The Canadian economy is seeing steady growth but the working force of the country is ageing at a rapid rate as well. The two scenarios together have created a situation where ludicrous job positions are opening up due to the retirements of current senior members. This is happening along with the creation of a large number of jobs by companies and startups in Canada. The problem the government is facing is filling these job positions because the population of Canada is not growing quickly enough to meet the labour market demands of the country. The solution that the government has decided to work on for this problem is skilled immigration. Immigration of foreign nationals who are skilled and wish to gain permanent residency in the country.
If you meet the qualifications of a job that is in demand, the federal government of Canada or even one of the provincial governments will be eager to have you immigrate to their territory. There are two main immigration programs that you can use to immigrate to Canada and gain Canada PR without having a valid job offer from a Canada based employer.
1. The Express Entry System
The first step in trying to apply for Canada permanent resident status through the federal Express Entry system is determining if you meet the eligibility requirements that have been set by the IRCC. The eligibility requirements include your work experience, your language proficiency, your age, education credentials etc. Once you have determined that you are eligible, you can work on creating your online profile and submitting it to the Express Entry system. The details that you provide in the profile will be used to give you a score through the Comprehensive Ranking System. If you score above a certain cut-off, you will get your application placed in the Express Entry pool with other eligible candidates. The three main economic immigration pathways operated and managed under this program are listed below:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: This program is designed to encourage the immigration of those people who have the qualifications as well as the skills to be working in managerial roles or professional occupations.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program: This program is designed to encourage the Canadian immigration of those foreign nationals who have previous work experience in an occupation or a trade.
- Canada Experience Class: Thai program was designed by the IRCC to encourage the immigration of those foreign nationals who have a minimum of one year of experience of working in Canada in any profession or trade.
If you fulfil the eligibility criteria for at least one of the above-listed programs, you must ensure that you have a high CRS score. This is because your CRS score will be the factor that decides whether you will be sent an invitation to apply or not. Since there are a lot of applicants to this program each year and a set number of invitations are sent out in each draw, you are in competition with all the skilled workers who have submitted their applications for this program.
If your CRS score is low, or just meeting the cut-off, and you wish to improve it, there are many things you can do. You can add to your work experience, your language skills, your educational qualifications or even try to gain a provincial nomination. Getting nominated by a province or territory in Canada can help you gain around 600 additional points on your CRS score. The best way to maximize your chances of getting an ITA is to employ the services of a skilled and experienced immigration consultant who can offer you the best.
2. The Provincial Nomination Program
Another program you can use to immigrate to Canada without having a job offer is by submitting an application to gain a nomination from a province through their Provincial Nominee Program. Each Canadian province operates and regulates its own PNP. The programs were designed so that each province can use these immigration programs to meet their own unique labour demands that exist in their own labour market.
These depend on which industry is dominating in that province. To give you a better understanding, the Information Technology industry is rapidly increasing in the province of Ontario and British Columbia. They will be glad to accept immigrants who have experience in the field. Most provinces have different Pathways to allow immigrants to migrate to their territory, and listed below are some common streams that almost all PNPs have, though they may have different names:
- Category of critical impact or in-demand occupations: This category is to meet the labour shortages that exist in that particular province. The professions and occupations included under this category will differ depending on the needs of the provinces. It could be for nurses, farmworkers, skilled labourers etc.
- Category of skilled workers: Similar to the Express Entry system, these streams are for those immigrants who have job experience or qualifications such as apprenticeship to be eligible to work in a particular occupation. If you submit your application for a particular province, you will be placed in a smaller pool increases your chances of getting an ITA.
- Category for the International Graduates: These streams give importance to those candidates who have gained educational qualifications from a Canadian educational institution. If you completed your education from Canada and submitted your application for one of these streams, your application will be given importance and make it easier for you to gain Canada PR as well as the authority to live and work in Canada.
The application process for gaining a nomination can be tricky and confusing as it involves multiple deadlines as well as a large number of forms, each with its own set of supporting documents to be submitted at different times. Help from an expert immigration consultant is absolutely recommended, it will ensure that you do not waste your time and money in the process, and also make sure that your application is accepted the first time you apply.
It is important to keep in mind that the immigration consultant you hire is licensed by the government of Canada or the lawyer helping you have a standing with the ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council). They should have the legal authority to give assistance with your immigration process. If the IRCC (Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada) find that the application has been submitted by anyone other than the applicant themselves or a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants, that can be grounds enough to get your application rejected. This rule has been put in place to safeguard immigrants against frauds and scams.
