Chapter 4

Economic Classes

Federal Skilled Workers Immigration       

Independent immigrants to Canada are chosen based on their potential economic contribution to the country.

As an independent immigrant, you will be assessed based on your **skills and ability ** to contribute to the Canadian labor market. The good new is --- only the principal applicant is assessed based on the point system, not the spouse or the dependents !

This program uses a point system (which we will discuss later) that allows you to asses your chances of being approved or not,  even before submitting your application.  

Basic Checklist   

to determine if you will qualify for 

Independent Immigration  

Before you go any further in reading this e book, we have prepared a simple questionnaire to help you find out if you can pass the most basic immigration requirements for skilled workers. If you can answer YES to ALL requirements, then you have a very high chance of getting approved as an independent immigrant.  

Brief explanation of the basic requirements. The detailed explanation of all requirements would be discussed in the next few chapters.

• You and your dependents should pass a medical examination.

• You don’t have a criminal record since you must provide proof of good conduct from the police department.

• You must be able to get a valid travel Passport  

• The most ideal age is between 21 and 49. You will lose some points for each year you pass 49 years of age. However, if you have substantial work experience and/or have Canadian relatives, you may still be able to reach the minimum score requirement (75 points). This score will be explained later in the book.

• You need to be able to afford the total processing fee $1,545.00 Canadian dollar (about $1,000.US dollar)/per adult application fee payable to Canadian Government's Immigration Authority which handles the immigration process. You should also be able to raise the settlement funds to cover your first six months of living expenses in Canada. The Visa Officer may or may not ask you to reveal the amount in you bank account, but it is highly recommended to be prepared with your financial records. You don't need the required settlement funds if you have an arranged employment in Canada.

• To maximize your chances of getting approved, you should have at least a four-year college or university diploma in engineering or sciences (most natural sciences) like computer science, telecommunication, information technology professional, economics, marketing research and consultant, translator, and others.

• Your job/s in the past 10 years should be listed in the NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B

• You should be able to communicate in English OR French, the 2 official languages of Canada.

Who can apply as an independent immigrant?  

Anyone in the world outside Canada can apply for permanent residence as an independent applicant. If you are a visitor in Canada and decide that you want to live in Canada, you will be required to apply for permanent residence from abroad or your country of origin.  

What are the advantages of going to Canada as an independent immigrant?   

As soon as you arrive in Canada, you are given the status of a permanent resident. You can live, study and work in Canada permanently. You will also enjoy the benefits from all social programs available to any Canadian citizen. You can work with any employer or get any job. 

After 3 years of permanently residing in Canada, you can now apply to become a Canadian Citizen!  Note that Canada also allows dual citizenship and does not require their citizens to renounce their other citizenships. So when you become a Canadian citizen, you can still maintain the other citizenships that you got from other countries.

What is the difference between Canadian Permanent Visa and a USA Immigration H1B Visa?

The US immigration system selects skilled workers with a right to work in the United States. But, the US immigration system does not easily approve permanent residency status. Many of these skilled workers on an H1B status can be sent back to their home country if their Green Card is not approved before the 6-year limit on H1s expires. Then after obtaining your green card, you may have to wait  for years before you can get the  US citizenship. 

under the the Canadian Skilled Class Immigration system, skilled workers once approved,  you are automatically given the permanent residency status. This entitles you to change employers, relocate, and sponsor family members to emigrate which is not available under the US H1B visa. Even if you lose your job, you can still remain in Canada and enjoy most of the rights and privileges accorded to a Canadian citizen.

Do you need to have a relative in Canada to be approved as an immigrant?    

No. But having a close relative living in Canada increases your score under the selection system. Your relative must be a permanent resident or Canadian citizen aged 19 or over, and he/she must be a "close relative" (the brother, sister, mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew of the principal applicant). You are required to provide documents proving the relationship.  

Single Applicants

If you are thinking of getting married ... is it better to get married before you apply or after you receive the permanent residence status?   

If you would like to enter Canada with your spouse, you may get married before submitting your application to the Consulate or during the immigration process. Your spouse will receive a Canadian immigration status automatically if you receive it.

If you want to apply without a spouse, you will have to sponsor him or her after moving to Canada. In addition, you must qualify to be a sponsor. You should be able to show to the Canadian Consulate how much your earned income in Canada is.   

 

 

 

Married Applicants

Married couples should decide as to who will be the principal applicant. Only one can be the principal applicant. The principal applicant should be the one who would most likely get the highest points. 

After deciding who the principal applicant is, the principal applicant may include the spouse and “dependent children” in his application for immigration.

Who is included in my application?  

If you are married, your spouse should be included as a dependent. You must also include on your application all dependent children whether they are accompanying you to Canada or not.

Who is considered a spouse?

A spouse is defined as the person to whom the principal applicant is married. Therefore, common-law or live-in spouses are not allowed.

Who is considered a dependent child?  

Any of the following criteria must be met in order for a child to be considered as dependent to the parent when the child is 

•       under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner 

•       a full time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); 

•       financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.

What if I have children in a previous relationship? 

You should also list these children on your application form even if they will not be accompanying you. You must use the Additional Family Information form (IMM 5406) to provide details of all your sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren. If custody arrangements have been made, you should provide copies of the custody documents.

What if my spouse or dependent children will not accompany me to Canada?  

All of your dependents, whether they will accompany you to Canada or not, must be included in  Immigrant Application Form (IMM 0008). 

In addition, each dependent 18 or over must complete his/her own application form. All of your dependents, whether they will accompany you to Canada or not, must also pass the medical examinations and background checks.