Your chances of being chosen if you want to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry system depend on how well you perform on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Under the CRS, you are given points depending on a variety of criteria, including your age, employment history, education level, and English and/or French language competency. Canadian degrees, diplomas, certifications, a legitimate job offer, and a nomination from a Canadian province or territory are other elements that can greatly raise your score.

There are certain situations where you may be able to get a work permit without an LMIA. For instance, if you are a dependent of a foreign worker or a student in Canada, you may be eligible for an open work permit. Similarly, if you have applied for permanent residency under certain immigration programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, you may also be eligible for a bridging open work permit. It is important to consult with an immigration consultant to determine your eligibility for an open work permit

You must meet different requirements to apply for citizenship depending on your situation. Are you:

An adult (18 years of age or older) permanent resident of Canada applying for yourself or your minor (under 18) child.

A current or former member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) applying under the fast-track process.

Someone who used to be a Canadian citizen, including current and former CAF members, and wants to get your Canadian citizenship back.

A Canadian applying for citizenship for their adopted child who was born outside Canada.

There are not special requirements for spouses of Canadian citizens to apply for citizenship. Spouses of Canadians must meet the same requirements as other adults.

You do not automatically become a citizen when you marry a Canadian.

Yes, provided that you submit your application to the Canadian Immigration Visa Office within 2 years of having left your Canadian employment.

Close relatives of a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident. More particularly, to qualify under the Family Sponsorship category, the Sponsored person(s) must be related to the Canadian Sponsor in one of the following ways:

Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner

Parent or grandparent

Dependent child

Orphaned, unmarried, and under 18 years of age brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild

Intended adopted child under 18 years of age

One other relative, if the sponsor has no relative listed above and no relatives who are Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents [IRPR 117(1)(h)]

Yes. Candidates who receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence from a Canadian province or territory should have the intention to reside in that particular province or territory. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are set up to address local and regional labour market and economic needs. The candidates invited to apply through a PNP are deemed to settle in that particular province or territory. Once a candidate has landed in Canada, however, he or she will have the right to freedom of movement within Canada, as well as the right to live and work anywhere in Canada for any employer.

An applicant may have a birthday after he or she receives an invitation to apply but before he or she submits an application for permanent residence. A change in age may lower his or her CRS score below the lowest score in the draw. It may also result in the applicant no longer meeting the minimum requirements. When a change in age results in the candidate no longer meeting the minimum entry criteria or lowering his or her CRS points score below the lowest points score in the draw, IRCC officers are asked to apply the Public policy to exempt applicants for permanent residence from certain age-based requirements between invitation to apply and application. This public policy also grants an exemption to applicants who may be refused on FSW program requirements for having a birthday between receiving an invitation to apply and submitting an application. In short, a candidate’s age may be considered locked in once an invitation to apply has been issued.

The completion of application forms, and supporting documentation showing the factors above are necessary for a good H & C application. Once the application package is complete and the government processing fee is collected, the application can be submitted. The application package should have a very detailed submission letter outlining all the H & C factors of the applicant and should explain why the immigration officer assessing the case should approve the application. Note that H & C cases are discretionary, that is, the immigration officer assessing the case can refuse or approve the case based on their own assessment. Therefore it is extremely important to prepare a very strong submission letter and collect persuasive supporting documentation in support of the Humanitarian and Compassionate Application.

You will need to apply for a regular work permit, not a specific caregiver work permit. You can live in your own home.

The length of stay for Super Visa holders will be increased to five years per entry into Canada. People who currently have a Super Visa also have the option to request to extend their stay by up to two years while in Canada. This means current Super Visa holders will now be able to stay in Canada for up to seven consecutive years. With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to five years without the need to renew their status. The Super Visa is a multi-entry visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The key difference is that the Super Visa allows an individual to stay for up to five years on initial entry into Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only. Visitors to Canada may visit for up to six months when they first enter Canada. Visitors who wish to stay longer must apply for an extension, and pay a new fee.

You cannot lose your permanent resident status simply by living outside of Canada long enough that you don’t meet the residency requirement. Unless you have gone through an official process, you have not lost or given up your permanent resident status, even though you may not be eligible to return to Canada as a permanent resident. You may lose your permanent resident status if:

An adjudicator determines that you are no longer a permanent resident following an inquiry.

A visa officer determines you do not meet the required residency when you apply for a permanent resident travel document or temporary resident travel document.

You may lose your permanent resident status in one of the ways described above if:

You do not live in Canada for two out of five years.

You are convicted of a serious crime and told to leave Canada.

You become a Canadian citizen.

You do not lose your permanent resident status if your PR card expires. If you know you no longer want to be a permanent resident of Canada, you can apply to voluntarily give up your permanent residence status.

If your application is refused, you have two options. You can either re-apply with a fresh application or you can challenge the decision of the officer in the federal court for a judicial review. Submitting a fresh application might be faster than challenging the decision in federal court. Furthermore, you could also try to request for reconsideration before going for a judicial review.

If you leave Canada and want to return, you must have:

A valid passport or travel document;

A valid study permit if you are returning to study in Canada;

A valid visitor visa, if you are a citizen of a visa-required country;

An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA, if you are from an eTA-required country.

A temporary resident permit (TRP) is a document that gives you permission to enter/stay in Canada for a limited period of time, determined by the Canada Border Services Agency and/or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. TRP holders are subject to strict requirements (especially time limits) and TRPs can be cancelled at any time at the discretion of the Canadian government.

Anyone who visits Canada must apply from outside the country. Your friend or family member must first find out if they need an eTA or a visa. If they need an eTA, they can apply online. If they need a visa they can apply online or on paper. A visa officer will review the application and decide whether to issue a visa. You may provide your family member or friend a letter of invitation in support of their visa application. It should explain how you will help the person. For example, you may offer to pay for plane tickets or accommodation. A letter of invitation can help, but it does not guarantee the person will get a visa.

You can apply to restore your work permit in the first 90 days after it expires. If you do this, you can stay in Canada until you get further instructions, but you must stop working until you receive your restored work permit. There is no guarantee that your application will be approved. Otherwise, you must leave Canada right away when your work permit expires. If you do not leave, you could be deported and will need permission from an immigration officer to come back.

You can leave Canada and come back. However, one of three things will happen when you return to Canada. You may be allowed to come back to Canada as a visitor, if Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not yet decided to extend your work permit. If this is the case, you cannot work until you get your work permit extension. The officer at the port of entry may ask you to prove you have enough money to support yourself in Canada. You may be allowed to come back to Canada as a worker, if the officer at the port of entry finds out that IRCC extended your work permit while you were away. You may be asked to apply for a new work permit at the port of entry. You must also meet all other applicable entry requirements.

Yes. You can stay in Canada, and may be able to keep working, under what’s called implied status. That means the law implies you are a temporary resident. The implied status lasts until Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decides on your new permit application. However, you must respect the following requirements: If you applied for another work permit You must stay in Canada and meet the conditions of your original work permit. If you applied for a work permit extension before your work permit expired, you can keep working under the same conditions as your existing permit until IRCC decides on your application unless you have applied to extend your stay under another category.