Canada invites foreign nationals to enhance its economic and social stature by upgrading the workforce with more skilled workers from all across the globe. Immigrants often get confused while selecting the most suitable way to get Canadian Permanent Residency. Immigration system of Canada provides a range of programs for skilled workers through which they can apply directly for a Canadian PR from India or any other country. A permanent residency gives the right to reside and work anywhere in Canada, with access to Canadian social services and universal healthcare.
The three leading ways for skilled workers to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency are Express Entry System, Provincial Nominee Program, and The Atlantic Immigration Pilot/Program.
EXPRESS ENTRY SYSTEM
Express Entry System was launched in 2015 by the Canadian Government to manage the applications of skilled workers applying to get Canadian Permanent Residency. It is the leading pathway to get Canadian PR from India especially. It entails three Federal Economic Programs. Federal government determines a candidate’s eligibility for one of the three programs based on their experience and skills. The three programs are:
Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP)
Candidates who are qualified in a skilled trade and have a job offer in Canada; minimum 2 years work experience in a skill trade; and meet the language proficiency in English and French (score of Canadian Language Benchmark, also known as, CLB 5 for speaking and listening and 4 for reading and writing in an approved language test, not older than 2 years), as well as job requirements criteria, are eligible for this program.
Federal Skilled Worker Program(FSWP)
This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience and is considered the primary economic pathway to get Canadian PR from India. Eligibility for this program includes minimum 1 year experience in a skilled occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A, or B; an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report showing minimum educational qualification equivalent to a Canadian High School Diploma; and language proficiency in English or French with an overall CLB 7.
Canadian Experience Class(CEC)
The CEC provides Canadian Permanent Residency for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience. Candidates having at least 1 year of skilled, professional, or technical work experience in Canada and who meet language proficiency criteria are eligible for this program.
After a candidate submits a profile on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website, their eligibility is checked for the above-mentioned programs. Once approved, the eligible candidates are put into the Express Entry pool and then ranked according to a points-based system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS score is calculated on the basis of a candidate’s age, education, work experience, language skills, and other human-capital factors.
Every two weeks (approximately), IRCC selects the highest-scoring candidates from the Express Entry pool who are given an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
A study conducted in 2020 by IRCC states that Express Entry immigrants are very successful in Canada’s job market as they have the desirable characteristics and remain in high demand by Canadian employers.
PROVINCIAL NOMINATION PROGRAM
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was launched in 1998, and is the second leading pathway to get a Canadian PR from India as a skilled worker. It allows provinces and territories in Canada to nominate individuals who want to immigrate and settle in a particular Canadian province. The Northern Canada territory of Nunavut and Quebec are exceptions to PNP.
PNP distributes immigrants all over the country. Before 1998, most of them settled in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. But, since the launch of PNP, Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) and Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) have attracted a large number of immigrants.
There are two ways to apply through PNP:
Paper-based process
In the paper-based process, a candidate has to check the eligibility for PNP and apply to the respective PNP stream for nomination. Once nominated, submit a paper application for permanent residence to IRCC. Pass a medical exam, get a police check, and wait for the final approval by IRCC.
Express Entry process
In the online Express Entry process, there are 2 ways to apply:
apply for a nomination under an Express Entry stream by contacting the province or territory and once it gets approved, create an Express Entry profile showing the nomination.
OR
create an Express Entry profile on IRCC and indicate the provinces and territories you’re interested in. If they send you a “Notification Of Interest”, you can contact them directly through their Express Entry stream. With the provincial nomination certificate, an additional 600 CRS points are added to the Express Entry profile, which increases your chance to get a permanent residence invitation from IRCC. Submit the permanent residence application to IRCC, pass a medical exam and get a police check, and then eventually complete the permanent residence landing in Canada.
In both cases you must meet the eligibility requirements of the respective province or territory; submit an Express Entry profile fulfilling the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for one of the immigration programs it covers; and If you receive an “Invitation To Apply” (ITA), submit an electronic application to IRCC.
Various PNP programs are :
- Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
- British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
- Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
- New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)
- Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)
- Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
- Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)
- Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
- Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)
- Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)
THE ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PILOT/PROGRAM
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot closed on December 31, 2021 and was replaced by The Atlantic Immigration Program.
The candidates who received a provincial certificate of endorsement before December 31, 2021, can apply for the Canadian Permanent Residency through the Pilot program until March 5, 2022.
Applications through the Atlantic Immigration Program will start from March 6, 2022.
The Atlantic Immigration Program helps the employers of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, to hire and retain global talent. This employer-driver program aims at increasing employment opportunities, population growth and to develop a skilled workforce in the Atlantic region of Canada.
Through this program, a designated employer offers a job to a candidate who meets all their employment needs and the program criteria. When the candidate accepts the job, a settlement plan is developed with the help of a designated settlement service provider organization.
The employers have access to a temporary work permit to fill the vacancies at the earliest. In order to get this permit, a candidate must have a valid job offer; a letter from the province; and a commitment to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit application.
The AIP offers 3 programs with eligibility criteria of having NOC skill level 0, A, B or C; Letter of endorsement; and Level 4 proficiency in English and French. They are further divided as under:
- two programs for skilled workers: Atlantic High-Skilled Program (AHSP); and Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program (AISP). The candidates are required to have a minimum of 1 year experience in occupation related to job offer; and completion of at least high school authenticated through an ECA or Canadian credential report.
- one program for international student graduates: Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP). Students applying through this program need not have experience but are required to complete a two-year post-secondary diploma from an institution in the Atlantic region.
Even though there are several ways to obtain a Canadian PR from India, these three are considered the leading pathways. The number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada in 2016 were 39,340 and it increased to 85,585 in 2019. In 2021, there were around 100,000 new Canadian permanent residents from India. This year IRCC has the target to increase this number even more.
