Moving to Canada from South Africa may involve a lot of paperwork, money, and effort. But with the help of skilled immigration lawyers and through proper information, immigrating to Canada from South Africa is possible.
How to apply to immigrate to Canada from South Africa?
Generally, there are three ways to move to Canada from South Africa: by working, studying, or through sponsorships. Once a South African has moved to Canada through any of these ways, they may apply for permanent residency, and eventually for Canadian citizenship, through the usual processes.
Immigrating to Canada by entering as a skilled worker includes applying through the Express Entry process or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Moving to Canada from South Africa through study follows the process of applying for a student permit.
Sponsorships, whether family sponsorships or spousal sponsorships, are options as well.
Express Entry
Express Entry is the federal government’s online system which processes applications from interested skilled workers to work in Canada. Foreigners may eventually apply for permanent residency and citizenship after entering Canada through the Express Entry.
Applications under Express Entry may be done in three ways:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): for foreign skilled workers with work experience outside Canada (1 year experience related to the work being applied for in Canada, acquired in the last 10 years)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC): for foreign skilled workers with previous work experience in Canada (1 year experience in the last 3 years)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): for foreign skilled workers qualified for a skilled trade job (2 years of full-time work experience within the last 5 years in a “skilled trade” industry)
When skilled workers from South Africa are eligible under any of these programs or class, they may submit their profile through the official website of the federal Canadian government.
After submitted one’s profile, the hopeful immigrant will be ranked through the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Once approved, the immigrant will then be invited to apply for the program.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
A person who is eligible to move to Canada from South Africa under the FSWP, CEC, or the FSTP may also apply under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
The PNP is the program administered by each province and territory, which invites applicants through any of its specific “streams”. Depending on the province which the immigrant may be interested in and as offered by the province, these streams may include those which target skilled workers, students, and businesspeople or investors.
For example, a South African who plans to settle in Toronto may check the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Among the streams it offers include:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student, or In-Demand Skills streams
- Master's Graduate stream
- PhD Graduate stream
- Human Capital Priorities stream
- Skilled Trades stream
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream
Immigrants from South Africa may also consult with a Lexpert top-ranked immigration lawyer in Ontario for the details of these PNP streams. They can also consult immigration lawyers from the other provinces regarding their own PNP streams.
Applying for the PNP of a specific province depends on the stream that the immigrant is interested in. It may be done either through the Express Entry system of the federal government, or through the Non-Express Entry process. While both are done online, an immigrant applying through the Non-Express Entry process must contact and check the official website of the province that they are interested to move into for the specific processes, documents to be submitted, and payment.
Student Permit
Students who wish to move to Canada from South Africa may do so by applying for a student permit. To get one, the interested student must choose a course offered by the appropriate Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI). These are schools and colleges in provinces or territories approved by their government to accept foreign students.
However, not all DLIs are eligible under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program, which will allow foreign students who graduated from a DLI to work after studying. As such, it is important to consult with immigration lawyers and the DLI especially if the student is planning to apply for a PGWP, and eventually for permanent residency and citizenship after graduating.
Check out this video to know more about working during and/or after studying in Canada:
Sponsorships
Both family and spousal sponsorships are governed by the provisions on family reunification found in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the legislation on immigrating to Canada.
The law allows Canadians to sponsor their foreign spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner, or even their relatives to move to Canada from South Africa.
The sponsor must be:
- 18 years old and above
- a citizen of Canada or a permanent resident of Canada
- living in Canada at the time of the sponsorship
Family Sponsorships
Family members may be sponsored to move to Canada from South Africa if they meet certain eligibility criteria. It will depend on the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored South African.
- parents and grandparents: related to the sponsor either by blood or through adoption
- sibling: a family member of the sponsor who is still a dependent child
- any orphaned family members: related to the sponsor by blood or by adoption, where both of their parents passed away, single, and are under 18 years old
- only relative: sponsor's remaining relative by blood or through adoption
Spousal Sponsorships
Spouses who can move to Canada from South Africa must be:
- spouse: least 18 years old and legally married to the Canadian sponsor
- common-law partner: at least 18 years old, legally married to the Canadian sponsor, and has lived with the Canadian sponsor for the last 12 months without any extended periods apart
- conjugal partner: at least 18 years old but is currently living outside Canada; not legally married but is in a common-law relationship with the Canadian sponsor for at least 1 year; and cannot live with or marry the Canadian sponsor in South Africa for legal reasons.
For more information on how to move to Canada from South Africa, read our general guide on legal obligations when moving to Canada. For case-specific questions, consult one of the best immigration lawyers in Canada as ranked by Lexpert.