Is it easy to migrate to Canada in 2023?

Canada maintains its streak of creating new immigration policies and programs that target people looking for better employment prospects. The Federal Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) release plans yearly, with a shared focus on easing the immigration process and providing more opportunities to people from around the world. Canada has earned itself a reputable position as one of the most coveted countries and aims for an overall admission target of more than 1.5 million people between 2023 and 2025. India is one of the many countries that send its citizens to Canada for migration of its unceasing scope and caliber. The country will continue to be a preferred destination for Indian immigrants in 2023.

Migrating to Canada has benefits and advantages, including a better lifestyle, satisfactory living conditions, and good probabilities.

There are plenty of job options that come with lucrative salary packages.

Canada’s immigration targets, till 2023, are as below:

Year	Immigrants
2023	465,000
2024	485,000
2025	500,000

With over a million newcomers storming into Canada, now is the best time to migrate to Canada.

There are many opportunities from 2023 to 2025; Canada needs many immigrants to promote its aging population's economic and fiscal impacts and low birth rate.

Immigration programs

Canada has over 70 immigration options that include economic and business immigration programs, as well as family sponsorship programs. While the financial and business immigration programs are for individuals with abilities that will benefit the Canadian economy, the family sponsorship program is for those with family members who are PR visa holders or Canadian citizens. You must first be eligible to apply for programs to migrate to Canada. Every program has a set of criteria that should align with the given eligibility. The most approved and well-known paths to Migrate to Canada include The Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs.

*You can check your eligibility here for free.

Below is a detailed description of the top 7 ways to migrate to Canada.

Express Entry

Express Entry happens to be one of Canada's most popular immigration schemes. Approximately 108,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) have been initiated so far by The Express Entry system this year in a way that it aligns with the immigration target that the government has set.

Canada Express Entry Program evaluates the PR applicants using a point-based system, including other vital factors. Factors like qualifications, experience, Canadian employment status, and provincial/territorial nomination directly impact the total number of points awarded to applicants.

The possibility of you receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency is based on the points. Candidates with more points stand a better chance, while those with comparatively fewer points will be down the priority list. A Comprehensive Ranking Score, or CRS, allocates points to applicants.

The Express Entry draw follows its rules and maintains a minimum cut-off score. The candidates who meet the cut-off number or score higher than the cut-off percentage will be sent an ITA invitation. In some rare cases, wherein more than one nominee scores an equivalent number to that of the cut-off, the ITA will then be given to the one who has spent the most time in the Express Entry pool.

It is not a compulsion to have a job offer in Canada to apply through the Express Entry procedure, but people with a job offer, on the other hand, can boost their CRS scores by 50 to 200 points, depending on their level of expertise and skill. They also have Provincial Express Entry streams that are available to help provinces choose talented persons from the Express Entry pool.

A provincial nomination holds the potential to raise the CRS score by 600 points, ensuring that the candidate receives an ITA.

The CRS score is bound to differ with each Express Entry draw held every two weeks by the Canadian government.

You can also enter the country on a work permit and later apply for permanent residency. You must have a job offer to gain a work permit in Canada.

Steps to apply under the Express Entry system

Step 1: Create your Express Entry profile

Step 2: Complete your ECA

Step 3: Complete your language ability tests

Step 4: Calculate your CRS score

Step 5: Get your Invitation to Apply (ITA)

The Express Entry system is one of the quickest ways to immigrate to Canada, with a minimum application processing time of over four months on submission.

Provincial nominee program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will allow you to reside and work in Canada if you are a skilled or semi-skilled worker with a valid job offer in a central province or territory. Each province/territory conducts its own PNP that includes a list of in-demand positions filtered according to the specified needs of the labor market.

If your skills match the demands, the province will issue you a provincial nomination, which will offer you 600 of the total 1,200 points you'll need on your CRS, further allowing you to move up the candidate pool.

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is another way to apply for immigration. The FSTP is primarily for skilled workers in an array of fields who can submit their profiles and be considered for a visa invitation to apply (ITA). The selection is usually based on a lottery system, but owing to the labor scarcity, the chances of being chosen are high in various occupations in Canada.

The skilled trades that face labor shortages are compiled into a list and released monthly by The Canadian government. This list acts as an eligibility bar wherein international employees with temporary work visas can check if they qualify for the FSTP.

Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC) determines the skilled trades list. You can live and work in Canada if you acquire a permanent resident visa under the Federal Skilled Trades Program and can also stand eligible to become a Canadian citizen after a while.

Business migration program

The Business Immigration Program is specifically for people who wish to start a business in Canada or invest. This program lets people who desire to do business in Canada apply for a permanent residency visa.

According to the Canadian government, this visa is only offered to three groups of people. The individuals must, however, be of high net worth with managerial or commercial experience to prove their capability of establishing a business in Canada. The three groups include –

• Investors
• Entrepreneurs
• Self-employed persons

The Start-up Visa program gives eligible immigrants interested in starting or establishing a business in the country a permanent residence visa. This visa scheme can also be known as the Start-up Class.

Candidates can enter Canada on a work permit funded by a Canadian-based investor under this visa program and then apply for a PR visa once their firm is established in the nation.

Successful candidates can also grow connections with Canadian investors for funds and business-related consultations. There are three types of investors in the private sector -

1. Venture capital fund
2. Business incubator
3. Angel investor

Family class immigration

Individuals above 18 years who are permanent residents or citizens of Canada can sponsor their family members for a PR visa.

The following family members are eligible for sponsorship -

• Spouse or legal partner
• Children who are dependent or who have been adopted
• Parents
• Grandparents
• In addition to being over the age of 18 and possessing a PR visa or being a Canadian citizen, a sponsor must meet the following criteria:
• Demonstrate that he has sufficient funds to support family members or dependents.
• He must agree to financially aid the sponsored family members with the government's permission.

Canadian experience class

The Canadian Experience Class, or CEC, is a program for temporary foreign workers or students to become permanent residents of Canada. This program examines candidates' professional experience, education, and contribution to Canadian society to grant them PR status. You may be rightfully eligible for the PR visa if you have previously studied or worked in Canada and meet the basic eligibility requirements.

Some of the other significant eligibility requirements include the following -

• 12 months of full-time or part-time employment in the previous three years.
• The applicant must intend to live in a province other than Quebec and comply with the language requirements.

Student migration program

International students can stay in Canada after completing their studies and acquire job experience through the Canadian government. The IRCC offers a Post-Graduate Work Permit Program. This scheme lets International graduates apply for an open work visa that is valid for three years, wherein the candidates are free to work for any employer during the timeframe. This kind of opportunity enriches them with the necessary skilled work experience that can contribute towards gaining points. The CRS score will eventually escalate and help in making the application process for their PR visa successful.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to the UK, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultants.