American Immigration to Canada

Do you want to be a Canadian?

Canada, like the United States, is a nation of immigrants. It depends upon immigration for population growth and has always looked for core groups of people to share its values by starting a new life there.

Immigration Tracks

You must have a handle on your income stream to be a good candidate for immigration.

Canada groups potential immigrants into different tracks with specialized application procedures. The tracks most commonly used are for 1) skilled workers and professionals; 2) Canadian experience class (this can be used if you are a guest worker in Canada or if you attend university there); 3) Self-employed individuals or investors looking to build businesses in Canada. The common thread here is that Canada is looking for people who will contribute materially to its society and not simply come and partake of its social programs without contributing.

Nomination or Sponsorship

A province can nominate you to live and work there.

You can also be sponsored, by a family member, for entry into Canada. This is easiest if you are a spouse or a child or parent of a Canadian citizen. However, other family members can be eligible as well. Canada places a priority on keeping families together. The sponsorship arrangement does include, as the name implies, a financial arrangement as well.

Another government program is a provincial nomination. This is similar to the skilled worker qualification, except you need to have a skill or characteristic that a specific province is looking for. That province will then nominate you to come live and work there. It is important to note that in Canada, provinces have an expansive role in immigration concerns.

Quebec

Parlez-vous Français? Quebec will think you're great.

Quebec establishes its own immigration requirements and selects immigrants who will adapt well to living in Quebec. This enables Quebec (including Montreal) to establish its own standards. While they are similar to the rest of Canada, they establish their own skilled worker classes and specifications. They also offer their own entrepreneur programs. Of course, many of the requirements are to protect language and culture: Immigrants who speak French are in a much better position for acceptance.

References

• Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Immigrating to Canada
• Immigration Quebec: Immigrating to Quebec

Resources

• Expat Forum: Moving to Canada