Who is easier to move to Canada? Portrait of a perfect candidate

In 2023, Canada will welcome 465,000 newcomers. How likely are you to become one of them? Let's try to make a profile of a perfect immigration candidate. If you meet it, you can definitely choose an immigration program for yourself and apply. And if not, I will tell you what to do, what options are available for you, and will share some life hacks on increasing your chances.

I will focus on factors such as age, marital status, work experience, occupation, education, language skills, finances, and so on, and at the end of the video, I will share what to do if you are not a perfect candidate.

Age

I'll start with age. You can apply for most programs starting at the age of 18 or 21. The upper border is 45 or 50, but often there is none at all. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that 25-year-olds and 40-year-olds have the same chances. In many programs, candidates who are about 20 to 30 get the most points. There are also programs in which more points are given to those who are 25 to 35. In general, after 35, your chances for permanent residency will definitely decrease, so if you are a young applicant, don't delay your immigration.

Marital status

The second criterion is marital status. Sometimes we're asked which option is better: if the whole family together moves to Canada or if one family member moves and then takes the rest. If you don't want to leave your family for a long time, good news for you: it's often easier to immigrate if you have a spouse or common-law partner.

In many immigration programs, your spouse or partner can help you get more points, for example, if they take a language test or have a higher education or work experience. So I advise that your partner learn the language too, this is one of the easiest ways to score more points, and they can be decisive.

Work experience

What work experience should you have? There are no unrealistic requirements here. The perfect candidate should have at least one year of work experience, but of course, the more, the better. For example, if you are over 35, points for work experience can compensate for lost points for age. Note that you must confirm your work experience with a recommendation from your employer. It's even better if you find a job in Canada because this will open additional immigration programs for you that are unavailable for other candidates.

As for the occupation, here priority is given to candidates who have a managerial occupation, or a highly skilled one, which requires a university degree, or a trades one, which requires a college degree. These are all kinds of managers, administrative workers, cooks, plumbers, electricians, and so on. Moreover, the higher the qualification, the more points are usually awarded.

I want to explain why. There are actually immigration programs for everyone, not only for skilled occupations but also for low-skilled and unskilled ones, such as cleaners or harvesters. But programs for low-skilled workers usually require work experience in your occupation, a job offer, and work experience for 6-9 months in Canada. If your specialty is unskilled, and you haven't worked in Canada, you are not eligible for almost all immigration programs.

Education

Let's talk about education. Although many immigration programs state that you need a high school education, those with master's or Ph.D. degrees gain the most points. If you have a bachelor's degree, that's great too.

It’s even better if you graduated from a university or college in Canada, but you don’t need this video then as you will get permanent residency without any problems. If you are interested, we have an example of immigration through education on our website.

Language skills

The next factor is language skills. The perfect candidate knows English well. Preferably, it should be the upper-intermediate level. That's IELTS 6 or 7. You are not required to be fluent, but this level means you can communicate on any everyday topic, use complex structures, and so on. As always, the higher your level, the more points you get and the higher your chances of obtaining permanent residency.

Also, not in all but in many immigration programs, you will get extra points if you know French at least at a basic level and pass a language test. So another life hack on how to increase your scores is to start learning French.

Finance

The next important factor is finances. A very popular topic that excites many. Unfortunately, life in Canada is expensive, and the Canadian government doesn't want newcomers to apply for benefits immediately. Therefore, a good candidate for permanent residency in Canada should have at least $10,000 CAD.

You'll spend this money on a language test, educational credential assessment, medical examination, document translations, visa fees, and flight tickets. You will also need to live somewhere, and renting an apartment may require payment for the first and last month of the contract.

The more people in your family, the more money you need. And often you need to have it in your bank account. Life hack: if you find a job in Canada, you don't need to show money on your accounts. By the way, we have a separate article about immigration costs.

Reasons for refusal

Some other factors can interfere with your immigration, even if you fully meet the profile of the perfect candidate. Some people simply won't get a visa to Canada. This refers to those who may pose a threat to the safety of the country. For example, people with a criminal record or dangerous diseases such as tuberculosis. There may also be problems due to severe medical conditions. Even if it's not dangerous for others, Canada refuses those whose treatment will cost too much.

There is also a rule in immigration programs that you can't apply if you have applied for asylum. And, of course, if you are trying to deceive immigration officers, you won't immigrate to Canada.

Increasing your chances of immigration

I named the common features, but each immigration program has its own requirements. There are programs with no age limits, or which don't assess English level, and so on.

I suggest you take a free chances assessment on our website, so you'll know your possibilities for immigration. We have developed a unique system where you fill out a questionnaire, and it will match your answers with the requirements of more than 120 immigration programs and streams.

If your English could be better, you should improve it to increase your chances. There are many ways to do this: you can watch special videos on YouTube for free or sign up for English courses.

Also, consider reliable immigration ways to Canada: through education or employment. They are not easy, but if you have a Canadian education or a job offer from a Canadian employer, your chances for permanent residency will skyrocket because such candidates are a priority for Canada. I talked in detail about the main ways to immigrate last year, but most of the information is still relevant.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of Immigrant.Today