirements:

Have offers of employment from up to two employers in Canada of at least one year duration (accompanied by an LMIA) OR a Certificate of Qualification from a provincial or territorial body
Meets the minimum language score of CLB 5 for speaking and listening, CLB 4 for reading and writing.
Have obtained 24 months of qualified work experience in the skilled trade in the last five years
Be qualified to meet the requirements of the job offer(s) or trade in Canada, as defined by the NOC.

These NOC B level occupations will be eligible for this program:

This amounts to a total of 90 eligible occupations. These eligible occupations fall into the following general categories:

Industrial, electrical and construction trades
Maintenance and equipment operation trades
Supervisors and technical occupations in national resources, agriculture and related production
Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators
Chefs and cooks
Butchers and bakers

Certification or Offer of Employment

Trade certification in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction. Each province outlines which professions will be regulated and establishes regulatory bodies where applicable. Provincial certification is often difficult to obtain from outside Canada and accordingly this program will be most beneficial to tradespeople who obtain an approved offer of employment from a recognized employer, or who are already working in Canada as temporary foreign workers. Not all trades are regulated in all of the provinces. Where a trade is not regulated, an offer of employment becomes mandatory.

Tradespeople who obtain an approved offer of employment for one year or more in their trade from a Canadian employer are also eligible to apply. The offer of employment will be evaluated to ensure that it is an eligible trade and that the hiring will have a neutral effect on the Canadian Labour Market.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

for Professional Immigrants who do not have sufficient score for Express Entry and who are open to settle in a specific province in Canada

PNP programs are another option to immigrate to Canada if you do not have enough points to be selected under Express Entry or not eligible for any other immigration category

The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) allow Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and who are interested in settling in a particular province.

Each Canadian province (except Quebec, which has a different selection system) and two territories have their own unique Provincial Nominee Programs. Participating provinces and territories sign agreements with IRCC that allow them to select immigrants who meet the requirements that they have set forth.

Provinces with PNP programs each have their own selection criteria to find immigrants with skills that the province needs which they cannot hire locally. The selection criteria and occupations vary across provinces from information technology, medical, agriculture, trades, business, investors, and people who have ties to Canada.

How does the program work?

Candidates must first be entered into the Express Entry System with their CRS score (calculate here), then apply to a PNP program (which is a separate application). You will remain in the Express Entry pool for a year, or until you are selected to apply for Permanent Residence.

After the province processes your PNP application (typically 3-4 months), you will be granted 600 points to add to your Express Entry score. With these additional 600 points, you will be selected and invited to apply for PR at the very next draw, which occurs every 2 weeks.

Benefits of applying under PNP program

Once a Provincial Nominee Certificate is granted, you receive 600 point that goes towards your Express Entry score. On average, individuals without a PNP certificate will score between 300 and 500. The most recent cutoff scores to be selected for Express Entry have been in the 400 - 500 range. Individuals with a PNP Certificate automatically are granted 600 points to add to their Express Entry core of 300-500 points. The PNP certificate would give a final Express Entry score above 900 which is significantly higher than the current cutoff selection score of around 400-500 points.

The following provinces are currently offering PNPs:

Prof Imm 3

Proff Imm 4

Business and Investor Immigration

for business people and investors with established businesses

While immigration to Canada is mostly the jurisdiction of the Federal Government in Canada, each of Canada’s provinces has its own small immigration program whereby the provincial government can nominate individuals for immigration to their province based on their own specific criteria. Once nominated by a province, the individual can apply for permanent residence through the federal immigration program. These Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP’s) usually break down into a skilled worker category and a business immigration category.

This summary will describe the different Business Immigration programs currently available by each province:For more information about each Program, click here.

Investor Programs

Quebec

Business PNP Programs

North West Territories

The Entrepreneur Start-Up Visa Program

for creative business people and entrepreneurs with original ideas for a unique start-up

The program encourages immigrant entrepreneurs to grow their companies in Canada. Successful applicants link with private sector organizations in Canada, where they can receive funding, guidance and expertise in opening and operating their enterprise in Canada.

Eligibility Requirements

The purpose of this program is to recruit innovative foreign national entrepreneurs who will create new jobs and drive economic growth.

In order to be eligible, applicants for a Start-Up Visa must meet the following requirements:

Meet minimum language requirements in English or French (CLB 5 in all abilities);
Have sufficient funds to settle in Canada;
Plan to settle in a province other than the Province of Quebec;
Pass Canadian security and medical clearances;
Prove your business is supported through a designated organization; and
Show your business meets ownership requirements.

No more than five foreign nationals may apply for permanent residence as part of the same business venture under the Start-Up Visa Program.

Investment Details

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has designated a number of venture capital funds, angel investor groups, and business incubator organizations to participate in the Start-Up Visa program.

Successful applicants are required to secure a minimum investment for their Canadian start-up. If coming from a designated Canadian venture capital fund, the investment must be at least $200,000. If coming from an angel investor group, it should be at least $75,000.

Applicants do not need to secure any investment from a business incubator. However, applicants must be accepted into a Canadian business incubator program.

Applicants are not required to invest any of their own money. If their Canadian start-up is unsuccessful, individuals granted permanent residence through this program will retain their permanent resident status.

Proff Imm 5

Proff Imm 6

Self-Employed Person

For self-employed athletes, librarians, actors, musicians, writers, journalists, designers, etc.

Canada's Self-Employed Persons Program allows eligible self-employed foreign nationals with relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics to establish themselves in Canada as permanent residents.

Candidates for the Self-Employed Persons Program must have the experience, intention and ability to make a "significant contribution" to Canada's cultural life or sports in Canada.

Interested candidates must meet both the eligibility requirements and achieve at minimum a passing mark under the program's selection criteria in order to be considered for immigration as a self-employed person.

There is no regulated minimum net worth requirement for the Self-Employed Persons Program. However, self-employed applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to settle in Canada along with their dependents and finance the work for which their selection is based.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP)

for People who are open to settle in Atlantic Provinces of Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and Prince Edward Island)

The three-year pilot program allows designated local employers to identify, recruit and retain global talent. The program also has the goals of supporting population growth, developing a skilled workforce, and increasing employment rates in the region.

These four Atlantic provinces mentioned above tend to be rural provinces with very quiet lifestyle and small communities and town. So this is something to keep in mind while considering those provinces. It may be a perfect option for families who are focused on raising their kids in a safe and rural place with quiet lifestyle. The good side of the program is that it usually sets lower requirements to applicants compared to other immigration programs.

The pilot program forms part of an overall Atlantic Growth Strategy that is focused on the following five priority areas:

skilled workforce and immigration;
innovation;
clean growth and climate change;
trade and investment; and
infrastructure.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is an employer-driven program that facilitates the hiring of foreign workers. All principal applicants arriving in Canada under the pilot program must have a job offer from a designated employer and an individualized settlement plan for themselves and their family.

Once a designated employer finds a candidate who meets their employment needs and the program criteria, that employer will need to first offer them a job. Employers do not need to go through the process of obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under this program.

Once the candidate has accepted the job, the employer will connect the candidate with a designated settlement service provider organization for a needs assessment and to develop a settlement plan. Employers will also support the long-term integration of the new immigrant and his or her family, if applicable, so they can reach the goals of their settlement plan once they arrive in Canada.

Employers that need to fill a job vacancy quickly will have access to a temporary work permit, so that the candidate and his or her family can come to Canada as soon as possible. In order to obtain this work permit, candidates will need:

a valid job offer;
a letter from the province; and
a commitment to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit application.

Proff Imm 7

Other Job-Specific Programs

for live-in caregivers, child caregivers, truck drivers, agriculture workers, farmers, etc.

There are tons of other programs available throughout Canada for other Jobs such as live-in caregivers, child caregivers, agriculture workers, farmers, etc. who are currently in Canada on a temporary status to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Need Help?

As you can see Immigration Program can be very challenging and specific as shown above, so if you need more information about the programs mentioned above or for assistance in preparing your application, we'll be glad to help you to choose the best Program.

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