How To Apply For Permanent Residence In Canada

It’s no longer news that Canada is filled with several opportunities, and this is evidenced by the fact that every year, thousands of people seek to apply for permanent residence in Canada. 

It may also interest you to know that as the year passes by, Canada keeps increasing the number of successful applicants. 

As for this year, 2022, the Canadian government has announced its intention to invite 411,000 individuals to become permanent residents.

You may be wondering who a Canadian permanent resident is, well, he or she is someone that has been granted permanent resident status in Canada.

That being said, a permanent resident enjoys just as many benefits as Canadian citizens. 

However, they have to maintain their status by continuously meeting certain requirements known as the residency obligation, unlike Canadian citizens.

In this article, I will educate you on how to apply for permanent residence in Canada, the benefits of a permanent resident, as well as how to sustain your permanent residence status.

How Can I Apply For Permanent Residence In Canada?

First, I want you to know that there are various immigration pathways through which you can apply for permanent residence in Canada. 

You can become a permanent resident via economic immigration, business immigration, sponsorship, or refugee/humanitarian programs, and I will be taking them one after the other;

Becoming A Permanent Resident Via Economic Immigration 

Economic immigration is simply defined as those immigration programs aimed at positively influencing the Canadian economy. 

That is to say that the purpose of most of the economic immigration programs is targeted at attracting skilled workers to Canada. 

These skilled workers will fill the shortages in Canada’s labor force and build lasting careers that will eventually contribute positively to the Canadian economy. 

Furthermore, Skilled worker immigration programs are permanent resident programs, and successful applicants are issued Canadian permanent resident status.

Express Entry

Express Entry is the system Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) employs to manage applications to three major federal skilled worker immigration programs which are

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), 

• Federal Skilled Trades (FST), and 

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Furthermore, all Express Entry candidates are scored based on their profile using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and the score is based on different criteria like age, work experience, education, language proficiency, and ties to Canada. 

At the end of the day, candidates with high scores are invited to apply for permanent residence in periodic Express Entry draws, and once you are invited, the processing times do not exceed six months.

Read also:  Twelve Tips On How To Prepare For Your Permanent Residence Application

Becoming A Permanent Residence Via Business Immigration 

The Canadian Government continually seeks business managers, investors, and entrepreneurs who are interested in living and seeking new opportunities in Canada to apply to the various Business Immigration Programs.

All of these are targeted to improve the Canadian economy in the long run.

Federal Business Immigration Programs

If you feel you have what it takes to improve the Canadian economy whether you are self-employed, intend to grow or kick off a business in Canada, Canada has numerous Federal Business Immigration Programs tailor-made to suit your skills and experiences if you want to settle in any Canadian province except Quebec.

Quebec Business Immigration Programs

Quebec has Self-Employed, Investor, and Entrepreneur Immigration Programs designed for all business immigrants to leverage. 

All of these programs are devised to promote economic growth as well as create job opportunities on a provincial level

Provincial Nominee Programs for Business

Every Canadian province and territory has a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) specific to it, and most of them have a stream for candidates with entrepreneurial or management experience. 

Also, note that the eligibility criteria and application process for each PNP stream differ, however, successful applicants will be issued a provincial nomination.

Now, it is this provincial nomination that will permit the applicant to apply for permanent residence at the federal level.

Becoming A Permanent Residence Via Refugee Programs 

The Canadian Government is gracious enough to sponsor refugees, and allow them to settle in Canada through various means. 

Furthermore, these sponsorship programs assist refugees to find a home, donate food and clothing as well as provide financial, social, and emotional support.

Read also: Temporary Resident To Permanent Resident Pathway

What Are The Benefits Of Canadian Permanent Residence status?

As a Canadian Permanent Resident, you will enjoy the benefits listed below.

1. Legal Right To Reside And Work Anywhere In Canada

You are eligible to reside or work anywhere you choose within Canada as a permanent resident.

This implies that If a new Permanent Resident works in Toronto but lands a better job offer in Montreal, he or she has the right to move. 

They are not tied to any employer or province in particular.

Furthermore, as a Canadian permanent resident, you are free to leave and enter Canada’s borders as long as you have your Canadian permanent resident card, or permanent resident travel documents (PRTD).

2. Protected Rights

As a Canadian permanent resident, your rights are protected under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

3. Free Education For Your Kids

Your kids as Canadian permanent residents can study up until secondary school for free. 

After graduating, post-secondary school is also much cheaper for permanent residents than it is for international students.

4. Access To Universal Healthcare And Social Services

You must know that Canadian healthcare is universal, which means that you have access to free medical care. 

This also applies to all of Canada’s social services.

6. Family Sponsorship

If you are a permanent resident, you are eligible to sponsor your common-law partner, spouse, and dependent children to join you in the country. 

Furthermore, if you immigrate via Express Entry, on your initial application,  you should include your family so that you don’t have to sponsor them later.

Read also: Canada Permanent Resident Card Renewal

Requirements For Canadian Permanent Residency 

Below are the requirements for Canadian Permanent Residency known as Canada’s residency obligation for permanent residents:

It requires that it’s  either you are physically present inside of Canada for a minimum of 730 days within five years or meet one of these conditions:

• It’s either you are outside of Canada accompanying your spouse or common-law partner who is a Canadian citizen or you are a child accompanying your parent;

• You are employed on a full-time basis outside of Canada  by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada;

• You are an accompanying spouse, common-law partner, or child of a permanent resident who is outside Canada and is employed fully by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada or of any of the Canadian provinces.

Finally, I would like to state that whether a permanent resident has met their residency obligations is evaluated anytime they are applying for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD), for a permanent resident card renewal,  or Canadian citizenship. 

Furthermore, if you have been a Canadian permanent resident for below five years, you may be qualified to apply for a permanent resident card renewal or PRTD as long as you can meet the 730 days of physical presence day within the five years.

Again, in a case whereby you have been a Canadian permanent resident for over five years, it means that your residency obligation will be calculated based on the five years before the date the visa office received your application.

Conclusion

I have exhausted all you need to know about how to apply for permanent residence in Canada ranging from the application to the benefits and requirements of being a permanent resident in Canada.

I hope that this answers most if not all your questions as regards the topic.

Kindly, follow all the instructions given in this article, and I wish you good luck with your application.