FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you’ve committed a crime and you’re unsure whether it will make you inadmissible to Canada, don’t wait until you get to the border to find out. Are you looking to enter Canada for business or for leisure and have a criminal record? We can provide you with advice on how to proceed.
The question of “how to become a permanent resident of Canada,” differs from candidate to candidate. Arriving at this answer is a matter of finding the Canadian immigration program that suits you best, as the prerequisites for Canadian permanent residency depend on the stream under which an individual qualifies. Canada has created a myriad of immigration streams based on various factors including age, education, work experience, net worth and willingness to invest as well as ties to Canada.
Canadian permanent residents and their dependents are entitled:
1) To receive almost all social benefits that Canadian citizens are entitled to, including Canadian health care.
2) To live, work and study in any Canadian province or territory.
3) To eventually apply for Canadian citizenship.
4) To protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
There are many different ways that one can qualify themselves and their family for Canadian permanent residency. In fact, there are over 60 categories of Canadian immigration. The best way to proceed is to have a qualified expert assess your qualification for a Canada immigration visa.
Candidates must be at least 18 years of age in order to begin the application process for Canadian citizenship.
In order to apply for citizenship on behalf of a child under 18, the following conditions must be met:
• the individual applying for Canadian citizenship is the child’s parent or legal guardian
• the child in question must be a permanent resident of Canada, but is not required to have lived in Canada for three years; and
• one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying to become a citizen as well. This stipulation also applies to adoptive parents.
There are approximately 12 million people living in the U.S without legal status, a situation that is unsettling and exposes foreigners to abuse and a life without certainty. Canada is an attractive alternative because Canadian employers value North American work experience and life in Canada is not significantly different from life in the U.S. Most people assume that their illegal status in the US is grounds for automatic disqualification but this is not the case. Each year thousands of individuals without status in the United States find the home they were looking for in Canada.
Canada Work Permit FAQs
Contact one of our immigration lawyers today at and let us help you take the necessary steps to overcome your work permit worries so that you can work in Canada without problems.
Where a foreign worker submits their Canada work permit application depends on the candidate’s nationality or country of residence. The foreign worker may apply through a visa office responsible for their country of citizenship, or through a country where they have been granted one year of legal status. Individuals that do not require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada can apply for most (but not all) work permits at any port of entry. There are Canadian immigration officers at every Port of Entry, whose job it is to assess Canada work permit applications.
Canada is extremely protective of its labour market and we do not recommend that those unfamiliar with Canadian immigration regulation and procedure attempt this on their own. Regulation and procedure aside, the issuance of each work permit is also at the discretion of the immigration officer on duty. Individuals already in Canada can apply for a work permit and work permit renewal/extension, from within Canada. Once you have been offered a job in Canada, at least consult with a Odette Desjardins Law lawyer to find out how to get a work permit in Canada.