9 ways to immigrate to Canada without knowing English
It's challenging, but doable. Some people even manage to find jobs without knowing English and earn $30 an hour.
English is a key criterion in Canadian immigration programs, but there are ways to move with minimal or even zero language skills. These options cater to different groups of people.
9. Come on a tourist visa
You can get a tourist visa to Canada and fly to Toronto, for example. It's illegal to work as a tourist! Though there are rumors about construction jobs available without English skills, paying dozens of dollars per hour. It's better to legalize your status right away and switch to a work visa, eventually getting permanent residency.
In Toronto, you can enroll in truck driving courses taught in Russian. After completing the course, you can get a Canadian truck driving license, find a job, and change your status. We have clients who took this path after consulting with us.
There's a catch: how to get a tourist visa? Canadian visas are considered one of the hardest to obtain, so simply applying without solid reasons might result in rejection.
Here's my example. When we first came to Canada in 2011, my husband Alex applied for a tourist visa to study French in Montreal. The following year, if I remember correctly, he applied again, this time to study English in Toronto. You can figure out the rest.
8. Get married
If you've found a spouse who's Canadian or a permanent resident, you can start the immigration process through family sponsorship. Your partner applies for sponsorship, confirming they'll support you financially. It may take some time, but you'll eventually get permanent resident status in Canada.
During the sponsorship process, you can apply for a temporary work permit, allowing you to start working in Canada before getting PR. This path bypasses English language requirements, as the focus is on your partner who has resident or citizen status in Canada.
The sponsorship process requires proof of your relationship — joint photos, messages, shared bills, etc. If your partner can provide the necessary support and documents, it'll significantly simplify the immigration process.
7. Claim refugee status
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Refugees can get permanent resident status in Canada without mandatory language requirements. But note that usually, to claim refugee status, you must already be in Canada. There are two main ways: applying for refugee status after arriving in Canada or applying through international organizations like the UN for refugee resettlement.
The process of getting refugee status includes interviews with immigration officers and possibly hearings in immigration court. You'll need to prove that returning to your country poses a threat to your life or freedom due to persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political views, or membership in a particular social group.
If your application is approved, you'll get refugee status and can apply for PR. This path doesn't require English skills, but knowing basic phrases can help in communicating with officials and in daily life.
6. Learn French
Canada has two official languages: English and French. You don't need to know English at all to immigrate to Canada; French might be enough. Imagine you're fluent in French, while your friend is equally fluent in English.
In the Express Entry system, you'll get more points for knowing French. There are also special draws for Francophones with lower scores than other streams. In 2025, Canada significantly increased invitations for French-speaking candidates — in the first half of the year alone, there were several large draws with 4,500 to 7,500 invitations and minimum scores from 379 to 410. There are also provincial programs for French speakers.
Canada has set ambitious goals: by 2025, 8.5% of new immigrants outside Quebec should be French-speaking, and by 2029, this figure should reach 12%. So if you've ever studied this language in school, dust off those textbooks — you've got excellent chances for immigration!
5. Immigrate to Quebec
Since I mentioned studying French in Montreal, I want to point out that this metropolis is in Quebec province. In Quebec, French is the only official language, and they have unique immigration programs. For example, if you have children, you'll get extra points for them — isn't that great?
By the way, our family immigrated through the Quebec program. But after 4 years, we moved to another region — Ontario province. All because my husband struggled with French.
4. Immigrate through the program for parents, grandparents
This method probably won't work for you, but it might for your close relatives. The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their relatives' move, and English language knowledge isn't a mandatory requirement.
3. Find programs with minimal language requirements
It's rare, but you can find immigration programs without language requirements. For example, Ontario's program has a stream for foreign workers where you don't need a language test to apply. Instead, you need a contract with a Canadian employer.
There are also many immigration programs that require average or even below-average English levels.
2. Enroll in a Canadian university
Surprisingly, you can enroll in a Canadian university or college without knowing English. After getting a Canadian education, it'll be much easier to find work in the country and gain the necessary experience for immigration.
But there's a catch. When enrolling, the university issues an acceptance letter requiring you to confirm your language proficiency before starting studies. You can do this by taking English courses online at a Canadian language school. Important update: from November 2024, to get a post-graduation work permit, university graduates must have at least CLB 7 English level, and college graduates — CLB 5.
This way, you can apply without knowing English and learn the language while preparing your visa documents. The application and visa process often takes 6-12 months, so you'll have time to reach the required language level before your studies begin.
Dozens of our clients have gone through this process, applying to college with A1 English or slightly higher. Now they live in Canada and speak the language better than I do.
1. Immigrate with your family
I've saved the immigration method from my personal experience for last. When your family applies for immigration to Canada, you'll need to choose a principal applicant. The principal applicant gets more points for language skills and other factors, which increases the chances of successful immigration for the whole family, including children.
For my immigration to Canada, I studied English and French, while my husband Alex didn't take any language tests. You can do the same in your family: if your spouse has a better language level or finds learning easier, they can take the language test instead of you.
You can assess your chances of immigrating to Canada using artificial intelligence, as well as take English and French level tests — all of this is completely free and available on our website:
If you're ready to take the first serious step towards Canada, I recommend booking a consultation with me or another specialist from our company.
Ivanna Pavlenko, Canadian Licensed Immigration Consultant
