Immigration Services

Canada Immigration

Unlike many other countries in the world, Canada is extremely selective of newcomers. Whether applying for Canada immigration your eligibility will be assessed based on your personal circumstances and the circumstances of your accompanying family members and/or dependents. There are numerous options available for foreign nationals interested in Canada immigration.

Before you can begin the Canada immigration process, you must first determine which program is the best fit for you. The process of immigration to Canada is one that takes many months (or years) to complete. Our website is a great place to begin the process of gathering information for immigration to Canada. You may click on any of the programs listed to read more specific information for each program.

Canada Immigration Options

There are over 60 different types of programs for Canada immigration. With this in mind, you may be wondering which program you fit into and qualify for and which program will help you attain your permanent residency in Canada most efficiently. Call our office to speak with an immigration consultant and we will assess your qualifications to determine which one of these programs is the right one for you. Following is a list of some of the Canada immigration options available; you may click on any of these links to read more detailed information about each program.

Student Visa

Canada admits over 140,000 international students every year. Canadians place great importance on learning, and have developed a first-rate education system with high standards. Foreign students bring a rich culture to Canadian classrooms and play a vital role in Canada’s future economy and work force. Apply to study in Canada, extend your study permit and get information about working while you study or after you graduate. To apply for a Canada Student Visa (study permit), students must first enroll and be accepted to study at a Canadian educational institution. Students who wish to obtain a Canada student visa may apply at the Canadian visa office that is responsible for their country of residence.

Express Entry

Express Entry

Express Entry is an online application process which involves both federal and provincial government, as well as Canadian employers. With Express Entry, Canada is committed to making the immigration process simpler and faster. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements of the following economic programs may make an application to the Express Entry pool:

Canadian Experience Class: If you are currently studying or working in Canada or have studied and/or worked in Canada within the last year, you may qualify for permanent residency under the Canadian Experience Class. This program is a great way for skilled workers or foreign students in Canada to establish permanent residence and build a life in Canada. If you are currently in Canada on a temporary work permit or student permit and would like to begin the process of immigration, click here to read more about the options available to you under the Canadian Experience Class.
Federal Skilled Workers: You may qualify for immigration to Canada under the Skilled Worker Immigration Program if you have a job offer from a Canadian employer and at least one year of full-time, paid work experience in an approved occupation. International students enrolled in a PhD program or graduates of a Canadian PhD program may also qualify for the skilled worker immigration program. Click here to read more about this Canada immigration option or take our free online assessment to see if you qualify.
Federal Skilled Trades: This program is for skilled workers interested to acquire a permanent residence visa for Canada. If you are a qualified worker in one of the specific skilled trades, you may be eligible to make an application through Express Entry.

Provincial Nomination

Each province in Canada has established it’s own requirements based on the province’s needs. This is referred to as the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for qualified individuals interested in Canada immigration. These programs allow a province to nominate qualified applicants to immigrate to Canada and attain permanent residency in Canada. The requirements for this program vary by province. If you are interested in immigration to a specific province in Canada, follow this link to read more about the Provincial Nominee Program to determine whether you qualify for the program in your province of choice.

Family Sponsorship

Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada may sponsor their family members to Canada using the Family Sponsorship Program. If you have family members in Canada that are citizens or permanent residents and who are interested in sponsoring you for Canada immigration, you may be eligible to obtain permanent residence status in Canada if both you and your sponsor meet the requirements of the family sponsorship program. Click here for more information about the qualifications of this particular Canada immigration program.

Business & Investment

If you are a business person or a manager interested in Canada immigration, you may qualify for one of the Business Immigration Programs. There are three different categories for business immigration:

Immigrant Investor Program
Entrepreneur Program
Self-Employed Persons Program

For more information and to see which, if any, of these three Canada immigration programs apply to you, follow the link to the business immigration page.

Quebec Skilled Worker Program

The province of Quebec, under the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration, establishes their own selection criteria and requirements on the basis of who will adapt well to living in Quebec.

If you’re seeking to immigrate to the city of Montreal, or any other city in the province of Quebec as a skilled worker you must meet their requirements, not those of the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

You must submit an application to be selected by the province of Quebec. This is called the Certificate of Selection (Certificat de Selection du Quebec). Once you’ve been selected by the province you must make a separate application to Citizenship & Immigration Canada for permanent residence.

In-Home Caregiver Program

In-Home Caregivers are individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities in private homes without supervision. Both the employer and the employee must follow several steps to meet the requirements.

Humanitarian & Compassionate

Discretion is a valuable element of Canada’s immigration program. It benefits our clients and is consistent with the objectives of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The Humanitarian and Compassionate Program benefits applicants who have special and unique situations and allows flexibility to approve deserving cases not covered by the legislation. A humanitarian and compassionate assessment considers circumstances and/or factors that may be sufficiently compelling to allow for the requested exemption.

In-country Services

PR Card Renewals

The Permanent Resident card (also known as a PR Card) is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be used as a valid identity document for persons traveling abroad and returning to Canada by car, bus, airline or any other means of transportation. Therefore, it is important to have a valid PR card in order to be allowed to enter Canada.

Bridging Work Permit

As of December 15, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that they would be allowing permanent resident applicants to obtain work permits while they are awaiting the finalization of their application. This will allow permanent resident applicants to now work while they are awaiting the answer on their application!

Restoration of status

For many, exiting Canada and re-entering is simply too risky or too expensive. Luckily, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provide that if a visitor, worker or student loses their status in Canada, then they can apply to restore their status within 90 days of their status expiring.

Citizenship

Canadians are proud of their citizenship. We value the rights and freedoms and accept the responsibilities, that this status gives us.To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must meet the conditions in all these areas: age, permanent resident status, time you have lived in Canada, income tax filing, intent to reside in Canada, language abilities and how well you know Canada.

Work Visa-Permit

There are numerous categories or provisions by which a foreign worker can seek a work permit in Canada. However, these usually fall within one of several general classifications that can be used to better understand the procedures. These are:

Work in Canada subject to a Labour Market Impact Assessment (formerly Labour Market Opinion or LMO) or ESDC Confirmation;
International Treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Canada Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA), or the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS);
Situations in which there is evidence of Canadian Interests or Significant Benefit to Canada, including intra-company transfers, spousal programs, and other circumstances in which there is a social, cultural, or economic benefit to Canada;
Youth Program visas such as the Student Work Away Program, Student Work Holiday Program, and others conducted through organizations suh as BUNAC, SWAP, and IEC;
Limited circumstances in which work in Canada is permitted without a permit.

The selection of the proper classification under which an application is submitted will affect your eligibility for a Canadian work visa. However, it can also have a significant bearing on the requirements of an application, and on the work permit processing delays. There may be multiple methods by which to submit and process a given application. Differences in these methods can have a significant impact on the requirements and, possibly, the outcome of the application. Fill the form at the bottom of the page to get FREE ASSESSMENT of your options.

How can Omega Immigration help me Immigrate to Canada?

Canada immigration and the many options available may cause you much confusion. As each program carries different sets of rules, regulations, and requirements; it is easy to get lost. There is a lot of information available, which may often create more questions than answers. Omega Immigration has assisted many foreign nationals successfully submit Canada immigration applications and receive their permanent residency in Canada.

We are experienced with each and every one of the over 60 different immigration programs that Canada offers. Omega Immigration’s legal representatives keep up with all of the latest Canada immigration news and any changes in rules and regulations so that you do not have to worry about submitting outdated application forms or missing crucial documents as part of your application. If you are just getting started on the road to Canada immigration, we will assist you in deciding the best route to take and will make sure you are properly equipped to successfully apply for immigration to Canada.

Canada Immigration Requirements & Guidelines

Basic Requirements

The following are the general requirements that anyone applying for Canada immigration or a Canada Visa must meet in order to be admissible to Canada. Individuals may be inadmissible on any one of the following grounds, defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Protection Regulations:

Security grounds
Violating human and/or international rights
Criminality
Serious criminality
Organized criminality
Health grounds
Financial reasons
Misrepresentation
Non-compliance with the Act and/or Regulations
Inadmissible family member(s)

Medical Examinations

Every Canada immigration applicant and his/her family member(s) and dependent children who are not already Canadian permanent residents or Canadian citizens must undergo and pass a medical examination when applying for Canada immigration. A medical examination of family members who are not accompanying you to Canada may also be required.

Applicants who are applying for temporary resident status such as a visitor visa, study permit, or work permit may or may not be required to undergo a medical examination. Applicants may be medically inadmissible to Canada. In considering whether an applicant is admissible medically, the following legal test is applied:

“a foreign national is inadmissible on health grounds if an assessment of their health condition has been made by an officer… and the officer concluded that the foreign national’s health condition is likely to be a danger to public health or public safety or might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand.”

The term “excessive demand” is defined by the IRPA Regulations as:

A demand on health services or social services for which the anticipated costs would likely exceed average Canadian per capita health services and social services costs over a period of five consecutive years immediately following the most recent medical examination required by these Regulations, unless there is evidence that significant costs are likely to be incurred beyond that period, in which case the period is no more than 10 consecutive years; or
A demand on health services or social services that would add to existing waiting lists and would increase the rate of mortality and morbidity in Canada as a result of the denial or delay in the provision of those services to Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Applicants and their family members must be examined by a Panel Physician.

Criminality Check and Police Clearances

Each and every applicant for Canada immigration must satisfy Citizenship and Immigration Canada that he or she and his or her dependents are not inadmissible on criminal grounds. You may need criminal and security checks if you are coming to Canada as a live-in caregiver, tourist, student, or temporary worker.

The background check, also known as security certificates, is required to ensure that the foreign national and his/her accompanying family members do not pose a risk to the Canadian public. Immediate family members of the applicant must also provide a police certificate of no information. If a person has been convicted of a crime either from within Canada or from outside of Canada may be deemed inadmissible. The severity of the crime will determine how difficult it will be for the foreign national to overcome his or her inadmissibility to Canada.

Government Application Fees

The government of Canada established a fee schedule based on the type of visa or immigration application submitted. Each person 22 years of age or older must pay a non-refundable processing fee of $550.00. In the case of a business immigrant, the principal applicant pays $1,050.00 and each member over 22 years of age in the family will pay $550.00. In all other applications, you must pay $150.00 per child included in the application for all children under the age of 19.

Application fees are paid at the time of your submission. Applicants who are successful in their permanent residence application and that are 22 years of age or older must pay an additional $490.00, the “Right of Permanent Resident Fee.”

Interviews

After submitting your Canada immigration application or your application for a temporary resident visa to Canada you may be required to appear at an immigration interview with an immigration officer. Those applicants applying for permanent resident status in Canada could be interviewed at a visa post, Canadian Embassy, consulate, or High Commission. In most instances an immigration interview will be scheduled at the visa post where the Canada immigration application was submitted.

If your Canada immigration application is well prepared and documented, an immigration interview may be waived. Should you be subject to an interview, your preparation for the interview is highly important for a favorable outcome. Our immigration team can assist you in preparing for an interview to ensure you are not missing anything.

Having an experienced legal counsel by your side will make the immigration process simple and headache-free. Wherever you are in the immigration process, we can help you move forward. If you have already submitted an application and received a refusal, we can assess your situation and assist you in re-applying.