Canada PR Visa Process: A Complete Step by Step Guide
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Canada is the prime location for anybody looking to have a high standard of living and better career growth opportunities. As the tenth-largest economy in the world, Canada is the country immigrants all over the world are looking to settle. To sustain the exponential economic growth, Canada requires filling the gap of skilled candidates in its local labour market. For this, Immigrants with required work experience and skill-sets are being offered the easiest way possible to settle in Canada – Permanent Resident Visa (PR) Visa.
What is Canada PR Visa?
To move to any country, immigrants are required to get a visa. PR Visa is a permanent resident visa, which allows its holder to live, work, or study anywhere in Canada for five years. To become a PR Visa holder, immigrants must apply to Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under one of several immigration programs.
Benefits of Canada PR Visa
A Canadian permanent resident enjoys the same rights as a Canadian citizen, except:
- Right of Vote;
- Cannot apply for a job that requires high-security clearance;
The major benefits of becoming a permanent resident of Canada are as follows:
- Can live and work anywhere in Canada;
- Access to Universal Healthcare and Social Service;
- Sponsor Your Relatives;
- Become a Canadian Citizen;
- Protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
What is the Canada PR visa Process from India?
As mentioned before, there are multiple immigration pathways to Canada PR Visa. Each one of the immigration pathways gives a way to apply for a PR Visa. There are five main categories to apply for Canada PR Visa and they are as follows:
Express Entry Program
Express Entry is a point-based immigration program, introduced in 2015 – to manage the profiles of the candidates who have applied for Canada PR Visa through three federal skilled economic immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
All Express entry profiles are ranked in the express entry pool based on points awarded to profiles through the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). These CRS points are given based on the candidate’s credentials like age, language proficiency, work experience, educational qualifications, etc.
Family Class Immigration
Through this immigration pathway, an applicant can live with their relatives in Canada as a permanent resident. For these applicants has to be a:
- Canadian Citizen OR
- A person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act OR
- Permanent resident of Canada
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
Every province in Canada (except Quebec), has a special agreement that allows them to nominate potential immigrants with required skill-sets to live in the respective province as a permanent resident. This immigration pathway to Canada PR Visa is called Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Some of the famous provincial nominee programs (PNPs) in Canada are as follows:
Business Class Immigration
Business Immigration program is implemented/designed to encourage and facilitate the admission of the individuals who are successful business people who are looking to run or own their business in Canada. Some of the major immigration programs for businessmen to apply for a Canada PR Visa are as follows:
- Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)
- Quebec Entrepreneur Program
- Several of PNP’s Entrepreneur Programs
Canada PR visa Step by Step Process
Step 1: Know your NOC (National Occupation Classification) code
Your work experience can fall under any one of skill type – 0, A, B, C or D and verify it for the program. You should know your NOC code to check whether your experience makes you eligible for express entry in Canada.
Step 2: ECA (Educational Credential Assessment)
This ECA certificate is required to assess your foreign education to prove its equivalence to the Canadian educational system.
Step 3: Take your IELTS
Language proficiency is one of the obligatory factors to be eligible for the express entry program. You also get PR Visa points for your IELTS score.
Step 4: Check the minimum requirement for the Express Entry program
You need to check whether you are able to meet the minimum eligibility requirement that makes you eligible to apply for Canada PR.
Step 5: Know your CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score
CRS points are awarded based on the candidate’s credentials like age, language proficiency, work experience, etc.
Step 6: Getting into the Express pool
Once you have checked your eligibility and have taken your language test as well as the ECA certificate, the next step is to create an express profile and get into the express pool.
Step 7: Receive your ITA (Invitation to Apply)
Once you can clear the CRS cut-off, then you will get an ITA that allows you to submit your PR Visa application with a proper set of documents to IRCC.
Step 8: Wait to receive your AOR (Acknowledgement of Receipt)
Once the application is submitted, you will be given an AOR that shows your application is under process. It can take anywhere between 6-8 months to verify all the documents and background checks conducted by IRCC.
Step 9: CoPR (Confirmation of Permanent Resident)
On the successful evaluation of the application, you will be issued CoPR that confirms that you have become a Canadian permanent resident.
What are the minimum points required to apply for a Canada Permanent Resident Visa?
Canada Immigration for a skilled immigrant is a very simple and easy process. For this immigrants are required only to meet the minimum requirements to apply for Canada PR Visa. For any skilled immigrant to apply for a Canada PR Visa, they must clear the 67 points system criteria.
In this system, points are awarded to the applicants out of 100 based on their credentials like age, language proficiency, work experience, etc. These Canada PR points are awarded in the following manner:
Selection Factors | Points |
Education and training | 25 |
Skilled Work Experience | 15 |
Language Ability | 28 |
Age | 12 |
Arranged Employment | 10 |
What is the Fee and Processing time for Canada PR Visa?
To apply for Canada PR Visa, an immigrant is required to submit the following fees to the IRCC:
- Application fee (Without Right of Permanent Residence fee) – CAD 850
- Application fee (Processing fee ($850) and Right of Permanent Residence Fee ($515)) – CAD 1365
- Include spouse or partner (without Right of Permanent Residence Fee) – CAD 850
- Include a dependent child – CAD 230 per child
Talking about the processing of applications for Canada PR Visa, majorly depends on the immigration program through which the immigrant has applied for Canada PR Visa. Once an applicant can get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and has submitted their application within 60 days to IRCC, their application is processed within 6 to 8 months.
Note: To tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC has given candidates with incomplete applications, additional 90 days to procure all the right set of documents.
What is the minimum set of documents required to apply for a PR Visa?
To get your application process in time, applicants are required to submit correct and valid documents that are required to apply for Canada PR Visa. Following are the list of documents that are required to apply for a Canada PR Visa:
- ECA (Education Credential Assessment)
- IELTS Score Card
- Travel Documents
- Medical & Police Clearance Certificates
- Work Experience Letter (Reference letters)
