Moving or immigrating to Canada might seem hard at first glance, but there are a lot of easy ways to move to Canada offered by either the federal and the provincial or territorial governments. This will depend on your skills, age, status, citizenship, and family or employment connections within Canada.
In general, the easiest ways to move to Canada are through family or spousal sponsorships, Express Entry, and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
1. Family or Spousal Sponsorships
Sponsorship is one of the easiest ways to move to Canada especially if you have a Canadian spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or family member.
Both you (as the sponsored person) and your Canadian sponsor must meet certain requirements and conditions set by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and its Regulations.
Applications for sponsorship are done online, which makes the process even easier for those living outside Canada.
Family Sponsorship
For your Canadian spouse, partner, or family member to qualify as a sponsor, they must be:
- 18 years old and above;
- currently living in Canada at the time of the sponsorship; and
- must either be a Canadian citizen, a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, or a permanent resident of Canada
Embed: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8su4rm3Z3E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
To consult an expert on family sponsorship, contact an immigration lawyer in your area. If you live in Vancouver, get in touch with an immigration law expert in British Columbia.
Canada’s immigration law also has certain restrictions on which family members can be sponsored to move to Canada. They are:
- sponsor's family members who are related to the sponsor either by blood or through adoption, such as parents and grandparents;
- sponsor's family members who are still a dependent child, such as brothers or sisters, half brothers or sisters, or stepbrothers or stepsisters;
- sponsor's orphaned family members, whose parents passed away, are related to the sponsor by blood or by adoption, are single, and are under 18 years old, such as the sponsor’s brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren; or
- sponsor's only relative by blood or through adoption who they can sponsor, is living outside of Canada, and of any age.
Spousal Sponsorship
Canadian sponsors in a spousal sponsorship have the same requirements for a Canadian sponsor in a family sponsorship mentioned above.
On the other hand, the sponsored person may be classified into three categories:
- Spouse: a person of any sex, at least 18 years old, and must be legally married to the Canadian spouse.
- Common-law partner: a person of any sex, at least 18 years old, must be legally married to the Canadian spouse, and has lived with the Canadian spouse for the last 12 months without any long periods apart;
- Conjugal partner: a person of any sex, at least 18 years old, not legally married or in a common-law relationship with the Canadian spouse. Must be in a relationship with the Canadian partner for at least 1 year and is outside Canada. Cannot live with or marry the Canadian spouse in the partner’s country due to legal and immigration reasons.
Canadian sponsorship does not discriminate against you and your spouse’s sex or gender.
Sponsorship Undertaking and Sponsorship Agreement
For both spousal sponsorship and family sponsorship, a signed undertaking or agreement must be completed by both the sponsor and the sponsored spouse or family member.
A Canadian sponsor must agree to sign a sponsorship undertaking which will obligate them to take care of the financial needs of their sponsored spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or family member for a certain period, depending on the sponsorship.
A sponsored person will also have to complete a sponsorship agreement stating that the sponsored person will try their best to provide for themselves. This is to minimize the obligations placed upon the sponsor.
2. Express Entry
Express Entry is a system managed by the federal government which makes it easy for skilled workers to move or immigrate to Canada. Interested skilled workers may apply for any of Express Entry’s programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: for skilled workers with work experience outside Canada;
- Canadian Experience Class: for skilled workers with previous work experience in Canada;
- Federal Skilled Trades Program: for skilled workers qualified for a skilled trade job.
Skilled workers wanting to look for employment through Express Entry may apply online.
If you are a French-speaking foreign national, a recent development in the Express Entry system makes it easier for you to move to Canada:
We are launching a new process to welcome skilled workers with specific talents, training, or language ability to Canada. This innovative approach to our Express Entry system addresses labour needs and strengthens French communities across the country: https://t.co/iW4WAfsHll pic.twitter.com/6TKzpbBWJu
— IRCC (@CitImmCanada) May 31, 2023
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
A Canadian province’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) works like Express Entry, except that specific invitations to work and move to Canada come from the province itself. It is an easy way to move to Canada because of the variety of program streams that you can apply for.
Read also: How to move to Canada from South Africa
These streams are for skilled workers, semi-skilled workers, students, and businesspeople. To be invited, you must apply on the website of the Canadian province you would like to live and work in.
Which Canadian province is easiest to immigrate to?
Through PNP, you can easily move to Canada to live and work in the specific province that nominated you. Here are some of the easiest Canadian provinces to move to:
- Alberta: Express Entry stream
- British Columbia: Skilled Worker stream
- Nova Scotia: Labour Market Priorities stream
- Ontario: Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream
- Quebec: Regular Skilled Worker Program
Read next: How to immigrate to Canada from the Philippines
Have questions on other easy ways to move to Canada? Drop your questions in the comment section below or consult with the best immigration lawyers in Canada for more details.