Canada Immigration Questions, Cando Immigration Services: Canadian Immigration Lawyer Print E-mail

Immigration Questions Find Answers to all your Canada Immigration Questions.

For ease of use, our Canada Immigration FAQ provides answers to specific Canada immigration questions relevant to particular Canada immigration categories.

 

 

 

From the list below choose one of our FAQs topics, then select an FAQ to read. If you have a question which is not in this section, please contact us.

 

1. What is a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa?
2. Who qualifies for a Canada Immigration Visa?
3. When do I pay Canadian government fees?
4. Where can my application for a Canada Immigration Visa be submitted?
5. Will I have to take a medical exam?
6. What is a Police Certificate?
7. Do I become a Permanent Resident of Canada as soon as my Canada Immigration Visa is issued?
8. Must I stay in Canada after landing in Canada as a Permanent Resident?
9. When am I eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship?
10. Do I qualify for a Canada Immigration Visa under the Skilled Worker category?
11. What is the Provincial Nomination Program?
12. What is the Business Immigration Program?
13. Who qualifies for a Canada Immigration Visa under the Family Sponsorship category?
14. Do I qualify for Refugee Status in Canada?

 

1. A Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa is a document which allows a person to live and work anywhere in Canada, and confers upon that person Permanent Resident status. It comes with certain responsibilities and may be revoked if the holder does not meet Canadian residency obligations, or is found guilty of serious criminal activity. A person who is a Canadian Permanent Resident may apply for Canadian Citizenship after 3 years.


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2. Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visas are given to qualified skilled workers, Provincial Nominees, business persons and to close family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

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3. Canadian government fees must be submitted concurrently with your Canadian Immigration Application and are not refundable. By contrast, the Right of Permanent Resident Fee may be paid at any time prior to the issuance of your Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa and is refundable if, for any reason, you do not become a Canadian Permanent Resident.

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4. As a general rule, you must submit your Canadian Immigration Application to the Canadian Immigration Visa Office outside Canada that is responsible for:

  • The country where you are residing, if you have been lawfully admitted to that country for a period of at least one year, or;
  • The country of your nationality.


There are exceptions to this general rule. For example, if you are sponsoring, or being sponsored by, a close family member, the application starts off at an immigration centre located in Canada and then may or may not be forwarded to a Canadian Immigration Visa Office outside of Canada, depending on the circumstances.

If your destination is the Province of Quebec, you must submit an application for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa and an application for a Quebec Certificate of Selection to the Quebec Immigration Visa Office responsible for your region. This procedure is required because Quebec has exclusive jurisdiction to select immigrants who intend to reside in that province.

If you are applying under one of the Provincial Nomination Programs, you must initially submit your application to the nominating province.

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5. All Canadian immigration applicants are required to undergo medical examinations.

These examinations are intended to detect any conditions, which may affect the health of the Canadian public, or which may result in excessive demands being placed upon Canadian health or social services.

The medical examination includes a standard physical examination, blood tests, urine tests, and X-Rays.

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6. All applicants for Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visas, 18 years of age and older, must submit a Police Certificate from each country in which they have lived in for 6 months or more since their 18th birthday as part of the security clearance process. Police Certificates may go by different names in different countries. They are official documents that indicate any prior criminal activity.

If officials in a particular country refuse to issue a Police Certificate, it would be helpful if you could obtain a written statement from them confirming that they refused to issue the certificate.

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7. No. You will only become a Permanent Resident of Canada when you cross a Canadian port of entry with your valid passport and your valid Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa. This is referred to as 'landing in Canada'.

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8. Permanent Residents are not obliged to remain in Canada, and are in no way restricted from departure at any time. However, as a Canadian Permanent Resident, you must accumulate two years of "residency days" in each five-year period in order to meet your Canadian residency obligations.

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9. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC ) allows you to apply for Canadian Citizenship after you have been a physical resident of Canada for three years (1095 days) out of the four years immediately preceding your application. Where exceptional circumstances exist, however, you may be allowed to apply even if you have not been physically resident in Canada for the required 1095 days.
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10. To be eligible for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa under the Skilled Worker category, you must:
  • have worked continuously for a period of at least one year, within the last ten years, in a full-time (or part-time equivalent) paid position at a skill level recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada;
  • have sufficient funds for settlement in Canada, unless you have Arranged Employment in Canada;
  • earn sufficient points (currently 67) in the six selection factors to meet the pass mark under the Skilled Worker category.


In addition, all applicants for a Canada Immigration Visa and their accompanying and non-accompanying dependents, under all categories of Canadian Immigration, must satisfy Canadian health and security/criminality requirements.

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11. The Provincial Nomination Program was established by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to allow individual provinces to select individuals who indicate an interest in settling in a particular province and who will be able to contribute to that province's economic development.

Most, but not all, provinces of Canada participate in the Provincial Nomination Program.
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12. The Business Immigration Program is a category of Canadian Immigration under which individuals with business/managerial experience and relatively high net-worth may qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa. There are three programs within the Business Immigration Program: Immigrant Investors, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Persons.
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13. Close relatives of of a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident.

More particularly, to qualify under the Family Sponsorship category, the Sponsored person(s) must be related to the Canadian Sponsor in one of the following ways:

  • Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner; or
  • Parent or grandparent; or
  • Dependent child; or
  • Orphaned, unmarried, and under 18 years of age brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild; or
  • Intended adopted child under 18 years of age; or
  • One other relative, if the sponsor has no relative listed above and no relatives who are Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents.
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14. A refugee is a person who fears persecution if they go back to their country of nationality. Fear of persecution usually means a serious chance of physical harm or detention or some other form of cruel and unusual punishment. In some cases discrimination or harassment could be considered serious enough to amount to persecution.

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