OR be an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months) and meet certain criteria.
Work experience minimum requirements
If your application is eligible for processing, it will then be assessed against minimum requirements.
Your work experience must be:
- at least one year, continuous, and paid (full-time or the equivalent in part-time); AND
- a skill type 0 (managerial occupations) or skill level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) list. (The actual list of FSW occupations for 2013 has not been announced yet; do not confuse with the Skilled Trades list shown previously on this website.
Six selection factors
If you meet the above minimum requirements, your application will be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid, which are:
- your education;
- your abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages;
- your work experience;
- your age;
- the arranged employment in Canada; (may not be necessary in future)
- your adaptability.
To see if you qualify, take the self-assessment test. This will help you know if you should apply.
Proof of funds
You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. If you are not sure if you should apply as a skilled worker, try the Come to Canada Wizard to get an idea of whether your application would be eligible for processing.
Inadmissibility
Some people are inadmissible—they are not allowed to come to Canada. Several things can make you inadmissible, including involvement in criminal activity, in human rights violations or in organized crime.
You can also be inadmissible for security, health or financial reasons. Find out more about inadmissibility.
3) Ontario Opportunities Provincial Nominee Program (Opportunities Ontario PNP)
For skilled workers interested in emigrating to the province of Ontario (where
my office is), and employers who are in a hurry to get skilled workers, there
is a new program that makes the process much faster. Like other provinces, Ontario
now has a PNP (provincial nominee program) although in Ontario it is still a
pilot program which applies to only 20 occupations in five areas (education,
medical/health, construction and manufacturing) and a set number of workers each year. (most recently, 1000 per annum) Even
though this new program is to help employers get the workers they need fast,
this program gives the worker permanent residence status in Canada, not just work permits
like the federal programs described elsewhere in this site. Jobs must be in NOC level 0, A, or B. (Not level C.) The Ontario government
application fee of $2000 (for jobs in the Greater Toronto Area; $1500 elsewhere in Ontario and for PhD students) can be paid by the employer or the employee. ($3,500 for the Investor category.) Once Opportunities Ontario nominates an individual, that nominee then applies to CIC for permanent resident status. Regular CIC application fees apply. Currently these are $550 per adult and $150 per person under aged 22. If you are successful there is also a $490 per adult "Right of Permanent Residence" fee.
For the most information on the new Ontario
PNP go to this website
As that site warns at Info for workers :
"Please note that the Pilot PNP is employer driven. This means that
you can only apply if your employer is pre-screened, the position is approved,
and your employer provides you with a nominee application package from the Pilot
PNP. The Pilot PNP has two Categories: Employer Category and Multinational Investor
Category."
For info on the Investor category visit: here
One big advantage of the Opportunities Ontario PNP is that employers are not required to obtain an HRSDC Labour Market Opinion (LMO confirmation) for the particular job vacancy they hope to fill. However, employers must meet the criteria of Opportunities Ontario and obtain approval for position(s) they intend to fill through the pre-screen application process. (This is similar to the process required to apply for an HRSDC LMO confirmation but not as strict.)
Another plus is that workers or PhD students already in Canada can apply from within Canada providing they are here legally and are not "out of status" or facing a deportation order.
4) CEC (Canadian Experience Class)
This is for people already in Canada on work or student permits and who want to become Permanent Residenets.
You must meet these minimum requirements to apply for permanent residence under the CEC. You must:
- plan to live outside the province of Quebec
- be either:
- a temporary foreign worker with at least one years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or
- a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada (You can have up to 36 months to get this year of expereince.)
- have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization
- apply while working in Canada – or – within one year of leaving your job in Canada
- include the results of an independent language test (from an agency designated by CIC) with your application
According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:
- Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or
- Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
- Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)
Your application will be assessed on two requirements if you apply as a temporary foreign worker:
- your work experience and
- your ability in English or French.
If you apply as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience, it will be assessed using the above requirements, as well as:
5 ) Business Class
If you have enough money and business skills (both of which must be proved
with official documents which will be carefully investigated) consider emigrating
to Canada as part of the Business Class:
1) "Entrepreneurs" - to start and
run your own business with at least one Canadian employee, and you have a net
worth of at least $300,000; BUT THE ENTREPRENEUR CLASS HAS BEEN SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
2) "Investors" - you lend $400, 000 to Canada and cannot
take part in running whatever businesses the money is invested in, BUT THE INVESTOR CLASS HAS BEEN SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE except for Quebec.
3) "Self-Employed" individuals. For details visit: here
6) Family Sponsorships
You may still sponsor spouses (married or common law) and children (conditions apply) but SPONSORSHIP OF PARENTS HAS BEEN SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. However parents may come to visit for two years instead of six months under the new "Super Visa" program.
WARNING
Beware that there are two kinds of immigration counsel
- 1) Lawyers (called Attorneys in the USA, Barristers & Solicitors in
Canada); 2) Consultants (also known as Paralegals, Agents). Lawyers are
allowed to perform immigration services in Canada but as for non-lawyers,
only members of CSIC (Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants) are allowed
to charge fees for immigration services. Non lawyers and non CSIC members are violating the
law if they charge for any immigration assistance. There are very few CSIC memebrs at present. For your own protection
click here to read more.
Why choose Dr. Montgomery for IMMIGRATION help when there are many other
people in Canada offering immigration services?
- Lawyer (Attorney at Law)
- Four and half years with Canada Immigration Enforcement (including Senior Immigration
Officer status) and eight and a half years with Immigation & Refugee Board
Mr. Montgomery is a Canadian lawyer and a former Immigration Officer
and a former Refugee Officer, and he still has several friends and former
colleagues who work for Immigration (CIC), for the Immigration & Refugee
Board (IRB), and for Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). Most lawyers never
worked for these government departments, and most consultants who used to work
for the Immigration Department are not lawyers. Actually there are only a handful
of people in Canada who are lawyers and who used to work for Immigration,
and Randal is the one with by far the most recent government employment. (He
quit in 2002.) Most Canadian immigration lawyers do not have an office in the
USA, but Dr. Montgomery has an office and residence in the US as well as an
office in Toronto (where 60% of immigrants to Canada end up). Mr. Montgomery
has a very high reputation for the quality of his work and for integrity (honesty).
In the early 1970's he was a research associate on contracts with the Hospital
for Sick Children and the Clarke Institute and in the late 1970's with the Alberta
Solicitor General. From 1981- 84 he was a Senior Research Officer for the Alberta
government and from 2001 - 2002 he worked as a Senior Statistician for the New
Zealand Courts Dept. He has a Ph.D. (Nov. 1992) in sociology-demography from
a respected university, taught courses at eight colleges or universities in
Canada (and one in New Zealand) and published in academic journals (including
International Migration and International Migration Review), all
of which attests to his intellectual abilities, willingness to work hard, and
give attention to detail. He wrote a 950 page book in 1999 called Refugee
Determination in Canada which was very well received by law libraries and
other immigration lawyers who bought the book or CD version.
To see what Dr. Montgomery charges for various immigration services, including
one hour consultations, press the "Fees" maple leaf button.
Shown below are Dr. Montgomery's pass cards from his former government jobs
with secrecy clearances.
To make an exploratory
visit to Canada, you do not need a visitor visa if you are a citizen of the USA
or Mexico or certain other countries. Otherwise you need a "temporary resident
visa". The list of countries from which you need a visa to visit (or work
or study) in Canada is at VISA LIST . While
Americans do not need a visa or passport to come to Canada, US-Canada border
crossings are stricter since "9-11" and Americans
must have a passport (apply at most US Post Offices, cost $67) to visit Canada. A
passport will be required as of mid 2009. Also see the Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) page of this website (bottom button on left) for information
on various immigration problems often encountered.
FOR PERSONS WHO ARE NOT IN THE USA, or ARE IN USA
WITHOUT PERMANENT STATUS:
(If you have legal status in the USA
scroll down past this paragraph for 16 reasons why you should move to Canada)
Dr. Montgomery has done many cases from Albania, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the
Punjab, China, Philipinnes, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Iraq,
Vietnam, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, Russia, Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent, Guyana, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica,
Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Nigeria, Sudan etc. FOR THOSE READERS
WHO ARE IN THE USA BUT DO NOT HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE THERE, A CONSULTATION
WILL HELP ASSESS WHETHER YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO MAKE A REFUGEE CLAIM IN CANADA.
SINCE THE END OF 2004, YOU CANNOT CROSS OVER A LAND BORDER (OR BRIDGE) TO CANADA
AND MAKE A REFUGEE CLAIM IF YOU HAVE BEEN STAYING IN THE US (although there
are several exceptions to this). WITHOUT LEGAL STATUS IN THE USA YOU WILL PROBABLY
NOT BE ALLOWED ON ANY SHIP OR AIRPLANE GOING TO CANADA (FROM THE USA). IT MAY
BE YOU SHOULD INSTEAD RETURN TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY AND APPLY FOR CANADIAN RESIDENCE
FROM THERE (e.g. as a Skilled Worker, Entrepreneur, Family or Spousal Sponsoree,
Self-Employed, Nannie.)
FOR PERSONS WHO ARE US CITIZENS OR PERMANENT RESIDENTS:
16 REASONS TO MOVE TO CANADA.
US citizens and Green Card holders should consider emigrating to Canada if they
are worried about:
1) Medical Expenses
- Have you seen Michael Moore's movie "Sicko"? What he shows there
is true except that there are waiting times of up to several hours for urgent medical treament in the large cities, and you may need to wait weeks or months for special medical tests. (In his movie he picked a medium sized city, probably on a slow day.). Doctors and hospitals and ambulances and most doctor-ordered medical
tests are free in Canada, no matter how sick you are or for how long, no matter
how many times you attend a clinic or MD's office. Whether you need cancer treament
or a new kidney, or surgery (not counting cosmetic surgery or other unnecessary operations or unnecessary tests) it costs you nothing for medical services - nurses,
hospital bed, treatment, tests, surgery, blood, medicine used during hospital stay,etc. (If you are not a permanent resident of
Canada, these services are restricted to urgent needs.) Many old people get
new knees and hips for free, and free cataract surgery. You don't need private insurance. Private insurance
is, however, available at low rates to cover a private hospital
room with a TV, elective (non-essential or cosmetic) surgery, eyeglasses, dentist'
services, pharmaceutical (prescribed) drugs, physio-therapy / massage, psychologists,
etc. Pharmaceutical drugs are not free, but tend to be much cheaper than in
the USA.
HOWEVER if you are already ill or diseased, you may not be allowed
to get Canadian residency, so you should apply NOW, BEFORE you get a disease,
illness or handicap which will render you inadmissable to Canada on medical
grounds. Think ahead for your children. Think of yourself - you may be fine
now but what about 20 years from now? You could be diagnosed with prostate
or skin cancer tomorrow - we never know what horrible fate awaits us. Consider
this like health insurance. You need not even spend much time in Canada.
Once you get Canadian residency you need only spend two of the next five
years in Canada; then you can apply for Canadian citizenship. (You only need
to be in Canada 3 of the preceding 4 years to qualify.) Once you are a citizen
you need not spend any time in Canada.
2) Gun Violence
- Handguns are illegal in Canada so although the young gangsters in big city
ghettoes have them, the national rates of attempted and actual homicides
from firearms are much lower than the USA. Sadly, we do get the occasional incident of someone "going postal" or a gang shootout in a public place. However, it is nowhere as common as in the US. Generally, except for a few areas
of Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal it is pretty safe to walk anywhere in any Canadian city at
night. Of course one can be attacked anywhere in the world at any time, but
in Canada one is far more likely to be in a car accident or to get cancer than
to be a victim of violent crime. If you are worried about crime and pollution
and looking to raise a family consider the many medium and smaller cities of
population 50,000 to 500,000. Shootings
are rare in these smaller municipalities.
3) Weather - About
90% of Canadians live within an hour's drive of the US border, so forget about
Arctic experiences unless you want to. Alaska is further North than all but
one Canadian terriotory (and that one only has 20,000 people). The summer temperatures
in Ontario (where 25% of Canadians live) are often 80 - 110 degrees farenheit
(30 - 40 centigrade) so forget about Canada being cold and snowy all the time.
Air conditioning is a necessity. While some parts of Canada do experience a
lot of snow during winter, it usually only snows a few times a year in Toronto,
Ontario and most of that melts in a day or two; and in Vancouver B.C. (only
a couple hours drive from Seattle) it rains all winter. Look at a map and you
will see that southern Ontario is about the same latitude as the California
- Oregon border, and well below the 49th parallel of latitude. In other words
many US states are further North than where a large percent of Canadians live,
and many Americans suffer worse winters than many Canadians.
4) Marijuana Laws
- Cannabis is legally available for approved medical purposes, and penalties
for simple possession (non-medical) tend to be less than in the USA (jail time
for a first offence is unheard of but it is still a crime). I do not use or
advocate cannabis and I think inhaling any form of smoke is carcinogenic so
this information is only put here as information. I hope that if you emigrate
to Canada you will respect all the laws. If you are convicted of a crime in
Canada and serve six months in jail or serve less (or no) time but are convicted
of an offence the possible penalty for which is listed as ten years or more
imprisonment you will likely have your permanent residence revoked by an Immigration
Officer and there is no appeal.
5) Taxes -Despite
popular perceptions taxes (personal and business) are not that much higher in
Canada than other major Western nations. Business income taxes are 15% and incentives are about
the same. A very large proportion of Fords, GMs and Chryslers are made in Canada
for sale in the US. Canada also has two large Toyota plants. Canada (including the provinces) does have a combined 13% sales tax (HST) applicable to most things. There is no FCC-type tax on
telephone use. Canadian personal federal income tax rates are very similar to
the US and the provincial (like state) income tax varies a lot from province
to province (just as it does from state to state). Gasoline and car insurance
is slightly more expensive in most parts of Canada than in the USA. As of Jan. 2013 the Canadian dollar is worth about the same as the US, usually a bit more.
6) Politics: Republicans,
right wing Christian evangelical agenda, bombing/invading other countries
- Canada has not attacked any foreign countries since it helped the allies win
WWII and helped the UN in Korea. Canada has a tiny military which is used only
for peace-keeping missions or to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. If you are
a Democrat you will like the federal Liberal party, which usually wins the national
elections, and even the current Conservative Party of Canada (of which I am
a member) is not as right wing as the Republicans. Canada has a "Bible
Belt" and many evangelicals but - so far at least - they only have political
influence in Southern Alberta.
7)
Gay/lesbian discrimination - Homosexuals are free to marry anywhere in Canada,
(but churches cannot be forced to marry homosexuals if the church refuses).
Like San Francisco, Vancouver is full of gays, and Toronto also has a large
gay village and a big 'Gay Pride' parade. It is not uncommon for the mayor and
police chief to march in the parade. Thousands of homosexual couples (mostly
from the USA) come to Toronto to marry. Companies offer full services and this
is a new industry.
8)
Intolerance of minorities - Canada (mainly Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal)
has huge cultural diversity and tolerance of all races and religions. In Toronto
whites are now the minority and English is not the native language of most people.
There are over 80 mosques in the Greater Toronto area, and many Hindu temples.
There are a huge number of Chinese in Toronto and Vancouver, and many Sikhs
in areas adjacent to Vancouver and Toronto. There is a Little India in Toronto
where you can get diarrahea from eating in a restaurant just like in India.
So you can "travel the world" without leaving Toronto or Vancouver. (restaurants,
music, clothing, festivals)
9) Travel to Europe
without leaving North America - Immigrants aside, being in Montreal or Quebec
City is like being in France, always an exciting experience. French-Canadians
have a different culture than the rest of Canada, and are so proud of it you
can be fined if your business signs are not in French. Indeed about half of
Quebec residents want to separate from Canada, as they feel they are a distinct
society. Ladies will find the fashions are in advance of the rest of Canada.
Quebec produces many of its own television shows and movies (all in French of
course). When in the province of Quebec, plan on staying up late partying, drinking
lots of wine (with great cheeses), and eating gourmet French cooking. Even the
cafeteria in the Montreal train station (under Place Ville Marie) offers much
better food than one can find in many Ontario restaurants. Quebec City and Montreal
are quite different so plan to visit both. The maritimes provinces (East coast)
have their own special charms (Nova Scotians are especially friendly) and Newfoundlanders
(who only joined Canada in 1947) still have their Irish accents. On the West
coast Vancouver is a sister city to Seattle, both having spectacular views of
the port and mountains. Of course the Rockie Mountains dwarf the Alps of Europe
and Canada's prairies with endless wheat fields are like those of Russia and
the Ukraine.
10) University Tuition
- Although Americans are considered foreigners even the foreign student fees
are much less than at American colleges and universities. Of course if you become
a Canadian citizen you only pay the low Canadian tuition.
11) Abortion -
Unlike the USA there is no big debate or political issue. It is a private matter
between a woman and her physician. Most doctors who perform abortions will do
so if it is considered beneficial for the woman's health, and this includes
the woman's mental health, emotional state and age. If the woman's MD is not
co-operative or refuses for religious or personal reasons, the pregnant woman
simply goes to another MD until she finds one willing to do the abortion. Abortion
was taken out of the Criminal Code some years ago, and at least one doctor runs
abortion clinics in different cities. This is provided as information only and
does not necessarily reflect the author's personal views on abortion.
12) The Arts -
Canada has produced literally hundreds of Hollywood stars, many musicians (Neil
Young, the Guess Who, BTO, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Avril
Lavigne, Celine Dione, Shania Twayne, Blue Rodeo, Spirit of the West, Ashley
MacIsaac, Bruce Cockburn) comedians (Dan Ackroyd, Jim Carey, John Candy, Dave
Thomas, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Mike Myers, Margaret O'hara, and William Shatner who in recent years has given up the starship Enterprise command to play comic roles). Graduates of Sheridan College and other schools using Alias/Wavefront
animation software have done the special effects for countless Disney and other
movies, and won Oscars for their work. Unlike the USA it is common to get government
grants to support the arts, be it music, theatre, dance, cinema, sculpture etc.
Of course you need not emigrate permanently to Canada to study at college or
university- you apply for a student visa. If you just want to study English
for awhile and enjoy some time in Canada instead of enrolling in a more expensive
three year specialized program of studies with high admission standards, Dr.
Montgomery is in contact with several colleges in the greater Toronto area to
help you get your student visa.
13) Skiing/snowboarding,
Fishing, Golfing - If you live in Vancouver or Calgary you can ski daily
during winter or drive for an hour to some of the world's top ten slopes. Canada
is well known as a fishing paradise, year round if one likes ice-fishing. Golfers
can choose from several reasonably priced golf courses. The season is about
6 months in most of the country, 7 or 8 in British Columbia.
14) Daycare for children
- The minority Liberal Party has been promising a national (free) daycare system for decades.
(It has also been promising free pharamceuticals for just as long, with nothing
ever being done about it, and lately it promised to legalize marijuana.) The current Conservative Party, as soon as it came
into power, gave each family a tax credit of $2000 to use for child care as
each saw fit.
5) Maternity leave
and other workers' benefits - Canada is more generous than the US in these
areas and employers are required by law to provide paid sick days, paid maternity
or paternity leave, six months pay after layoff (in some provinces) etc. A higher
percent of Canadian workers are unionized compared to the us, and this is why
the greater benefits. Most workers get three weeks paid vacation. If you plan
to start a business in Canada this could be considered a negative factor, but
like the US, Canada also has a huge underground economy of illegal aliens who
work for cash at below union rates. I oppose this as illegal, exploitation and
destructive of unions, but I know some of my clients are richer than me and
got that way in a few months instead of 30 years because they work 'under the
table' and do not pay income tax or have any deductions from their income. Those
in construction do especially well. Some have become employers themselves.
16) Public Education
- Canada's public schools (elementary and secondary up to grade 12) are generally
superior to US public schools and teachers belong to powerful unions and earn
up to $90,000 salary for a 40 week year. The high salaries attract
high quality applicants to Teachers Colleges. A country will prosper or perish
on the quality of its public education. Short term savings by not paying teachers
and not allocating enough public funds to the schools erode the intelligence
of the nation in the long run. Under-paying teachers is a huge mistake in the
USA. Schools in Canada are generally well maintained and funded and generally
there is no need to pay for a private school to ensure your child gets a good
education. So far no school in Canada has been forced into using metal detectors
or hiring security guards.
Professionals will find
that their US diplomas and degrees are usually considered equivalent to Canadian
ones, but in some areas (law and medicine) Canadian examinations must be taken.
(This is not required for nurses and teachers.) There is a movement underway
to allow people who were trained outside of North America or the British commonwealth
to have their diplomas and degrees accepted at par with Canadian ones, e.g.
medical doctor, nursing, engineering, massage. If you are a skilled tradesman
you may need to get the approval of the provincial licencing body to allow you
to work in your trade in that province. Dr. Montgomery can ease the path for
skilled workers by working with the employers, regulatory bodies, any unions
as well as Canada Immigration and Human Resources & Skills Development Canada.
Anyone with US-Canada income tax problems (Canadians deemed to be US residents for tax purposes, Americans now living in Canada) please click here which takes you to that last part of the Income Tax Law page of this site.
