Canada Immigration - Independant Class

The Independant Class for Canadian Immigration consists of two main categories:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program and
• The Provincial Nominee Program.

Federal Skilled Worker Application:

Skilled Worker/Professional applicants (other than those destined for Montreal or another city in the Province of Quebec) are assessed based on certain factors aimed at indicating the likelihood of becoming economically established in Canada. Each factor is allotted a maximum number of points, and applicants must attain at least 67 points in order to qualify for a Canadian Immigrant Visa.

Whatever the number of points awarded, Visa Officers always have the discretion to accept or refuse an application based on a substituted evaluation. Find out if you qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Class...

Provincial Nominee Program:

The Provincial Nominee Program allows each provincial government to nominate or select immigrants who will contribute to the specific industrial, economic and labour market needs of that province. Each province is allowed to establish its own selection criteria and procedures to choose immigrants according to their ability to integrate and successfully settle in that province.

Applicants must intend to reside in the province in which they apply. Once an applicant has been nominated under the program, the province will issue the applicant a Provincial Nominee Certificate. A person who is nominated by the province can then apply for a Permanent Resident visa at a visa office abroad. Citizenship and Immigration Canada retains the authority to make the final decision applying existing federal selection and admissibility criteria, including security, criminal, and medical factors for the candidates who obtained Provincial Nominee Certificates.

Similar to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, applicants are selected on the basis of a point system. Points are awarded for the different Selection Criteria which include age, education, intended occupation, guaranteed employment, language ability, occupational demand and years of experience, family in Canada, adaptability. Each province sets the number of points to be attributed to each category. Find out if you qualify under the Provincial Nominee Program...