ANSWER: One of the key benefits of the Canadian immigration assessment is to learn at the beginning of the process whether you are likely to qualify for a permanent resident visa to Canada and to know which specific Canadian immigration program you have the strongest potential to apply for. As our client, you simply submit your relevant details for review by our immigration consultants who we work with and they will then inform you about your best Canadian visa option, based on your personal profile and the current regulations. After you receive your Canadian immigration assessment, you will have a better understanding of how to proceed.

ANSWER: Yes! Canadian Visa Professionals collaborates with authorized immigration consultants who have the expertise and experience necessary to assess your eligibility to immigrate to Canada and to guide you confidently through each stage of the Canadian immigration process.

ANSWER: Immigration to Canada generally takes about 12-18 months, but the amount of time depends on factors that are unique to each person and to the specific Canadian visa program that he/she applies for.

ANSWER: If you and your family are granted Canadian permanent residency, you will be allowed to live in Canada long-term and can even apply for Canadian citizenship once you meet the criteria. Canadian permanent residents can legally work in Canada, start a business, buy a home or other property, have access to educational programs, travel to and from Canada, receive free public healthcare, and sponsor eligible family members for a visa to Canada. They also get to live in a beautiful, immigrant-friendly country that has one of the strongest economies and highest standards of living in the world.

ANSWER: Thousands of skilled foreign workers are needed for jobs in Canada that cannot be filled locally by qualified Canadian workers. Therefore, several Canadian immigration programs were established for qualified foreign workers who possess the English or French language abilities, education, job skills and other characteristics that are in high-demand by employers in Canada. For example, skilled foreign workers and their eligible family members may have options to apply for Canadian permanent residency through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) or the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP). “Economic immigrants” (and their family members) who meet the criteria for the FSWP, FSTP or PNP may be able to apply for Express Entry immigration to Canada. The immigration consultants who collaborate with Canadian Visa Professionals can evaluate your details and inform you about your best option to live and work in Canada.

ANSWER: Yes! The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is a Canadian immigration program created to help fill thousands of high-demand jobs in Canada that often require a university degree or other post-secondary training. The FSWP uses a points system in which points are given for six major factors (work experience, education, English or French language abilities, age, genuine offer of qualifying employment in Canada, and “adaptability”) and at least 67 out of 100 points are required. In addition to meeting the points criteria, the FSWP requires applicants to have a minimum of one year of paid, full-time work experience in a qualifying occupation within the previous 10 years. Occupations that qualify for the FSWP must be classified by Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC) as being at Skill Type 0 (various professions in management), or Skill Level A (specific non-management professions in a variety of fields in which a university degree is usually needed) or Skill Level B (particular skilled trades or other technical jobs in Canada that usually require a post-secondary education, such as from vocational school, and some of which require an apprenticeship). The FSWP is one of the Canadian immigration programs that qualify for Express Entry to Canada.

ANSWER: Yes! There is an ongoing demand across Canada for experienced foreign tradespeople in a range of occupations, so the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) was established. In order to move to Canada through the FSTP, foreign tradespeople must have at least two years of paid, full-time work experience within the previous five years in a qualifying trade that is classified under Major Group 72, 73, 82, 92, 632 or 633 of Canada’s National Occupation Classification (NOC). Dozens of trades qualify for the FSTP, such as bakers, butchers, carpenters, chefs, crane operators, electricians, mechanics, plumbers and welders. Besides having qualifying work experience, foreign tradespeople must possess adequate English or French language skills and satisfy health, character and other criteria. Foreign tradespeople who meet the eligibility requirements for the FSTP may be able to apply for Express Entry immigration to Canada.

ANSWER: There is a shortage of skilled workers who are needed to fill job openings in different Canadian provinces and territories. Therefore, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was established as a partnership between Canada’s national government, which has the sole authority to issue a Canadian visa, and most of the provinces and territories in Canada, which have created unique criteria for their particular PNPs. A key goal of the Provincial Nominee Program is to grant Canadian permanent residency to qualified skilled foreign workers and their eligible family members who meet the criteria for a particular PNP, and who satisfy the national requirements for immigration to Canada, so they can live and work in the province or territory that nominated them. Foreign workers who meet the eligibility requirements for a particular PNP and receive a provincial nomination may apply for Canadian immigration through the traditional PNP pathway or via the Express Entry system. It should be noted that the mainly French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec does not participate in the PNP, but has its own Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

ANSWER: Canada’s primarily French-speaking province of Quebec has its own unique Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) for eligible skilled foreign workers who want to move to Canada and live and work in Quebec. The QSWP is a points-based Canadian immigration program in which points are given for various factors such as: age, education, recognized work experience, French or English language skills, connection to Quebec or Canada, having a qualifying job offer from an employer in Quebec, spouse/common-law partner characteristics, financial capacity and other factors. It should be noted that French is the main language used by the majority of people who live and work in Quebec, although many residents also know English. Therefore, it is very important to have or develop good French language abilities if you plan to move to Quebec. If a skilled foreign worker applies to the QSWP and receives a Quebec Selection Certificate, known in French as the Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), he/she may next apply for Canadian permanent residency with Canada’s national immigration officials who have the sole authority to issue a visa to Canada.

ANSWER: Yes, there are various costs associated with different stages of the Canadian immigration procedure, which are paid over a period of several months. For example, fees are charged for the English and French language evaluation tests (as relevant), the Educational Credential Assessment (if required) and the medical exam(s). There may also be fees to obtain police certificates (depending on the country) or to receive English or French translations of required documents that were not originally written in English or French. A non-refundable Canadian visa application fee will need to be paid toward the end of the process and, if approved for a permanent resident visa to Canada, the main applicant and his/her spouse will also need to pay a separate Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). Canadian Visa Professionals charges fees for the services it offers through the authorized immigration consultants it collaborates with. To help make the process more affordable, Canadian Visa Professionals allows its clients to pay as they go through each stage of the procedure, and offers several convenient payment methods. Finally, there are additional expenses related to moving to Canada (e.g., airfare, shipping), short-term and long-term housing, food, transportation, etc.

ANSWER: Yes, you may include your spouse/partner (opposite sex or same sex) and dependent children on your Canadian visa application and if you and they meet all of the eligibility requirements (including the health and character criteria), you may all immigrate to Canada together.

ANSWER: The main applicant and all family members included in the Canadian visa application must meet the good health criteria for immigration to Canada. In general, this means that the immigrant(s) must not pose a threat to the health or safety of Canadians and must not pose a risk of excessive demand on Canada’s health and social services. Whether or not a Canadian visa applicant meets the good health criteria will be determined by the Canadian immigration officials following a medical exam conducted by an authorized physician toward the end of the process.

ANSWER: The main applicant and all family members included in the Canadian visa application must meet the good character criteria for immigration to Canada. This basically means that the immigrant(s) must not pose a threat to the safety of Canadians. In order to demonstrate that an immigrant is a person of good character, a police certificate will generally be required for everyone in the Canadian visa application who is at least 18 years old from each country or territory where he/she lived for a cumulative total of six months or more since the age of 18. Obtaining the police certificate(s) is usually done toward the end of the process.

ANSWER: The Internet makes it possible to seek and apply for jobs in Canada from anywhere in the world, as long as a person has a computer with Internet access. An excellent website for seeking and applying for jobs in Canada is the Canadian government’s Job Bank, where an individual can search for jobs in specific occupations anywhere in Canada or in particular locations (such as a province or city). There are also several private job search websites that make it easy to search for jobs in Canada. Furthermore, job-seekers can visit the websites of potential employers to look for current job opportunities and to submit their CVs and/or applications online. The Internet also makes it possible to have online job interviews via video conferencing, although some Canadian employers may require an in-person job interview in Canada. Getting a qualifying job offer from a Canadian employer is important, not only because you want to work in Canada, but also since it may help to facilitate the Canadian immigration process. For example, one way that a candidate in the Express Entry pool can receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for a permanent resident visa to Canada is by having a genuine offer of qualifying employment from a Canadian employer.

ANSWER: Yes, Canadian permanent residents may travel from and return to Canada on trips of either short or long duration (e.g., vacation, business, etc.) and keep their status as a permanent resident, as long as they live in Canada for a cumulative total of two years during a five year period and continue to comply with the requirements of Canadian permanent residency.

ANSWER: Yes, one of the benefits of Canadian permanent residency (and Canadian citizenship) is the right to receive public healthcare in Canada through its tax-supported universal healthcare program. When you immigrate to Canada, you and your accompanying family members should apply for a universal health insurance card as soon as possible in the province where you will live in Canada. It should be noted that some Canadian provinces have a waiting period of up to three months before immigrants can receive public universal healthcare, so be sure to check about this with the health ministry of the province or territory where you plan to live in Canada. Furthermore, you may want to check on what is covered by the public universal healthcare plan of the province or territory where you want to live in Canada, since the coverage can vary. Although most healthcare services are free through Canada’s public universal healthcare program, private health insurance is also available for purchase.

ANSWER:  As a permanent resident of Canada, you will have the option to apply for Canadian citizenship after you live in Canada a minimum of three years (1,095 days) within a five year period and once you meet the other criteria. Canadian citizens receive additional benefits, such as being able to vote and apply for a Canadian passport.