Candidates seeking to immigrate to Canada have a number of options available to them. Canadian immigration programs incorporate a number of considerations into their selection criteria, such as country of origin, educational experience, profession, and available work opportunities. Recognizing the potential economic and social value of a well-managed immigration model, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander have announced several new programs aimed at attracting certain groups of immigrants to the country.
Among the programs being expanded is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), under which Canada’s various provinces and territories can nominate candidates to immigrate to Canada. In order to qualify and obtain Canadian citizenship under this program, an applicant must fulfill 2 conditions:
- He or she must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory
- He or she must apply to CIC to become a permanent resident of Canada
Each territory and province determines its own provincial nominee selection criteria. Applicants may wish to contact a Canadian immigration lawyer with any questions about qualification. In general, applicants apply directly to the province. The province will then nominate or refuse an applicant based on qualification of selection criteria and its determination that the applicant actually intends to live in the province or territory. Often, provinces and territories will partner with employers in the private sector in order to address various labour-market needs, and alike.
According to CIC’s website, Canada aspires to bring in between 44,500 and 47,000 new Canadian permanent residents through the Provincial Nominee Program in 2014 – a record high. These figures represent an exponential expansion of the program, which brought in just 1,250 immigrants in 2000, a number which had grown to 41,000 by 2012. CIC maintains that the program is fulfilling its goal of distributing landed immigrants around the country, with 42 percent of all economic immigrants in 2012 intending to settle outside of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
Applicants should note that final admittance and determination with regards to Canadian permanent resident status rests with CIC, not a provincial or territorial authority. This means that even applicants who are nominated under the Provincial Nominee Program must be admissible to Canada under general CIC (Federal) guidelines. Some issues that may result in an applicant being deemed inadmissible to Canada include the following:
- The presence of a security risk
- International human rights violations
- Ties to organized crime
- Criminal misconduct
- Serious health issues
- Serious financial issues
- Dishonesty in an application or in an interview
Those seeking to immigrate to Canada may wish to contact a Canadian immigration lawyer. First Immigration Law Firm can assess your eligibility across all Canadian immigration programs. To schedule a free consultation with a Canadian immigration lawyer, contact us toll-free at 1 (855) 360-4333 in North America or 1 (514) 360-4333 internationally.