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An Immigrant Visa is a document which allows a person to live and work anywhere in Canada, and confers upon that person permanent resident status. It comes with certain responsibilities and can be revoked if the holder is out of the country for too long, or is guilty of some criminal activity. A person who is a Canadian permanent resident may apply for Canadian Citizenship after 3 years.

An Employment Authorization permits an eligible visitor to reside and work in Canada for a limited period of time, and restrictions are usually placed on the type of employment, which can be pursued. It will not, by itself, lead to Canadian permanent resident status. By contrast, a Canadian Immigrant Visa entitles its holder to live and work anywhere in Canada, enjoy many of the privileges of Canadian Citizenship, apply for Canadian Citizenship after 3 years and sponsor family members for Canadian permanent resident status.

You can apply for permanent resident status and temporary status at the same time (dual intent). Doing so will not harm your application for permanent resident status. However, your application for temporary status may be affected because an impression will have been created that you do not intend to leave Canada upon the expiration of your temporary status. Therefore it is better to apply for temporary status before you apply for your permanent resident status.

Canadian policy has been to ignore an applicant's foreign immigration status. However, there have been some refusals on the grounds of criminal inadmissibility where the applicant admitted to having knowingly violated the immigration laws of a foreign jurisdiction. In addition, you cannot apply in a country where you reside without having a legal status – your application will be most likely refused or returned without processing if you cannot prove that you have work permit in the country where you currently reside.

Immigration laws, regulations, and policies are constantly subject to change. The effect of these changes will vary considerably from one applicant to another, depending on the particular circumstances. While one candidate may benefit from these changes, another may suffer a loss of points, or even automatic inadmissibility.

While Canadian immigration authorities declare that they do not treat represented applicants any different than unrepresented applicants, there are several factors to consider when you make the decision. A good representative will make sure that your application is prepared flawlessly; that it does not contain factual or incidental errors; that you present yourself in the best possible way by providing the right type of supporting documents. In addition, a good representative makes sure that you are not forgetting something that may come to haunt you after you land in Canada. Last but not least, a good representative will fight for you if you are treated without respect or blatantly unfair. In summary, a good representative should be able to make the process smoother for you and take care of the vast amount of paperwork that is a part of the process. Strategy development and execution are very important to avoid mistakes, omissions or blatant errors. Keep in mind that there are only a few types of representative that can help you: Canadian lawyers, Quebec notaries and members of Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants. Always make sure that your representative is allowed to represent you. If he cannot, your application could be refused.

As a first step, we ask that you complete an assessment form so that we may determine your eligibility. You may do so as a skilled worker applicant, a business class applicant or a family class applicant.

Your spouse and dependent children may be included in the application. Children must be under the age of 22 years. If they are 22 and older, they must be full-time students from before they reached 22 years. Your accompanying dependents will be subject to medical and security clearance requirements. Other family members, such as your parents, cannot be included in the application but you may be able to sponsor them as part of the family class after you land in Canada if you meet the sponsorship requirements.Common-law spouses and same-sex partners are considered spouses for immigration purposes. Applications must be prepared carefully to satisfy the criteria.

Certain provinces have been given the authority to select or nominate candidates for immigration destined to their respective provinces.

Quebec has exclusive authority to select candidates who intend to reside in that province. These applicants are subject to Quebec's selection criteria, in addition to Federal medical and security clearance requirements. They must also pay an additional fee for processing by Quebec immigration authorities. Applicants who qualify under the Federal selection requirements may not necessarily satisfy Quebec's selection requirements, and vice versa.

To a lesser degree certain provinces have the authority to nominate immigration candidates for selection based on their needs. These provincial nominees must be still approved by federal immigration authorities. Even without such nomination you may reside in those provinces by meeting federal selection criteria.

The purpose of distinct selection and nomination systems is to satisfy the specific immigration requirements of the particular regions of Canada. With that in mind, if the province is looking for an immigrant with certain skills and you have those skills, it might be easier for you to immigrate to that province. Otherwise, these provisions may be neutral or detrimental to your eligibility. Most of the provinces require the perspective immigrant to have a pre-approved offer of employment from a company located in the province.

We recommend that you complete and submit an on-line assessment of your eligibility for immigration, which we will evaluate at no charge. You may do so as a skilled worker applicant, a business applicant, or a family class applicant.

All government-processing fees must be submitted concurrently with the submission of the application for permanent residence. By contrast, the Right of Landing fee may be submitted at any time prior to the issuance of landing documents and is refundable if, for any reason, the applicant does not land in Canada.

Canadian visa offices will accept the payment of fees in Canadian dollars or in the equivalent local currency. It is recommended to pay fees in Canadian dollars, if it is feasible, because of currency fluctuations. Canadian visa offices set and change exchange rates from time to time and if you have not submitted the exact foreign currency your application will be returned to you causing a delay. At the very least you should consult with an expert in these matters, or seek instructions from the particular Canadian visa office as to the specific amount payable, the name of the payee and the bank upon which the payment may be drawn.

All adults immigrating to Canada must pay this fee and can do so any time before landing documents are issued. The Right of Landing fee is fully refundable if for any reason the applicant or accompanying dependents do not land in Canada as permanent residents.

Yes, all adult immigrants must pay the Right of Landing Fee.

The application process may include other costs such as those related to medical examinations and police clearances; translating documents into French or English; and business and real estate valuations in certain cases.

You submit your application for a Canadian Immigrant Visa to a Canadian visa office. Every geographic region in the world has a Canadian visa office to which your application forms and supporting documents, along with all applicable fees, can be submitted. Each visa office specializes in the examination of documents from its region.
Even if there is no Canadian visa office located in your country of residence, nonetheless your area is the responsibility of a particular Canadian visa office. For example, the Canadian visa office in London, England, is not only responsible for applications from the United Kingdom, but is also responsible for applications from other countries such as Finland and Saudi Arabia.
Applicants under the Business Immigration Program must submit their applications to one of nine designated Visa Offices, which specialize in the evaluation of these files.
If your destination is the Province of Quebec, you must submit an application for a Canadian Immigrant Visa and an application for a Quebec Certificate of Selection to a Quebec Delegation in your region. This procedure is required because Quebec has exclusive jurisdiction to select immigrants who intend to reside in that Province.

As of May 1 2003, applicants are required to submit applications to the visa office responsible for the jurisdiction of their permanent residence, or the region to which they had been legally admitted for a period of at least 1 year.

Supporting documents usually include evidence of employment, education, assets, civil status, and an absence of criminal convictions. Each visa office has specific requirements regarding the submission of supporting documentation. It is advisable to seek expert guidance or instructions from your visa office regarding the submission of supporting documentation.

Each visa office has specific timing requirements, but usually, supporting documents are submitted at the same time as your completed application forms and processing fees. Some Visa Offices insist that the entire file be submitted at once, and may even return incomplete files without acknowledging receipt.

All supporting documentation in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an English or French translation, as translated by a certified translator.

Immigration officials are required to transfer applications only in those cases in which doing so would enhance Program integrity. Visa offices can refuse to transfer a case otherwise.

The average processing time of all worldwide visa offices is approximately 24 months for applications where a selection interview is required. Depending on the circumstances of the case, and the office at which the application is submitted, processing time may be as short as 6 months or as long as 52 months.

A lock-in date is the date on which a visa office receives a completed application form, with full payment of the processing fees. The Canadian Courts have deemed the lock-in date to be the date on which factors such as age must be assessed. Thus, no points will be lost if the applicant's age changes during the processing of the application.

Skilled Worker applicants for permanent resident status may be required to attend a selection interview with an immigration officer. Such interviews are held to ensure the information in the application is accurate, to verify documentation, to test language ability, and to help applicants relocate to Canada.
Visa offices may grant certain Skilled Worker and Family Class candidates an interview waiver, depending on the qualifications of the applicant, the quality of the supporting documentation, and the overall credibility of the applicant. The likelihood of an interview waiver varies from one visa office to another.
Almost all applicants under the Business Immigration Program will be required to attend a selection interview.

In a small percentage of applications, an interview is held to evaluate security issues such as espionage, subversion or terrorism. These interviews are usually held after a selection interview, and may also be held in cases where a selection interview is waived.

Depending on how many applications are before yours at the visa office and which visa office has your file, it might take as little as four months to get an interview, or it might take as long as 30 months. Usually, though, the selection interview takes place about two-thirds into the application process.

Applications, which are complete in every detail, increase the chances of an interview waiver. However, interview waivers are granted at the discretion of the immigration officials. It is not possible to apply specifically for a waiver. Even if an interview is waived, you may still be called to an interview, generally for quality assurance purposes.

All prospective immigrants to Canada are required to undergo medical examinations. These examinations are intended to detect any conditions which may affect the health of the Canadian public, or which may result in excessive demands being placed upon the Canadian health care system. The medical examination includes a standard physical examination, blood tests, urine tests, and X-Rays.

Each medical case is analyzed individually, taking into account your full medical history. If the disease or disorder poses health risks to Canadians or places excessive demands on the Canadian health care system, it may result in medical inadmissibility.

For the safety of the fetus, X-rays are not taken of pregnant applicants until after delivery of the baby. After the birth, the mother and infant will undergo medical examinations.

Designated medical practitioners give the examination around the world. Regardless of the visa office to which the application was submitted, the services of any such practitioner may be used.

Non-accompanying dependents are required to undergo medical examinations, as are accompanying dependents. If a non-accompanying dependent is unwilling to undergo a medical examination, it may be possible to have the individual exempted. However, such non-accompanying dependents will not be eligible for subsequent sponsorship as members of the Family Class.

If medical examinations were taken less than one year before you applied for permanent residence and you were positively assessed as M1 or M2, additional medical examinations may not be required.

All adult applicants for immigration to Canada must submit a police clearance, a document that certifies that you have no criminal record. A clearance must come from each country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18 years. If police in a particular country refuse to issue a clearance, it would be helpful if they provided a written statement confirming that they refused to issue the clearance.

Some Visa Offices may require that these documents be submitted at the same time as the application forms, applicable fees, and supporting documents. Other Visa Offices may allow these documents to be submitted later on in the process. For accurate information, you should seek expert advice or get instructions from the Visa Office where you will submit your application.

If a police clearance is not forthcoming from a particular country, a written statement from the police officials of the country confirming their refusal to issue the clearance may be required. An immigration official may even waive this requirement altogether if a clear obstacle can be demonstrated.Applicants should assume that clearances must be obtained.

A background clearance detects applicants who "are, or have been, involved in espionage, subversion, or terrorism." It is separate from and in addition to a police clearance. The Canadian government without the participation of the applicant conducts the background clearance.

The Business Immigration Program is a category of immigration under which individuals with business/managerial experience and relatively high net-worth may apply for Canadian permanent resident status. There are three sub-categories under the Business Immigration Program: Investors, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Immigrants.

In addition to government application forms, education-related and statutory documents (passports, birth certificates, etc...), Business Immigration Program must submit documents evidencing business and/or managerial experience, as well as documents evidencing net worth.

When you become a permanent resident, you may live, work and engage in business activities in any Canadian province or territory.

As an Immigrant Investor planning to reside anywhere in Canada, except Quebec, you must:

• Have a net worth of at least CAD$800,000 gained through your own endeavors;
• Invest CAD$400,000 for five years with Citizenship and Immigration Canada which acts as agent on behalf of provincial and territorial investment funds; and
• Have successfully operated, controlled or directed a qualifying business or managed a minimum of 5 employees for a period of 2 years in the past 5 years.
As an applicant destined for Quebec, you must:

• Have a net worth of at least CAD$800,000, accumulated through legitimate economic activities;
• Invest CAD$400,000 for five years in a Quebec-approved investment fund; and
• Have at least three years of managerial experience in a profitable commercial, industrial or agricultural business; or, at least three years of managerial experience in a government, governmental organization, or international organization.

Immigrant Investor applicants must demonstrate the origin and accumulation of their wealth through reliable, third party documentary evidence: tax returns, pay stubs, deeds of purchase/sale, statements from stockbrokers, business/real estate valuations, etc. An applicant must be able to demonstrate that assets were gained through means, which are considered legal, including gifts or inheritances.

While an Immigrant Investor is entitled to engage in work and business activities upon arrival in Canada, there is absolutely no obligation to do so.

You must commit your CAD$400,000 investment amount before final approval from Federal or Quebec Immigration officials, as the case maybe.

If your intended destination in Canada is outside Quebec, your investment will be promptly refunded.

If you intend to reside in Quebec and you have deposited your investment in a government approved immigrant investment program you must make sure that your investment is not locked-in until you land in Canada. Your investment cannot be refunded for five years once it has been locked in.

Applicants who apply under the new Federal Immigrant Investor Program (effective April 1, 1999) no longer have the option of choosing the investment fund into which their investment is deposited. Instead, Citizenship and Immigration Canada receives all investments on behalf of provincial and territorial investment funds. After the five-year lock-in period, the provincial and territorial funds repay Citizenship and Immigration Canada, for subsequent repayment to investors.
The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program has several approved funds, and each offers different forms of security and rates of return. With some of the more popular investment funds, the bonds of blue chip multi-national corporations secure capital and interest.
Applicants with business managerial experience can qualify under either the Federal or Quebec Immigrant Investor Program. However, the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program also takes into consideration managerial experience in a government, governmental organization or international organization. Thus, the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program may appeal to immigrants with a broader spectrum of backgrounds.

To qualify as an Immigrant Entrepreneur, you must:

• Have successfully managed a commercial enterprise (or a part of a commercial enterprise);
• Have sufficient assets to establish or acquire a business in Canada;
• Establish, invest in or acquire a business in Canada within three years of arrival; and
• Actively participate in the management of the business (the business must employ at least one Canadian citizen or permanent resident, other than yourself and your dependents).

The minimum requirement is CAD$300,000 (approximately US$260,000), plus sufficient settlement funds.

An Immigrant Entrepreneur must, within three years of landing in Canada, establish, purchase, or make a substantial investment in a business in Canada so as to make a significant contribution to the economy. Active and on-going participation in the management of the business is required, and employment opportunities must be created or continued for one or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents, other than the Immigrant Entrepreneur and the Immigrant Entrepreneur's dependents. Efforts to comply with these terms and conditions must be demonstrated to immigration official throughout the three-year period. Entrepreneurs will be required to report their progress to immigration officials on a regular basis during this three-year period.

As an Immigrant Entrepreneur you are encouraged to make an exploratory visit to Canada to properly assess the business environment of the area in which you intend to locate.

A detailed business plan is not required. In most cases, a shorter informal business proposal will suffice an outline of the type of business and the general plans for its operation.

After landing in Canada, you may find that the local economic climate does not lend itself to the type of business plan originally proposed. In such cases, you are well advised to modify your business plan. However, a meeting with immigration official should be held to ensure that the new business is acceptable.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs who fail to satisfy the terms and conditions of their visa may be ordered to leave Canada.

To qualify as a Self-Employed Immigrant, you must demonstrate an intention and ability to establish or purchase a business in Canada that will keep you employed and makes a significant contribution to the the cultural or artistic life of Canada. The business must generate sufficient revenues to support you and your dependents. Farmers, artisans, sports personalities, and actors, are examples of the applicants who may qualify.
Assessment in this category is based on:

• Business ability and experience (when applying under the economic contribution component of the Self-Employed Immigrant description);
• Farming, athletic (at a world level) or artistic qualifications; and
• Net worth (sufficient to establish/purchase the proposed business).

As a Self-Employed Immigrant you are encouraged to make an exploratory visit to Canada to properly assess the business/cultural/artistic environment of the area in which you intend to locate.

The net worth requirement for Self-Employed Immigrants varies depending on the nature and location of the proposed venture.

Applicants under the Family Class are sponsored for a Canadian Immigrant Visa by a close relative who is either a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident. The Canadian relative is known as the sponsor. To qualify under the Family Class, an applicant must be related to the Canadian sponsor in one of the following ways :
The applicant must be the sponsor's spouse; common-law or conjugal partner; parent; orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild --under 18 and unmarried; a child under 18 who is either orphaned or placed with a child welfare authority for adoption and who the sponsor intends to adopt; the sponsor's dependent child; or, if the sponsor has no relative as listed above and no relatives who are Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents, one other relative.

For Canadian Immigration purposes, a "dependent child" means a child who is : Under 22 and unmarried on the date the application for sponsorship is submitted (and still unmarried on the date the child lands in Canada); or Of any age or marital status and financially dependent on his or her parents as a result of being either: continuously enrolled and in attendance as a full-time student in an educational institution since before the age of 22 (or since the date of marriage, if married before 22); or unable to support him or herself due to a physical or mental disability. Students who interrupt their full-time studies for less than one year in total and remain financially dependent upon their parents during that time will still be considered "dependent children".

All of the principal Family Class applicant's dependents are required to pass applicable police and security clearances, and medical examinations, whether they are accompanying the principal Family Class applicant or not.

The sponsor must be able to demonstrate the financial ability to provide for the essential needs of the Family Class applicant and dependents (sponsored family members). The financial ability requirements may not apply where the sponsored individual is a spouse and/or one or more dependent children.

The sponsor and co-signing spouse (if applicable) have to provide the sponsored family members with food, clothing, shelter and other basic requirements of everyday living. This includes dental and eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The obligation to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored relatives will only arise if the sponsored relatives are unable to provide for these means on their own.

The spouse of the sponsor may act as a co-signor if the sponsor does not have the required financial ability. In such case, the spouses' combined financial abilities will be assessed, and the co-signing spouse will be equally liable in case of default. The co-signing spouse may be a common-law spouse, provided that the common-law couple has been living together for at least one year. If the combined financial abilities of the sponsor and the co-signing spouse still do not meet the minimum requirements, then the application for sponsorship will be refused. The foregoing financial requirements may not apply where the individual being sponsored is a spouse and/or one or more dependent children.

The sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; at least 18 years old; physically reside in Canada (or demonstrate an intention to reside in Canada by the time the sponsored family member lands in Canada); not be in prison; not be bankrupt; and not be under a removal order if a permanent resident.