Immigration to Canada

•  Skilled Worker Class

The Skilled Worker Class, previously known as the Independent category, is Canada's major source of immigration and the category that attracts the widest rang of professional immigrations. Its purpose is to meet the demands of the Canadian economy and labor market so as to promote continued economic growth.

The new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations came into effect on June 28, 2002. The new law has made some modifications to the selection criteria used to evaluate skilled worker applications. Skilled Worker applicants are assessed with reference to a points system and the maximum number of points available is 100. The current pass mark is set at 75. The breakdown of the total score is as follows: 25 points available for education, 24 for official languages (English and French), 21 for experience, 10 for arranged employment, and 10 for adaptability. For official languages, scores are given with reference to four separate abilities, namely, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Under the new immigration law of Canada, anyone hoping to apply for immigration as a skilled worker must get a score of at least 75. The applicant must also have at least one year of full-time work experience in an occupation that is considered high-skilled according to Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC). As well, the applicant must also pass medical and security checks and submit proof of no criminal record. Finally, the applicant has to prove that he/she has enough financial support for the period of initial settlement in Canada.

•  Business Immigration

Canada Welcomes business immigrants who have substantial assets and some business management experience and can make contributions to the economic and cultural development of Canada though their investments. In 1998 alone, Canada absorbed over 437 million CDN of assets though business immigration, and the percentage of business immigrants of the selection Act, the Canadian Government has revised and update the selection criteria for business immigrants. Business immigration can be divided into three sub-categories: investor class, entrepreneur class, and self-employed class, each having its own selection criteria.

•  Investor Class

The requirements for immigrating under the investor class are that the applicant has successfully run or managed a business and has a net worth of no less than $800,000 CDN and will invest no less than $400,000 CDN in projects approved by the Canadian Government.

The investor applicant has the option of two Immigrant Investor Programs (IIP), that of the federal government and the Quebec government. Having the most advanced financial service industry and the most reliable immigrant investor founds, together with flexible investment options for investors, Quebec has attracted the vast majority of investor immigrants in recent years.

•  Entrepreneur Class

The principle behind entrepreneur immigration is to bring in applicants who have business experience and capital that will be used to start new businesses or invest in existing businesses in Canada. According to the definition of an Entrepreneur under the relevant regulations, the entrepreneur immigrant must have a net worth of at least $300,000 CDN and, after arriving, establish, buy or invest in a business in Canada. Though no specific investment amount is set by the Canadian Government, the applicant must have enough money to set up and run the enterprise. In addition, the enterprise has to provide job opportunities to at lest one Canadian resident other than the applicant himself/herself and his/her relatives.

Entrepreneur immigrants receive conditional immigration visas, requiring the applicants to fulfill their investment commitment (investment projects are allowed to change). When the pledged projects are carried out, the conditions attached to the visas can be removed though application.

•  Self-employed Class

The self-employed immigration applicant must prove to immigration officials that he/she is a successful professional in the field of culture, such as writer, artist, or musician, or a farmer, and convince them that he/she can succeed in his/her profession and become self-employed, making a contribution to the economic and cultural development of Canada.