Canada’s generous immigration systems
Dear Miss Powell, I SAW where you posted on Facebook that any individual under 35 years with a degree can get to live permanently in Canada. Is Canada really immigrant-friendly? Here’s my situation. I am 28 years old and I have a diploma and a degree from Mico. I am a teacher at a high school. I don’t have any family in Canada. Does that mean I qualify to go to Canada? I also have a son and his father isn’t supporting him. Can I take him? Thanks for your time and keep up the good work. – RO
Dear RO,
Canada has a very generous immigration system, whereby individuals who have the education, skills, work experience and other factors may get permanent residence in Canada in a matter of months. In fact, Canada is the country of choice for most professional and skilled workers worldwide in recent years. Canada faces challenges such as an ageing population and declining birth rate. These factors have led to the government of Canada increasing the number of immigrants that it accepts. They now look to immigrants to bolster the Canadian labour force.
Many individuals from the Caribbean, Europe and Asia have been granted permanent residence of Canada. This is because Canada values newcomers’ contribution to the economy of Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) even launched a campaign called ‘Why Immigration Matters’ to highlight the numbers – the statistics – to show immigrant contributions to Canada. Immigration programmes
Qualified professionals and skilled workers can become permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Workers Programme (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Programme, Canadian Experience Class, and Provincial Nominees Programme. Individuals who qualify under these programmes may apply to the government of Canada to be granted permanent residence through the Express Entry system.
If you qualify under one of the existing programmes, your application will be accepted into the Express Entry pool, where you will be given a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS). Each potential candidate is assessed and given a score based on their current and past professional work experience, education, language ability, age, adaptability and a number of other factors. To be eligible, you will need to have a minimum score of 67 in order to qualify. This score will determine whether or not you are selected to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence of Canada. The NOC
Individuals with a degree usually qualify to come to Canada under the FSWP. This programme is for individuals who have work experience in skilled and professional occupations.
Under the Express Entry System, occupations in the Canadian labour market are classified under the Canadian National Occupation Codes (NOC). The NOC describes the duties, skills, educational requirements, talent and work setting for various jobs. Under the express entry system, jobs are classified under skill level ‘O’, ‘A’ or ‘B’ and ‘C’. Individuals under O, A, B are usually selected.
You indicated that you are a teacher with both a diploma and a degree, so your NOC code would be 4031. Each work experience and job description has a different NOC code.
Individuals who qualify can take their immediate family with them. So you can take your son with you. Although you do not need to have a family member in Canada in order to apply, you will need to be able to show that you have sufficient funds to resettle your family or proof of a valid job offer in Canada. In a previous article, I outlined the amount of money that you should be able to show. Also, you must have sufficient funds to resettle your family or proof of a valid job offer in Canada. An individual will need to show a minimum of approximately CDN$13,000 or in your case, since you have a child, you will need to show approximately CDN$16,000 in savings or investments.
Since your diploma and degree are from a non-Canadian school, you will need to get your credentials assessed. You should apply for a Canadian Education Credential Assessment Report (ECA) from an IRCC-authorised agent. You will need to provide the agent with a copy of your diploma, degree, along with a sealed copy of your transcript for them to provide you with a report which is needed for your application.
You should also be able to pass the government of Canada medical and security checks in order to be granted permanent residence. There may be other options available to you based on your particular situation. To find out if you qualify under any of these or other programme, I would suggest that you consult with an immigration lawyer. You may also find out if you qualify by completing the free online assessment at www.deidrepowell.com or sign up on my Facebook page. Deidre S. Powell is a lawyer, mediator, and notary public who is a member of the Jamaican and Ontario, Canada bars, with office located in Ottawa, Ontario. Her areas of practice are in immigration, real estate, commercial, personal injury, family and administration of estates. Email: info@deidrepowell.com, subjectline: immigration. Call 613.695.8777 Facebook: jamaicanlawyer. Twitter: deidrespowell.