How to migrate from India to Canada in 2022?

India continues to be among the top countries sending its citizens to Canada for migration. With an admission target of more than 1.2 million people between 2021 and 2023, Canada will remain the preferred destination for Indian immigrants in 2021.

Migrating to Canada also promises a better lifestyle and suitable living conditions. There are several job options and a higher income.

Canada’s immigration targets, till 2023, are as below:

With over a million newcomers to be welcomed between 2021 to 2023, now is probably the best time to migrate to Canada from India. Canada needs a high number of immigrants to offset the economic and fiscal impacts of its ageing population and low birth rate.

Immigration programs

More than 80 immigration options are available in Canada. These include economic and business immigration programs, as well as family sponsorship programs. While the economic and business immigration programs are for individuals with abilities that will benefit the Canadian economy, the family sponsorship program is those who have family members who are PR visa holders or Canadian citizens.

The Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs, which are the most popular routes to migrate to Canada.

The first step in the process to migrate to Canada is to calculate your eligibility for applying to these programs.

Check your eligibility

Here are more details about popular ways to migrate to Canada from India.

Express Entry

One of Canada’s most popular immigration schemes is Express Entry. The Express Entry system has awarded 108,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) so far this year, putting it on track to meet the government’s 1.23 million immigration target.

Canada Express Entry Program uses a point-based system to evaluate PR applicants. Qualifications, experience, Canadian employment status, and provincial/territorial nomination are all factors that influence the number of points awarded to applicants. You are more likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency if you have more points. To allocate points to applicants, a Comprehensive Ranking Score, or CRS, is used.

Each Express Entry draw will have a minimum cutoff score. An ITA will be sent to all candidates who have a CRS score that is equal to or higher than the cutoff level. If more than one nominee has a score equal to the cutoff, the ITA will be given to the one who has spent the most time in the Express Entry pool.

You do not need a job offer in Canada to apply through the Express Entry procedure. A job offer in Canada, on the other hand, can boost your CRS scores by 50 to 200 points, depending on your skill level. Provincial Express Entry streams are also available to help provinces choose talented persons from the Express Entry pool.

A provincial nomination raises the CRS score by 600 points, ensuring that the candidate receives an ITA.

The CRS score changes with each Express Entry draw, which is held every two weeks by the Canadian government.

You have the option to enter Canada on a work permit and apply for permanent residency later. To acquire a work permit in Canada, you must have a job offer.

Steps to apply under Express Entry system:

Step 1: Create your Express Entry profile

Step 2: Complete your ECA

Step 3: Complete your language ability tests

Step 4: Calculate your CRS score

Step 5: Get your Invitation to Apply (ITA)

The Express Entry system can be the quickest way to immigrate to Canada considering that your application will be processed within six months on submission.

Provincial nominee program

If you are a skilled or semi-skilled worker with a valid job offer in a province or territory that is in demand, the Provincial Nominee Program allows you to live and work in Canada. Each province/territory has its own PNP, which consists of a list of in-demand positions that are tailored to the specific needs of the labor market.

If the province believes your skills meet their demands, they’ll issue you a provincial nomination, which will give you 600 of the total 1,200 points you’ll need on your CRS, allowing you to move up the candidate pool.

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): You can apply for migration through the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). The FSTP is for skilled workers in a range of fields who can submit their profiles and be considered for a visa invitation to apply (ITA). The selection is based on a lottery system, although due to a labor shortage in various occupations in Canada, the chances of being chosen are high.

The Canadian government releases a list of specialized trades that are facing labor shortages on a monthly basis.

International employees and those on a temporary work visa can use this list to see if they qualify for the FSTP.

The list of skilled trades is based on Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. You will be allowed to live and work in Canada if you acquire a permanent resident visa under the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and you will be eligible to become a Canadian citizen after a few years.

Business migration program

People who desire to do business in Canada can apply for a permanent residency visa under the Canada Business Immigration Program. This program was created to assist migrants who desire to invest in Canada or start a business. They must be high net worth individuals or have commercial or managerial experience to start and run a business in Canada. According to the Canadian government, this sort of visa is only offered to three groups of people.

Investors

Entrepreneurs

Self-employed persons

The Startup Visa program gives qualifying immigrants who want to start a business in the country a permanent residence visa. This visa scheme is also known as the Startup Class.

Candidates can enter Canada on a work permit funded by a Canadian-based investor under this visa program, and then apply for a PR visa once their firm is established in the nation.

Successful candidates may be able to connect with Canadian investors for funds and advice on how to run their business. In the private sector, there are three types of investors:

1. Venture capital fund
2. Business incubator
3. Angel investor

 Family class immigration

Individuals above 18 years and who are permanent residents or citizens of Canada can sponsor their family members for PR visa. The following family members are eligible to be sponsored:

Spouse or legal partner

Children who are dependent or who have been adopted

Parents

Grandparents

In addition to being over the age of 18 and possessing a PR visa or being a Canadian citizen, a sponsor must meet the following criteria:

Demonstrate that he has sufficient funds to support family members or dependents.

He must agree to financially aid the sponsored family members with the government’s permission.

Canadian experience class

The Canadian Experience Class, or CEC, is a program designed to assist temporary foreign workers or students in becoming permanent residents of Canada. For the purpose of granting PR status, it examines their professional experience or education, as well as their contribution to Canadian society.

If you have studied or worked in Canada and meet the basic requirements, you may be eligible for this visa. The following are other key eligibility requirements:

12 months of full-time or part-time employment in the previous three years

The applicant must intend to live in a province other than Quebec and must comply with the language requirements.

In fact, most of the Express Entry draws conducted in 2021 till date have selected candidates qualified under the CEC or PNP programs, because they are most likely to already be in Canada as immigrants outside the country are not able to respond to an ITA owing to the travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19.

Student migration program

International students can stay in Canada after completing their study and acquire job experience through the Canadian government. A Post-Graduate Work Permit Program is offered by the IRCC. International graduates can apply for an open work visa that is valid for three years under this scheme. During this time, they are free to work for any employer. This also provides them with the necessary skilled work experience to gain points that will improve their CRS score and help to make their PR visa application successful.