Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC) is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for matters dealing with immigration to Canada, refugees, and Canadian citizenship.
Who can immigrate to Canada?
Despite the fact that Canada welcomes over 250,000 new immigrants each year, all newcomers must meet specific conditions. The application for permanent residence status in Canada is the first step. Permanent residency visa applications are divided into four categories under Canadian immigration law. Under each of these groups, there are distinct conditions for staying in Canada. The four main categories of immigrants to Canada are:
Family Class:
The Family Class is for immigrants who have agreed to aid financially their Canadian family. You can sponsor your spouse, conjugal or common-law partner, dependent child (including adopted child), or other qualifying relative to become a permanent resident if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Economic Immigrants:
Economic immigrants include skilled employees, individuals with previous job experience in Canada, and those who meet one of the business categories. Since 2015, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has offered an electronic system called Express Entry to administer permanent residence applications under specific economic programs. There are three categories into the economics immigrant:
Skilled Worker Class:
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for those who seek to become permanent residents in the United States because they are qualified and have worked in a specific skilled profession.
Canadian Experience Class:
Immigrants who are already in Canada and have temporary status but want to seek for permanent residency are eligible for the Canadian Experience Class. Under the Canadian Experience Class, immigrants who have lived in Canada for a period of time, including temporary foreign workers or foreign students, and who have good English and/or French language skills, are skilled workers, and have adjusted to life in Canada, may be eligible to become permanent residents.
Business Class:
Entrepreneurs, Self-Employed immigrants, and Investors are business categories for immigrants who have the means, skills, and expertise to do business in Canada.
Humanitarian and Compassionate applicants:
Compassionate applicants are people who would not otherwise be qualified to become permanent residents of Canada but who can apply for humanitarian or compassionate reasons. These are rare cases that are evaluated on an individual basis. The following are some of the most typical considerations:
- Settlement in Canada,
- familial relationships,
- children’s best interests,
- the repercussions of denying the request
Refugee Class:
The Refugee Class is for immigrants in need of protection who are unable or unwilling to return to their native country and wish to reside in Canada. Citizens and permanent residents of Canada can sponsor people from other countries who are eligible to come to Canada as refugees.
Who cannot immigrate to Canada?
Some people are considered “inadmissible” and are not allowed to enter Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), you could be deemed inadmissible, denied a visa, or denied entrance to Canada for a variety of reasons, including:
- security concerns
- human or international rights violations
- criminality
- organized criminality
- health grounds
- financial reasons
- misrepresentation
- non-compliance with the IRPA or
- having an inadmissible family member
People who want to immigrate to Canada must usually apply for a permanent residency visa before arriving. Applications can be sent to a Canadian Embassy, Consulate, or High Commission overseas by mail or in person. Refugee claimants, in-home careers, spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and those with humanitarian or compassionate reasons to be in Canada can apply while residing in Canada.