Permanent Resident Canada
If you're planning to immigrate to Canada, you must be a Permanent Resident (PR). Canada encourages skilled professionals to get permanent residency and provides a huge number of benefits.
The most notable benefit of being a PR in Canada is that you can apply for permanent citizenship after 1095 days. However, not everyone is eligible to apply for permanent residency. You must meet the criteria set by the Canadian government.
Let's dive into the details and find out how Canadian PR works and whether you can apply for it.
What is Canada Permanent Resident?
Being a permanent resident in Canada means a foreign individual can stay, study, and work in any Canadian territory without any time limit. A Canadian permanent resident status is issued by the Canadian government to eligible foreigners.
With your PR status, you can enjoy many social and monetary benefits as any Canadian netizen. Canada has accepted more than 437,000 permanent residents in 2022 alone.
requirements for Canada permanent resident
The requirements for the PR status will vary depending on which route you choose for immigration. You can check out the come Canada tool to see if you’re eligible. Below are the requirements for the 5 key immigration routes for permanent residency-
- Requirements for Express Entry : To apply for Express Entry, you must obtain a CRS score of 67 points or more out of 100 You must obtain 28 points in language skills A minimum of 25 points is essential in education Your work experience score should be 15 points or more You'll be given 12 points based on your age on the day you fill-up the application form If you got a job offer from a Canadian employer, you'll be given 10 points for arranged employment in Canada.
- Requirements for Business Immigration (Investors): The candidate must have an established, qualifying business Have intermediate knowledge of English and French Get a support letter from any designated institution Bring sufficient wealth to settle permanently in Canada
- Requirements for Family Sponsorship: The candidate must have a family member who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. In this case, the Canadian citizen will sponsor a family member (the candidate) A sponsor must be able to provide financial support for the family member Your sponsor must be over 18 years old The sponsor has to make an agreement with the government to support the candidate for a specific period A candidate must be a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, adopted child, a parent, or grandparent of sponsors
- Requirements for Canadian Experience Class (CEC): The candidates must meet the language levels in reading, writing, speaking, and listening Have 1 year of working experience within the previous 3 years of application Gained working experience while legally living in Canada
- Requirements for Provincial Nominee Program: The applicant must meet the requirements of at least one province or territory’s non-Express Entry stream Have to be selected under that stream
How to apply for Canada PR
You must fill out an online form no matter which immigration route you choose. Here's the general process for applying for Canadian permanent residency-
- First, you must determine whether you’re eligible for permanent residency in Canada. Visit the Canadian government’s official website to check your eligibility for a specific program.
- Login or create an account on the website. Go to the ‘Immigration and Citizenship’ option and choose ‘Immigrate to Canada.’
- Now, select your preferred PR route. For example, click on ‘Immigrate through Express Entry’ to immigrate to Canada by taking a job.
- Scan and upload all the necessary documents. Next, fulfill the given blank fields with the required information. Make sure all your statements are true.
- When you’re done filling in all the mandatory fields, submit the form and pay the application fee.
Permanent Resident FAQ
To become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the requirements set by the Canadian government. Candidates will be considered eligible for citizenship if they have-
- Permanent residency
- Been living in Canada
- Passed the language skill test
- Filed the taxes
- Passed the citizenship test
If you’re eligible, you can fulfill the citizenship application form.
Some PR routes are easy while the other ones are complex as not everyone meets the requirements. The Express Entry program is probably the easiest route to get a permanent residency in Canada.
Here, you can take a job in Canada and apply for PR. If you have a family member living in Canada, going for family sponsorship will be the easiest.
Depending on your nationality, your PR might be valid for 5 years or more. You can renew your PR status after this period. Therefore, permanent citizens can stay as long as they want.
For a single immigrant, you need to pay 13,310 CAD (Canadian dollars). A couple needs to pay about 16,570 CAD, while a family of three must pay 20,371 CAD.
Yes, one can move to Canada without a job. If you’re an entrepreneur/investor, or a family member of a Canadian citizen, you won’t need a job offer to immigrate to Canada.
You need to pass the IELTS General Training test to apply for Canada PR.
You must score 6.0 in every section of the IELTS test to qualify for Canada PR.