Canada Immigration Process

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, you will have to prove to have settlement funds of minimum $10,000 CAD per individual. Additional $ 2,000 CAD will be required for each dependent accompanying the immigrant to Canada. The exception for this is if you have a pre-arranged job offer in Canada.

It must be noted here that the threshold settlement funds required can vary. This is depending upon the location in Canada and is based on the size of the family.

Whereas, the needs of every family are diverse and diverse cost of living can be found in different regions in Canada. The below basic guidelines can be followed to determine the budget of a newcomer to Canada excluding airfares and moving costs:

• 1 Adult immigrating individually: $ 25,000 CAD
• 1 Couple moving together: $ 30,000 CAD
• 1 Couple with 1 kid below 10 years: $ 33,000 CAD
• 1 Couple with 1 kid above 10 years: $ 35,000 CAD
• For each extra kid below 10 years: add $ 1,000
• For each extra kid above 10 years: add $ 2,000

Essentially, the above-explained sum of cash will offer you adequate breathing space to settle in a new nation. This is prior to getting a job and starting to earn an income. It must suffice for basic living expenses for 4 to 6 months depending on how well you budget. Any amount lesser than this will make it really tough.

There are a range of immigration programs if you wish to immigrate to Canada from India. You can apply for PR Visa or Provisional Residency Visa through these programs. The chief among them are:

• Federal Express Entry System
• Provincial Nominee Programs
• Quebec Skilled Workers Program

Majority of the immigration programs of Canada are based on points. The applicants must ensure that they fulfil the eligibility requirements of these programs. They must score adequate points based on diverse factors of their profile. This includes Language Proficiency, Work Experience, Education, and others. Only then they can qualify for a specific immigration program or system.

Immigration to Canada has 6 major streams. These are:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Provincial Nominee Program
• Quebec Skilled Worker Program
• Business Immigrant
• Canada Experience Class
• Family Sponsorship

Each stream caters to a diverse group of immigrants and has unique eligibility requirements. Here we will consider the requirements for the FSWP:

Skilled work experience

You must possess a minimum of 1 year of work experience that is full time and continuous. This is out of the last 10 years prior to your submission of PR application. Equivalent continuous part-time work will also qualify. This must be in the Skill Type B, A, or 0 in the Canada NOC – National Occupational Classification.

Language ability

You must demonstrate that you possess language proficiency of minimum CLB 7 – Canadian Language Benchmark. The test results must be from an organization that is designated by IRCC for language testing. 

Education

You must offer either an overseas educational credential or a Canadian educational credential. An Educational Credential Assessment – ECA Report must be offered from a designated agency. This is to prove that the overseas certificate/degree/diploma is on par with the Canadian credentials.

The minimum points for basic eligibility for FSWP are 67 out of 100. Those who score below 67 will not qualify. It must be noted here that basic eligibility factors score and CRS score (Comprehensive Ranking System) are different.

All the qualified candidates must create a profile in the Express Entry System. ECA and IELTS score is mandatory for this. The profile is then offered ranking out of 1200 for diverse factors. This includes Work Experience, Language Proficiency, Education, Age, etc.

CIC holds regular draws from the Express Entry pool and specifies minimum CRS score for the draw. All the qualified candidates in the pool with scores above the specified CRS minimum score are offered an ITA. They can submit an application for Canada PR Visa. The CRS minimum score has remained at 450 and above so far in 2019.