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Who can immigrate to Canada?
Who can qualify as an independent worker?
Do I need a job offer by a Canadian company to apply under the independant category?
In general, which applicants have the best chance of qualifying in the independant workers category?
What are the requirements to qualify in the entrepreneur category?
What type of visa does an applicant get as an entrepreneur?
Who can qualify as an investor?
What kind of visa does the investor get?
Do I need to have relatives in Canada to apply in any of the three above categories?
In addition to the requirements described above for the three categories,
are there any other applicable requirements?
Who can immigrate to Canada?
The Canadian immigration act establishes three classes of immigrants: The family class, the refugee class and the independents. This latter category includes skilled workers, investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed.
Who can qualify as a skilled worker?
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In Quebec, there are three programs to recrute skilled workers. |
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The validated job offers program: |
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Under this program, Quebec selects applicants who have a job offer from a Quebec company which has been approved by the Quebec government because of a shortage of workers in the province of Quebec. Applicants who have such a validated job offer obtain 15 points on the selection grid. |
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The occupations in demand: |
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Quebec has a list of occupations opened to immigration. Applicants who have at least 6 months of work experience in one of these occupations and the employment requirements can obtain 12 points. |
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The Employability and Mobility Program (EMP) |
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This program is not based on job offers or specific occupations. Applicants are assessed with regards to their capacity of finding work in Quebec. They are prequalified according to age, French and English language skills, family and friends relationships in Quebec, long-term or short-term stay in Quebec, education and work experience. This program targets young applicants with a good education background and who are proficient in French. Applicants who qualify under this program get 8 points. |
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In all three programs, married applicants must obtain a total of 68 points and single applicants must obatin 60 points to qualify. |
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Canada has one program for skilled workers. |
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Applicants are assessed under the following criteria: Age, education, work experience, knowledge of Canada's national languages, level of education of spouse, stays in Canada as students and/or foreign workers, job offers (when applicable) and relatives in Canada. To succeed, an applicant must reach a minimum of 67points. |
Do I need a job offer by a Canadian company to apply under the independant category?
Quebec, job offers are not required in most cases. In Canada, a validated job offer may be necessary for a large number of applicants.
In general, which applicants have the best chance of qualifying in the independant workers category?
In Canada, applicants younger than 49 years old, with a high level of education, 4 years of work experience, fluent in English and/or French, who have studied in Canada for 2 years or worked in Canada for a year, married with a spouse with high level of education and with close relatives in Canada. A combination of most of these events is required.
In Quebec, applicants younger than 35, fluent in French and with a university diploma.
What are the requirements to qualify in the entrepreneur category?
In Quebec, applicants must have 3 years of management experience in a profitable commercial, agricultural or industrial company.
In Canada, applicants must prove they have experience in a qualifying business which is defined in terms of net assets, annual sales, net income and the number of employees.
In Quebec, as in Canada, entrepreneur applicants must have at least 300,000CA$ of net personal assets.
What type of visa do entrepreneurs get?
Entrepreneurs get a conditional visa and must, for a period of 1 year within a period of not more than 3 years after they have landed in Canada as permanent residents, prove that:
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they control a percentage of equity in a qualifying Canadian business equal to or greater than 33.33% |
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they provide active and ongoing management of the qualifying business |
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they have created one incremental full-time job in the business for Canadian citizens or residents other than their family members. |
Who can qualify as an investor?
In Quebec, applicants who have 3 years of management experience in a profitable company and who have accumulated at least 800,000CA$ legitimately and from their own endeavour.
In Canada, applicants who can prove the management of at least 5 full-time job equivalents per year in a business for at least 2 years; or
Applicants who can prove management experience in a qualifying business and a percentage of equity in the qualifying business for at least 2 years over the past 5 years.
Applicants in Canada must prove they have legally obtained a net worth of at least 800,000CA$.
Applicants in Quebec and Canada are required to invest 400,000CA$ for a 5 year period with a government in Canada.
What kind of visa does the investor get?
An investor gets an unconditional visa.
Do I need to have relatives in Canada to apply in any of the above three (3) categories?
No.
In addition to the above requirements, are there any other requirements to be admissible for immigration?
It is compulsory for every applicant and immediate family members to do a medical exam with a doctor recognised by Immigration Canada, and to prove that all immediate family members over 18 have no criminal records in any country in which they have lived in the past.
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