War in Israel. How to move to Canada quickly?
The war between Israel and Palestine has been going on for several days now. Perhaps for many people, this will be a reason to think about relocation right now.
On October 7, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip. This invasion of Israel has already been called the largest in the last 50 years. Israel's army and intelligence have always been considered among the best in the world, but it turned out that they were completely unprepared for the attack.
As a result, the country was almost defenseless for some time. The Hamas military fired thousands of rockets into Israel, quickly broke through the border, entered peaceful settlements, took hostages, and civilians waited for hours for help from the army. Almost immediately, martial law and mobilization were declared in Israel.
Canada's response
It's been a few days now, and if you open the Canadian media websites, Israel news is among the top headlines. The media write about the course of the conflict, statements by various officials, and so on.
Of course, many are also concerned that there were over 1,000 Canadian citizens in Israel at the time of the attack and about 500 more in Palestine. Sadly, information has already been confirmed about one dead Canadian from Quebec who was in Israel for a music festival. The provincial flag was lowered on the National Assembly of Quebec building as a sign of condolence.
Canadian residents are divided over the war. There have been protests across the country in support of both Israel and Palestine. Officials, on the other hand, have an unambiguous position. Justin Trudeau wrote in his social networks that he condemned the attack on Israel, and on the parliament building in Ottawa, the Israeli flag was projected.
How to get to Canada
Is it possible to move from Israel to Canada? Yes, but there can be difficulties. The first is mobilization. If you have not served in the Israeli army, you probably should not be affected. The second problem is the operation of airports. Tel Aviv Airport has frequent disruptions, delays, and canceled flights. Canadian airline Air Canada, for example, has so far stopped flying from Israel to Canada. But so far the airport is working and so are airports in other cities.
A little positive news. With an Israeli passport, you don't need a visa to Canada and you don't need a visa to many other countries — you can go through them with connecting flights. Entering Canada and obtaining a permanent residence permit will be further on.
Canada's advantages
You may not have considered immigrating to Canada before the war started, so I want to say a little about what's good about this country.
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First, Canada regularly ranks at the top of the world in terms of quality of life. Canada has a high standard of living, a developed economy, good wages, and so on.
Second, Canada is a safe country. If Israel is constantly in a situation of some kind of military conflict, subject to terrorist attacks, Canada is much calmer. And there is no compulsory military service here.
The third advantage is a clear and transparent immigration system. Every year about 500,000 immigrants get permanent residency in Canada while citizenship can be obtained after only 3 years of permanent residence. And prices in Canada are about the same as in Israel, but salaries are usually higher.
If you're interested in learning more about the advantages of living in Canada, read a separate article on our website.
Immigration to Canada
You can go to Canada either temporarily or permanently. As mentioned, Israeli citizens do not need a visa. Instead of a visa, you get an Electronic Travel Authorization, an eTA. You have to pay a fee of only CA$ 7, which is about US$ 5. Applications are usually approved within a few minutes. With an eTA, you can stay in Canada for six months. If you want to leave temporarily, this may be enough. But you will not be able to work in Canada.
What if you decide to stay in Canada? The Canadian authorities have not introduced any special measures for Israeli residents. Maybe it will appear in the future, but no one is talking about it yet. Therefore, you can only use the ordinary immigration ways. For example, apply for permanent residence under an immigration program. There are many of them, and the requirements are very different.
The fastest way to get a residence permit is through the Express Entry system, you need to have good English, preferably higher education, several years of work experience, and the younger you are, the better. You will also have to pass a language test, have your educational credentials assessed, get a letter from your employer stating your length of service, and so on.
If you have come to Canada and want to stay, it is better to consider getting a residence permit through work or study. An eTA does not give you the right to work, but you can look for employers and go on interviews while in Canada. If you find a company that agrees to hire you, you will need to get a work permit based on the fact that you were invited by the employer. After a year of working in Canada, it is much easier to get a residence permit. If you come with your family and find a job, your husband or wife will also get the right to work.
Another option is to study. Canadian universities and colleges have no entrance exams and you don't even have to take a language test. Once you are enrolled, you get the right to work in Canada 20 hours a week and 40 hours a week on holidays. And your spouse or partner will get a work permit and can work full-time. It takes 1-2 years to study, then you have the right to stay in Canada to work and, again, it will be much easier for you to get a permanent residence permit. If you get a work or study permit, your children can attend free school in both cases.
Entering a higher institution is easier than finding an employer who will hire a foreigner. But this pathway has a disadvantage — its price. A year of college costs an average of US$ 12,000 plus living expenses. You can offset some of the costs by combining work and study or by sending your spouse to work.
Our company can help you with your relocation to Canada. We will prepare a Canadian-format CV for your job search and apply for a work visa. Or we can find you a college and training program, help you with enrollment, study, and work permits. And we also help you with obtaining permanent residency.
Alex Pavlenko, founder of Immigrant.Today
