CANADA

Canada Immigration Categories

Immigration and Visas International provides you assistance and representation to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Government agency as well as to various Canadian High Commissions (CHC) / Embassies located around the world.

September 18, 2003: CANADA Lowers it Qualifying points for Independent Class from 75 to 67. Check Canada New Pass Mark Page for Details.

There are primarily three major categories for Permanent Migration to Canada: Family Class
Refugee Class
Independent Migration Class
Skilled Worker Category
Entrepreneurs (Business)
Self-Employed
Investor

Family Class: includes the sponsor’s spouse, fiance(e), unmarried dependent children under 19, parents, grandparents and orphaned family members under 19 and unmarried. Family class applications are not assessed under the point system but they must meet basic standards of good health and character.

Refugee Class: includes any person who, by reason of well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion:
is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.
not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of his former habitual residence and is unable to by reason of such fear unwilling to return to that country.

Independent Immigration Class: This third class includes skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors and self-employed persons, applying on their own initiative and assessed against the point system. The Selection Criteria focuses on age,
education,
occupation (related to the same field in education),
Please Review List of Canadian General Occupations List. If your occupation is not listed then You DO NOT QUALIFY.
length of work experience,
facility in one or both of the official languages (English, French),
personal suitability and
Adaptability bonus points for spouse’s or common-law partner’s education
work experience in canada
post-secondary education attained in canada
offer of employment in Canada
eligible relatives living in Canada.

In addition the candidates and the family members must be of good/excellent health and good character.
Skilled Worker Category:
This category is usually where most applicants qualify under. Applicant’s occupation must be in the Canadian General Occupation List, which is categorized by National Occupation Classification System (NOC). The candidate must also have at least 1 year work experience in the occupation. Furthermore, the occupation must also be in the same field (related) as to that the candidate has his/her higher education degrees in.

As of September 19, 2003, A candidate must achieve at least 67 points in order to qualify for the category.

Please refer to our Changes in Independent Category / Skilled Migration, Bill C-11 for more details or the New Canadian Skilled Points Assessment.

Entrepreneur:
a) must have the ability and intention to establish, purchase or make a significant investment in a business in Canada that will make a significant contribution to the economy. The business must create or continue at least one job in Canada for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident other than the entrepreneur or his dependents.

b) the applicant must also intend and have the ability to provide active and ongoing participation in the management of the business.

Unlike the Investor class, officially, there is no minimum amount required, however, in order for the client to be successful, it is recommended that a net investment of at least C$ 250,000 with a net assets value of the candidate be at least C$ 500,000.
Furthermore, the applicant must have a business plan, showing the type of business in which they would like to invest, location of investment, amount of investment and the number of Canadians that will be employed.
Because the applicant will not make the investment prior to arrival, a conditional VISA (PR) is issued, which states, that the applicant must invest in a business or joint venture that employs one or more residents of Canada within two years in order to remove the conditional status and maintain Canadian permanent residency status.

Self-employed: A person who intends and has the ability to establish or purchase a business in Canada that will create employment opportunity for that person, and will make a significant contribution to the economy, or the cultural or artistic life of Canada.

Investor:
To qualify as an Investor, the applicant must: Have accumulated a net worth of at least CAD $800,000 through legitimate business or investment means;
Invest CAD$400,000 for 5 years in a Canadian government approved investment project.

Furthermore, the applicant must be able to demonstrate that he or she has operated, controlled, directed, or at least managed a successful commercial enterprise or professional practice.

It should be noted that the applicant may choose to finance a significant portion of the investment. Some investment plans may require a cash contribution of approximately than CAD$110,000.

While there is no requirement that an investor applicant engage in any business activities after arrival in Canada; the belief is that individuals with this type of historical business venturing, would likely continue to do so. This is unlike the Entrepreneur category which places conditions on the applicant’s visa requiring establishment or acquisition of a business enterprise within two years of landing in Canada.
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We can represent individual(s), or Corporation(s), and guide them through the maze of law changes in your visa process. We represent clients all over the world to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Government agency as well as to various Canadian High Commissions (CHC) / Embassies located around the world.