Immigration between India and Canada is on the rise. In 2019, for instance, India was the number one source country for persons who became Canadian permanent residents. Therefore, it is important to understand some of the immigration options available to persons in India wanting to immigrate to Canada.
To begin, you may either immigrate to Canada as a permanent resident or as a temporary resident. Ideally, it would be preferable to immigrate to Canada as a permanent resident because doing so would allow you to enjoy almost all of the rights enjoyed by a Canadian citizen.
Permanent Residency Under The Express Entry System
The most common way in which you may be able to arrive in Canada and become a permanent resident upon arrival, is if you made an application under one of the federally managed immigration programs.
The federal government has two programs namely; the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. The programs are managed by a government system known as the Express Entry System.
Eligibility Requirements:
Age – At its core, the Express Entry System is a requirement that you must meet certain basic requirements. One of the requirements is in relation to age. Age is a factor that will be considered when accumulating points. If you are between the ages of 22 years old and 34 years old, they would have an advantage as far as their age is concerned.
Work Experience And Job Types
The system also takes into consideration a person’s work experience within certain job types. If you are from a professional job type or if they are from a high trades job, that would also be taken into consideration, provided they have worked in that role for more than a year.
Language
Another factor taken into consideration is a person’s language ability, whether English or French speaking. A person’s performance in a language test is also going to be factored in the system eligibility criteria.
Education Level
Equally important is also going to be a person’s education level. Usually, persons who have at least attained the tertiary education level are going to be at an advantage.
In a nutshell, those are some of the factors that will be taken into consideration to determine whether or not you meet the eligibility requirements for one of the federally managed programs under Express Entry.
Ultimately the persons with the highest number of points are going to be the ones who get selected and who will then get invited to become Canadian permanent residents.
Residency Applications Under The Provincially Managed Programs
It is possible that you may not be eligible for either of the two programs under the Express Entry System. Such persons have the option of applying under one of the provincially managed programs in the different Canadian provinces and territories.
Canada has provinces and territories and each province and territory has its own immigration program designed to satisfy their own local needs. Therefore, you may have an option of applying through one of the provincial programs to become a Canadian permanent resident.
Permanent Residency Through A Spouse
Another alternative is permanent residency through a spouse in Canada. If you have a spouse in Canada who is wanting to sponsor you to become a Canadian permanent resident, that would also be a viable option.
Temporary Residence Options
Outside the options available for you to immigration to Canada as a permanent resident, there are other options available, albeit as a temporary resident.
Work Permit – The first option would be for you to identify an employer in Canada willing to employ them and then immigrate on a work permit based on the employer’s job offer. Immigration to Canada on a work permit as a worker is a good option, which after working for a year, allows you to apply for your permanent residency.
Student Permit – The second option would be to immigrate into Canada as a student. This has been a viable option for many people coming to Canada from India. Many people have immigrated to Canada as students, studied for a couple of years and afterwards acquired a work permit known as a post-graduate work permit. This type of work permit then allows them to work for up to three years in Canada. During that time, you’re often, after just one year of working, then able to apply for Canadian permanent residency.
The student permit option is very attractive because it also allows you to take their family with them to Canada. You may take their spouse and they would be eligible for an open spousal work permit. In addition, you may also take your children who are below the age of 22 years old with them. The children may also be eligible for a study permit if they will be attending high school or elementary school, without worrying about paying their tuition fees.
This is an option that a lot of Indian nationals immigrating into Canada from India find attractive, especially those above the age of 35 years old.
Investing In Canada
There are also options available for investors in particular. It may be an option for people who have a high net worth after deducting their total assets from all their liabilities or business people with a lot of resources. Such people have the option of investing in Canada and leveraging their investment as a vehicle to acquire their Canadian permanent residency.
Let Us Help
Having learnt that as an Indian national, you have the option of immigrating into Canada as a permanent resident from the start or initially as a temporary resident before transitioning into a permanent resident, it is important to understand the processes and requirements before this is possible.
We are available to take you through the most suitable options for you and help you put together your residency application to allow you to immigrate to Canada.
Book a call with us today for any advice or assistance you may need with your immigration applications.
