Canada Work Visas

Canada is becoming one of the business capitals of the world, it is why Canada offers a variety of work and business visas which cater for those who wish to live and work in Canada, start a business, invest in the economy, or in some cases, immigrate to Canada in order to find work.

Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Visa

Canada uses the point based system or the points based Federal Skilled worker programme as it is known which is designed to attract the most highly skilled migrants to Canada and assesses them in five key areas. The Federal skilled worker programme is a route designed for skilled workers who wish to immigrate to Canada permanently and those who are successful in obtaining a visa will be granted permanent residence in with the option to apply for a Canadian citizenship once the minimum residency requirement of three years has been reached.

Applicants under this scheme have to score at least 67 points according to the outlined criteria below:

• Higher Education is worth up to 25 points
• English and French Language Skills are worth up to 24 points (though proficiency in at least one of these languages is essential)
• Industry Experience worth up to 21 points
• The applicants Age is worth up to 10 points
• If applicants have Pre-arranged Job Offer - Worth up to 10 points (though unlike a work permit, a job offer is not mandatory - successful applicants may seek work upon arrival)
• Adaptability - worth up to 10 points.

Applicants under this visas scheme must also prove that they will be able to support themselves financial while in Canada.

Canada Work Permit

Canadian work permits are employer sponsored and require an applicant to have an authentic offer of employment to be in place before an application can be submitted. The rules state that all positions must be authorised by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to make sure that the positions are genuine positions of employment and that they do ignore any Canadian citizens or permanent resident who might be able to do the jobs. Canadian work permits are not meant as a route for permanent settlement.

Canada Entrepreneur Visa

The Canadian Entrepreneur Immigrant Programme forms part of the Canadian Business Immigration Program is a permanent Canadian immigration service. It's a made for individuals who have business skills and experience which they can bring to Canada in return benefiting the countries economy. This visa scheme is for those who want to immigrate to Canada and run their own businesses and create jobs in return.

Entrepreneur visas are allocated according to the applicant's satisfactory assessment based on the Federal based assessment. Applicants are expected to have a minimum pass mark of 35 points which are calculated according to age; business experience, language ability, education, and adaptability. Applicants should also be proficient in at least one of the Canada's official languages (English or French).

One of the most important requirements for the Canadian business visa is that applicants should have at least two years of business experience and a minimum net worth of $300,000 CDN.

Canada Investor Visa

The Canadian Business Immigration Program has another scheme called the Canadian Immigrant Investor Program or (IIP) and it is designed to allow people to migrate to Canada based on a large investment in the Canadian economy. Canadian Investor visas follow the points based system and require the 35-point minimum pass. However, the investor visa requires a greater net worth of at least $800,000 Canadian Dollars and in addition to that applicants need an investment of no less than $400,000 Canadian Dollars will be made with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Canadian Self Employed Visa

The Canadian Self-Employed Immigration program is the third scheme under the Canadian Business Immigration Program applicants under this scheme do requires 35 points to qualify for the visa. In this business visa category, applicants do not have to show any net worth. However they have show that they can financially support themselves and any dependents or spouse while carrying out their proposal for self-employment. A self-employed visa requires the applicant to cultural or sporting development of the country or applicants can buy a farm.

The Quebec Skilled worker Visa

Quebec province is a predominantly French speaking Province and it also has a specially tailored scheme for skilled migrants. This Federal scheme also provides a route to permanent residency with the possibility to apply for citizenship after the qualifying period. Most Canadian visa applications under the federal skilled scheme are authorized by the Canadian immigration service body which is known as Citizenship and Immigration Canada, (CIC), applications made for the Quebec skilled worker visa are authorized by Canada-Quebec Accord.

The Quebec Skilled Worker Visas is also based on a point based system assessment which calculates a candidate's qualifications and experience as well as how well they are most likely to adapt to life in the French Province. However, the Quebec Skilled Worker visa slightly differs from the Federal programme in the way that it attributes points to the areas of assessment. The Quebec Skilled Worker Programme places more emphasis on the applicant's proficiency in the French Language and awards extra points where children are included in the application.

Employment is also a critical consideration when applying for a Quebec visa which holds a minimum of 8 points required in this area. However, if the applicant will be filling in a skills shortage in the province then 12 points is awarded to the candidate. When applying for this visa applicants must make clear their intentions of fulfilling the stated skills shortage for Quebec and must show that they have been employed in a similar position for at least six months prior to applying under this scheme.

Points can be increased under the employment assessment to 15 if the applicant has a job offer from a Quebec based employer. Accordingly under the Quebec Immigration Assured Job program candidates must have an offer of work approved by Quebec Immigration service authorities and must have occupied a similar position for no less than six months in the ten years directly prior to the visa application. Any job offers to applicants must undergo labour market testing and the authorities have to check that an existing Quebec permanent resident could not be trained to fill the position in less than a year.

To find out whether you qualify for any of the abovementioned schemes or if you're interested in starting a new life and develop your career in Canada, take our online assessment form to find out if you're eligible for any of the Canadian immigration schemes. One of our Canadian consultants will be in touch.