Canada immigration and settlement routes

Each province or territory sets its own occupation, offer, local experience, education, language, connection and invitation criteria. The applicant must identify an active enhanced stream and also qualify for one of the applicable federal Express Entry programs.

A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered person may sponsor an eligible spouse, partner or dependent child for permanent residence. The relationship must be genuine and the sponsor normally undertakes financial responsibility for the applicable period.

For applicants with qualifying recent Canadian skilled work experience. The experience must generally be authorized paid work in an eligible occupation and meet the program's language and other requirements; a settlement-fund requirement normally does not apply.

For eligible skilled trades occupations. The applicant generally needs recent qualifying trade experience and either a valid Canadian job offer or a Canadian or provincial trade certificate, together with the required language level.

For provincial or territorial non-Express Entry streams such as skilled work, employer, graduate and business categories. The applicant first obtains a valid nomination and then submits a separate permanent residence application to IRCC.

A designated employer in one of Canada's Atlantic provinces provides an eligible offer, and the province endorses the applicant before the permanent residence application. Work experience, education, language and settlement-fund rules depend on the offer and applicant category.

Community-driven permanent residence pilots for participating communities. Applicants need a priority occupation offer from a designated employer, a community recommendation and the applicable experience, education, language and settlement-fund evidence.

Applicants intending to settle in Quebec use Quebec's selection process rather than federal Express Entry or provincial nomination. After invitation, Quebec selection and a CSQ, the applicant submits the federal permanent residence application to IRCC.

A common temporary work entry route. The employer generally needs a positive LMIA or a documented LMIA exemption and employer-portal offer, after which the applicant applies for a permit tied to the employer, job and location.

Entrepreneurs generally compare active provincial streams rather than a single federal route. Streams may use an EOI competition and require verified assets, active investment, management experience, a business plan, job creation and a performance period.

This entry prevents a paused route from being recommended as a new application. New commitment certificates are no longer issued under the stated pause; only the transition rules for applicants with qualifying prior certificates or submitted applications should be checked.