Immigrating to Canada is not hard if you understand the Permanent Residence (PR ) process in Canada. How your Canadian journey will unfold depends greatly on how you decide to pursue your PR in Canada. In this article, you’ll learn about common ways to immigrate to Canada as well as how to apply for PR.
What is PR?
Permanent Residence status is given by the government to someone who is not a Canadian citizen. As a PR, it means that you have the right to live and work in Canada for as long as you wish. This means that once you have your PR, it cannot be taken away from you unless you commit a serious crime. As long as you follow all the laws, you will be eligible to renew your PR even after it expires.
There are many benefits when you obtain PR status. For instance, you’ll have access to Canada’s healthcare system as well as the benefits the Canadian government has for immigrants and residents. Some of these services include a free library card for your public library, access to free healthcare, and permission to live, work, or visit any part of Canada.
Different Ways to Follow the PR Process in Canada
The Canadian government currently has over 80 ways to immigrate to Canada! Each of these pathways is designed for specific groups of people. In this article, I’ll provide an overview of the most common ways to get your PR in Canada.
Express Entry System
Express Entry is an online immigration system used to manage any applications under the:
If you can meet the criteria for any of these programs, you can apply for a PR through Express Entry.
In simple words, Express Entry is a system used to get skilled workers to Canada. These workers could already be living in Canada on a work permit or they could be skilled workers from another country. Each of the programs under Express Entry have their own criteria. You can learn more about the minimum requirements for each Express Entry program by clicking here.
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What is the Comprehensive Ranking System Score?
If you meet the minimum requirements for Express Entry, you will be put into a pool with thousands of other candidates from around the world. At this point, you will receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Your CRS score considers factors such as:
Work experienceValid job offer in CanadaLanguage skills in either English or FrenchEducation.Your CRS score can be anywhere between 0 and 1200. A minimum CRS score will vary from time to time but anywhere above 500 is usually a good score.
The reason minimum CRS scores fluctuate is that you are ranked against other candidates in the Express Entry Pool. And you will be invited to apply for a PR only if you score higher than most of the other candidates. Because of this, some people don’t like the Express Entry system because it is highly competitive.
If you rank above the cut-off, you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Once you get your ITA, you will be eligible to apply for a PR in Canada. If you rank below the cut-off, you will need to improve your CRS score. Some ways to increase your score include:
gaining work experiencegetting a valid job offer in Canada.Another way to boost your CRS score is through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
PR Process in Canada: Provincial Nominee Program
If you fall below the CRS score cut-off in the Express Entry Pool and don’t receive an ITA, you could consider applying for a PNP.
A PNP allows the provinces to nominate certain people in the express entry pool to immigrate to their province. The nominees will get their PR but once they immigrate to Canada, they can only land in the province that nominated them. Furthermore, they must live in that province for a certain period of time, usually two years.
If you get nominated by a province through PNP, you get an additional 600 points added to your Express Entry Profile. This basically guarantees that you will receive an ITA and apply for permanent residency in Canada. Using this PR process in Canada is a great way to boost your CRS score.
Canada’s family sponsorship program is a program to unite family members. If you have a spouse, children, parents, or grandparents living outside of Canada, you can bring them to Canada through the Family Sponsorship program.
You are eligible to sponsor a family member if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident above the age of 18. If you sponsor a family member, you agree to pay for all their expenses for a certain period of time. If you follow this PR process in Canada, you’ll have to show proof of funds before you can sponsor a family member.
Once you sponsor your family member, they will earn PR status and are free to live and work in Canada.
PR Process in Canada: Atlantic Immigrant Pilot Program
The Atlantic Immigrant Pilot Program (AIPP) program was launched in 2017 and was due to end in December 2020. However, due to the program’s success, the AIPP has been extended.
The AIPP was introduced to attract workers to the four maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The purpose of the AIPP was to address the labour shortages in the maritime provinces. So far, the program has done just that and it has been a huge success. Learn more about life in Fredericton, New Brunswick! one of the great maritime provinces.
What’s even better is that it is one of the easiest ways to immigrate to Canada. There are very few requirements and there is no competitive pool where candidates are ranked against each other. All you need is a job offer from an employer in one of the four provinces, and be able to meet the minimum program requirements. If you meet those requirements, you are eligible to follow this PR process and immigrate through AIPP.
If you’re interested in immigrating to Canada, it’s important to understand the various pathways and PR process in Canada. With this knowledge, you can choose the best option and start your promising Canadian immigration journey.
For more information, tools, and free webinars about living in Canada visit our Settling in Canada resource page. We’ll help you to settle in Canada successfully!
My name is Zain Usmani and I am a freelance content writer who currently resides in Mississauga, Ontario. I immigrated from Pakistan to Canada 5 years ago and have lived
in many cities ever since. I have lived in Calgary AB, Edmonton AB, Regina SK, London ON, and Mississauga ON, while visiting over 40 Canadian cities and towns. I have a
great passion for writing and I love helping people through it.
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