How to Move to Canada - Citizenship Guide (2025)

Canada is ranked as the 2nd best country in the world to live in. With top rate health care and facilities for its citizens, living in Canada is a good opportunity for anyone keen to obtain Canadian citizenship. Moving to Canada can open a lot of opportunities to qualified applicants such as exploring better career opportunities.

Each year, there are approximately 250,000 people who move to Canada. There are different ways to move to Canada. With a number of options available to migrate to the land of mountains and maple trees, there can be many qualified people who can easily enter the country.

Here’s a detailed guide to help you immigrate to Canada:

SEE ALSO: How to Move to Australia – Citizenship Guide

Table of Contents

• How to move to Canada?
• How to immigrate to Canada?
• FAQS about moving to Canada
• Canadian Immigration Consultants in the UAE

How to move to Canada?

1. Eligibility
Checking your eligibility should be the first thing you do before moving to Canada. If you have any legal issues or impediment related to the following reasons below, you might not be allowed to enter Canada:

• Misrepresentation
• Non-compliance with IRPA (Immigration Refugee Protection Act)
• Human or international rights violations
• Criminal record
• Health
• Financial Reasons
• Having an inadmissible family member

2. Types of Legal Residency
There are different legal ways to immigrate to Canada. Other illegal types of entry process not mentioned below can cause an immigrant to be deported. Here are the ways you can apply to be a Canadian resident:

a. Express Entry for Skilled Workers

• To many, this type of visa is the most effective way to gain Canadian residency
• To be eligible, you need to have at least 12 months of full time managerial, professional or skilled trade work experience
• Your age, work experience, education, and the field in which you will be working will be considered

b. Business Start-up or Investor

• This visa is suitable for entrepreneurs, who own their own business, or who are professional investors
• Must have a net worth of at least $10 million Canadian Dollars or more

c. Provincial

• When a specific province in Canada selects a person to move there

d. Family Sponsored

• Your family members who already live in Canada will sponsor your immigration to the country

e. Quebec-Selected

• The provincial government of Quebec selects applicants to work on behalf of the Federal Government
• Suitable for students, business people including the Quebec VIP Investment visa Program, temporary workers, families, and refugees who only want to move to Quebec

f. International Adoption

• If you want to have a baby or child from another country, you must apply for the child’s Canadian residency

g. Refugees

• For safety reasons, people fleeing from their home country can apply for this type of visa.
  h. Caregivers
• Purpose of caring for a Canadian resident or citizen

i. Self-Employed

• Visa as a self-employed individual is given to those working by themselves
• Applicants must prove that you have an income of at least $40,000 per year and that you can sustain your residency in Canada

3. Complete the application
The third step is to complete the application after choosing the type of visa which is most relevant to you.

As a skilled worker, you can complete an express entry profile online if you want to speed up the process. You will be required to give information about yourself, your language skills, and your credentials.

Upon completion, you have to register your profile to Government of Canada’s Job Bank.
For self-employed, start-up visa, Quebec-selected skilled worker, family sponsored visa, or a provincial visa, you need to mail in your application.

4. Pay the application fee.
The application fee for an Express Entry application for an individual would be $550 Canadian dollars. If you have children, a total application fee is $1,250 Canadian dollars.

5. Wait for your visa
Response from Canadian Immigration may take a while, up to six months to get a response. As soon as you want to move to Canada, you can begin your application early on. You cannot appeal the decision but you can re-apply as long as your situation has improved in a significant way.

SEE ALSO: How to Get Residency Visa in Dubai (GUIDE)

How to immigrate to Canada?

1. Gather documents
Certain official documents might be needed to gain entry to Canada. Here are just some of the required documents:

• A Canadian immigrant visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence for each family member traveling with you
• A valid passport or other travel documents for each family member traveling with you
• Two (2) copies of a detailed list of all the personal or household items you are bringing with you
• Two (2) copies of a list of items that are arriving later and their money value

2. Identify your residence
You must find a place to reside before you move to Canada. It needs to be within your income level. You can schedule a visit at least a month before your move to scan for possible apartments.

3. Health Insurance
Canada offers free health insurance to residents and citizens. When you first arrive, you need to have a private health insurance which can vary depending on your province.

4. Language skills
If English or French is not your first language, you need to improve your language skills. If you already speak one of these languages, learning the other language can help you as well.

5. Find a job
Once you gained entry and don’t have a job yet. You need to look for a job immediately. Make sure you are registered to the Canadian Government Job Bank to regularly check for new postings.

6. Apply for Canadian citizenship
After 4 years of Canadian residency, you can apply to be a legal resident of Canada. Applicant must be at least 18 years of age, knows English or French, and have an understanding of Canadian social protocols, and have passed a Canadian government and politics exam.

Once all conditions and obligations are met, you will be granted Canadian citizenship and receive an invitation to attend a citizenship ceremony.

SEE ALSO: How to Move to United Kingdom – Citizenship Guide

FAQs about moving to Canada

1. What is a Canada Immigration Visa?
A Permanent Resident visa is a document which allows a person to live and work anywhere in Canada. A residence visa comes with duties and may be revoked. A person who holds residence visa may apply for Canadian citizenship after three years.

2. How is a Work Permit different from a Canada Immigration Visa?
An individual can reside and work in Canada with a Canada Immigration visa for a limited period of time.

Meanwhile, a work permit allows an eligible individual to reside and work in Canada for a limited period of time. A Canada Immigration Visa entitles its holder to live and work anywhere in Canada, enjoy many of the privileges of Canadian citizenship, apply for Canadian citizenship after three years and sponsor family members for Canadian Permanent Resident status.

3. Can I apply for Permanent Resident status and Temporary status at the same time?
Yes. It is possible to apply for both at the same time. The Canadian Immigration policy recognizes the concept of dual intent.

4. Is my current immigration status relevant for Canadian Immigration purposes?
Applicants must submit the Canada Immigration Visa Application (Application for Permanent Residence in Canada) to the Canadian Immigration Visa Office responsible for the country of your citizenship or to the visa office responsible for the country you are currently residing in if you have been legally admitted to that country for at least one year.

Applicants must first create an online profile in the Express Entry immigration selection system.

5. How will I be affected by the changes in Canadian Immigration laws?
These laws and regulations are constantly subject to change. Applicants must be informed on changes being made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) by visiting the CIC news.

6. Is there a benefit to using an attorney for immigration to Canada?
Immigrating to Canada can be complicated at times. An attorney or a legal aid can definitely help ease your Canadian visa application.

Canadian Immigration Consultants in the UAE

There are plenty of Canadian immigration consultants in the UAE who can help you migrate to Canada. Here’s a list below:

1. The Immigration Firm

2. Canadian Center for Immigration Services

3. Times Immigration

4. Global Fusion

5. Global Migrate

6. WoodBine Migration Services

7. DM Consultants

8. Aries International

9. Future Vision ME

10. Pathway Visa

For more information, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

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