How to migrate from South Africa to Canada in 2021?

With over a million newcomers to be welcomed between 2021 to 2023, the year 2021 is probably the best time to look at migrating to Canada from South Africa.

In its immigration plans for 2021-23, Canada is planning to welcome 1,233,000 new permanent residents.

The country could not meet the immigration targets it had set for 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and to compensate for this, it has set huge immigration targets for the next three years.

 As such, in the future, Canada will face the challenges of rising its economy and supporting government spending. It is possible to mitigate these problems by accepting more immigrants to boost labor and economic development.

Immigration pathways

Canada offers more than 80 immigration pathways for migration. These include economic and business immigration options and family sponsorship programs. While the economic and business immigration programs are for professionals who have the skills required to help the Canadian economy, the family sponsorship program is for those whose family members are PR visa holders or citizens of Canada.

The economic and business class programs include the Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program which are the most preferred ways to migrate to Canada.

Application for Canada PR through Express Entry program

Express Entry manages Canada PR applications for 3 programs:

1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
2. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
3. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Basic comparison between FSWP – FSTP – CEC

Name of program	Education	Work Experience	Job Offer
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)	Secondary education required. Note. Post-secondary education gets more points in the eligibility criteria.	1-year of continuous work experience within the last 10 years. This should be in the primary occupation of the applicant. Can be a combination of part-time, full-time or more than 1 jobs.	Not required. Note. A valid job offer gets points on the eligibility criteria.
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)	Not required.	2 years within the last 5 years. Either combination of part-time or full-time.	Valid job offer needed. Full-time. For a total period of at least 1 year. OR A certificate of qualification in that particular skilled trade. To be issued by a Canadian provincial/federal/territorial authority.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)	Not required.	1-year Canadian experience in last 3 years. This can be either a combination of part-time or full-time work.	Not required.

Step 1: Create your Express Entry profile

As a first step, you will have to create your online Express Entry profile. The profile should include credentials that include age, work experience, education, language skills, etc. Based on these factors your profile will be given a score.

If you have the required score to meet the eligibility requirements which is 67 out of 100, you can submit your profile, which gets added with the other profiles in the Express Entry pool.

Step 2: Complete your ECA

If you have done your education outside Canada, you should complete an Educational Credentials Assessment or ECA. This is to prove that your educational qualifications are equal to those awarded by the Canadian educational system.

Step 3: Complete your language ability tests

As the next step in the Express Entry program, you should take the required English language proficiency tests. The recommendation is a score of 6 bands in IELTS. Your test score should be less than 2 years old at the time of application.

You will gain extra points if you know French. To prove your proficiency in French, you can give a French language test like the Test de evaluation de Francians (TEF).

Step 5: Get your CRS score

The profiles in the Express Entry pool are ranked based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Based on the profile of applicants a CRS score is given which will help to provide a ranking in the Express Entry pool. The assessment fields for the score include:

• Skills
• Education
• Language ability
• Work experience
• Other factors

Your profile gets selected for the Express Entry draw if you have the required CRS score for that draw.

 Step 5: Get your Invitation to Apply (ITA)

If your profile gets selected from the Express Entry pool, provided you have the minimum score for the Express Entry draw. After this, you will get an ITA from the Canadian government after which you can start the documentation for your PR visa.

Application through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for PR visa

 If you opt for the PNP to apply for your PR visa, these are the steps:

• You must apply in the province or region where you desire to settle.
• You could be nominated by the province to apply for a PR visa if your profile meets the eligibility criteria.
• You can apply for your PR visa after you are nominated by a province.

The criteria for evaluating the PR application differs in each province but the eligibility requirements are similar to the Express Entry Program.

After you receive your provincial nomination you can apply for a PR visa in that province.

What is the cost of migrating to Canada?

The money you will need to immigrate to Canada includes the amount needed to process your PR application and the settlement funds you need to have with you once you arrive in Canada.

The Canadian government insists that you provide proof that you have enough funds so that you can support yourself and your dependents once you arrive in Canada. You should be able to fund your stay in the country till you find a job.

Proof of funds: Immigration candidates should provide proof of funds called settlement funds. Letters from banks where the money is deposited is required as proof. However, those who are authorized to work in Canada or have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada are not required to submit this proof.

The settlement funds will vary depending on the number of family members of the primary PR applicant.

The funds should be enough to cover the cost of living for themselves and their family members in Canada. Applicants should submit the proof when they submit their application.

Do you need a job to migrate to Canada?

You do not require to have a job offer in Canada when you are applying under certain immigration pathways to migrate to Canada. One popular option to migrate to Canada without a job offer is the Express Entry system. The Express Entry system is a point-based system that manages applicants seeking permanent residency for those who can fill jobs where there is a lack of available skilled Canadian workers. The Express Entry programs which allow you to immigrate without a job offer include:

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

The PNP also does not require you to have a job offer to apply for a PR visa. Another option that you can consider for moving to Canada without a job offer is the Quebec Skilled Workers Program (QSWP).

Through this program skilled workers can apply for the Quebec Selection Certificate or Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). It is not necessary for applicants to have a valid job offer in order to migrate to Quebec. However, those with a job offer are given higher priority.

If you are applying under immigration programs that require a job offer, then you will need a work permit.

Can you bring your family members when you migrate to Canada?

You can bring your family members to Canada if you apply under certain immigration pathways like the Express Entry system. But the family members who can accompany you depends on the immigration program. For instance, under the Express Entry program you can include your spouse and dependent children but not your parents whereas under the family sponsorship program you can include your parents/grandparents apart from your spouse and dependent children.