Canada Work Visas
Canada offers a range of work and business visas which cater for those who wish to live and work in Canada, start a business, invest in the Canadian economy, or in some cases, immigrate to Canada in order to seek a position of employment.
We can explore the best Canadian work visa option for you if you contact Global Visas today. Visit our online assessment area to get started.
Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Visa
The points based Federal Skilled worker programme is designed to attract the most highly skilled migrants to Canada and assesses them in five key areas. The Federal skilled worker programme is a route for people who wish to immigrate to Canada permanently and successful applicants will be granted permanent residence in Canada with the option to pursue a grant of Canadian citizenship once the minimum residency requirement, in this case three years, is reached.
Candidates must score at least 67 points on the criteria outlined below:
- Education – Worth up to 25 points
- Language Skills in English and French – Worth up to 24 points (though proficiency in at least one of these languages is essential)
- Experience – Worth up to 21 points
- Age – Worth up to 10 points
- Pre-arranged Job Offer – Worth up to 10 points (though unlike a work permit, a job offer is not mandatory – successful applicants may seek work upon arrival)
- Adaptability – worth up to 10 points.
In addition, candidates must also be able to show that they can financially support themselves in Canada.
Canadian Work Permit
Unlike the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, Canadian work permits are employer led and require a firm offer of employment to be in place before an application can be submitted. All offers must be authorised by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to ensure that they are genuine positions of employment and that they do not displace any Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Work permits are employer specific and are not intended as a route to Canadian immigration.
Canadian Entrepreneur Visa
The Canadian Entrepreneur visa which forms part of the Canadian Business Immigration Program is a permanent Canadian immigration service designed for individuals with business skills and experience which will benefit the Canadian economy. Canadian visas in this category are intended for those immigrating to Canada who will own and manage businesses and create jobs.
Like the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, Entrepreneur visas involve a points based assessment of the candidates’, age, business experience, language ability, education, and adaptability with a minimum pass mark of 35 points. Proficiency in at least one of the official languages of Canada is a prerequisite however, unlike a work permit, no pre arranged job offer needs to be in place.
The key requirements of this Canadian business visa route are two years of business experience and a minimum net worth of $300,000 CDN.
Canadian Investor Visa
The Canadian Immigrant Investor Program or (IIP) is also part of the Canadian Business Immigration Program and is designed to allow people to migrate to Canada based on a large investment in the Canadian economy. Canadian Investor visas share the same points based system as entrepreneur visas and require the same 35-point minimum pass mark. However, the investor visa requires a greater net worth of at least $800,000 CDN and in addition, an investment of no less than $400,000 CDN must be made with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
Canada Self Employed Visa
The Canadian Self-Employed Immigration program is the third component of the Canadian Business Immigration Program and like Entrepreneur visas and Investor visas is requires 35 points to be attained on a points based system which assesses the candidates qualifications, experience, language proficiency, adaptability, and age. In this Canadian business visa category, no net worth needs to be demonstrated. Instead, the eligibility requirements rest on the candidates ability to show sufficient funding to support him or herself and any accompanying family members and to carry out their proposal for self-employment. A self-employed visa requires the candidate to either contribute to the cultural or sporting development of Canada, or to buy and manage a farm.
Immigrating to Quebec – The Quebec Skilled worker Visa
In the predominantly French speaking Province of Quebec a skilled migration programme is also available which, as with the Federal skilled migration programme, provides a route to permanent residency with the possibility of citizenship after the qualifying period. Although Canadian visa applications in this visa category are still subject to authorization by Canada immigration service body, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, (CIC), under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec takes a leading role in determining which applicants are permitted to immigrate to Quebec.
Like the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, Quebec Skilled Worker Visas are based on a points assessment which assesses a candidate’s qualifications and experience as well as the likelihood of them adapting to life in the Province. However, the Quebec Skilled Worker visa differs from the Federal programme in the way that it ascribes points to the areas of assessment. The Quebec Skilled Worker Programme places more emphasis upon the candidates proficiency in the French Language and awards extra points where children are included in the application.
Employment is also a crucial consideration in Quebec visa applications, with a minimum of 8 points required in this area. However, twelve points may be obtained if the candidate will be performing a shortage occupation in Quebec. Candidates must intend to fulfil the stated shortage occupation once in Quebec and must have been employed in a similar position for at least six months prior to applying.
The points achieved in the area of employment can be increased to 15 if the candidate already has a job offer from a Quebec based employer. Under the Quebec Immigration Assured Job program candidates must have an offer of work approved by Quebec Immigration service authorities and must have occupied a similar position for no less than six months in the ten years directly prior to the visa application. Any such job offers must undergo labour market testing and it must be shown that an existing Quebec permanent resident could not be trained to fill the position in less than a year.
Find out whether you qualify to live and work in Canada today by visiting the Global Visas online assessment area now. Just take a moment to complete one of our assessment forms and a consultant will contact you directly.
