Canada’s Express Entry program is designed to help skilled immigrants who want to settle in Canada permanently. Candidates who are considered through this pool are awarded up to 1,200 points based on specific factors such as skills and experience, having a nomination from a province or territory, having a valid job offer, and skills transferability.

Your points are used to score your profile and rank it in the Express Entry pool. From there invitations to apply are sent to the candidates with the highest scores. Once you receive an invitation to apply, you have 60 days to submit an application.

Note that Express Entry is for candidates who do not plan to live in Quebec.

Under Express Entry, there are three programs you can be placed in:

The family sponsorship program (sometimes called the family reunification program) enables Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their loved ones to move to Canada. Among those eligible for sponsorship are

• Spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners
• Dependent children
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Other qualifying relatives

To sponsor someone to move to Canada, you must be either a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada under the Canadian Indian Act, or a permanent resident of Canada.

When you apply to sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident you must be able to show that you can support them financially when they arrive, and can meet the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing.

The exact process and what you’ll need to prove depend on the nature of your relationship with the person you’re sponsoring.

The Provincial Nominee Program is targeted to workers who

• Have the skills, education, and job experience to work in a specific province or territory
• Want to live in that province or territory
• Plan to become permanent residents of Canada

Each of the provinces in Canada has their own criteria to attract candidates based on the province’s specific needs within the labour market. They also have their own streams that are aimed at certain groups or requirements. For example, they may want to attract students, entrepreneurs, skilled workers, and/or semi-skilled workers.

Each application depends on which stream you’re applying to, which determines whether you’re applying using Express Entry or non-Express Entry.

All applications require a medical exam and a police check, regardless of where you plan to live in Canada. You must also meet all requirements of the province or territory to apply through the provincial nominee program.

Note, the province of Quebec is not part of the provincial nominee program. It has its own immigration program to apply to.

Quebec has its own rules and criteria for people to move to that province. Once a person is approved by the Quebec government, that person is given a Certificate of Selection, which then allows the person to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

There are two programs you can apply through to live in Quebec:

1)    PEQ (Québec Experience Program)

Through PEQ you apply either in the student category, if you have a diploma and work experience obtained in Quebec, or in the worker category if you have at least two years of qualified experience in Quebec.

2)    QSW (Québec Skilled Workers)

If you would like to immigrate to Quebec to work there permanently, you must apply through the Regular Skilled Worker Program. The first step is to declare your interest in immigrating to Quebec to work. If your skills match the needs of the province, you will be invited to apply for permanent selection.

Skilled foreign workers and international graduates from a Canadian school can apply to live in one of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces through the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Included in the Atlantic provinces are:

• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador

To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you must

• Either have qualifying work experience or be an international graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada
• Meet or exceed educational requirements
• Meet or exceed language requirements
• Prove you have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada, unless you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit

Under the program, work obtained must be with a designated employer.

To apply, you’ll take a language test. You may have to submit to an educational credential assessment, and have a settlement plan. Finally, you’ll need the province you’re moving to to endorse your job offer. Once that is completed you can apply for permanent residence using your Certificate of Endorsement.

The provinces in Canada and the federal government have programs for allowing entrepreneurs to obtain permanent residence. Under the federal program you can apply to immigrate to Canada as a self-employed person or by starting a business and creating jobs in Canada through the Start-up Visa Program.