APPLICATION FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN CANADA
Do you want to apply for permanent residency in Canada?
A permanent resident is allowed to stay and work in any job in Canada for the rest of their life. A new immigrant is required to become a permanent resident before they can become a citizen after 3 to 4 years.

Steps to apply for visa for permanent residency in Canada if you do not have a family in Canada
For most people who do not have close family members in Canada, they will apply for permanent residence Canada in one of two ways.
- You can make a Canada permanent resident application through a provincial government program called a “PNP” – Provincial Nominee Program. Each province in Canada has the power to select immigrants and each province has their own requirements.
- You can apply for permanent residency in Canada through the Express Entry program of the Federal government.
The total time for application processing varies widely depending on the type of application and the province. It will usually take at least 1 year. However, you may be able to visit, work or study in Canada while the application is in process.
If you are not applying through a Provincial program, then you are likely going to apply through the express entry system of the federal government. There are two steps that need to be done to assess if you will be given permanent residency in Canada through the Express Entry system.
First, you must qualify in any one of three federal programs – the Federal Skilled Worker program, the Canadian Experience Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Each program has its own requirements.
Second, if you do qualify in one of those programs then you may register to get into the “pool” of candidates who are waiting to apply. You will then be ranked by a point system against the other candidates in the pool. The people who are ranked the highest will be allowed to submit an application. However, those who are not ranked high enough may never be allowed to submit an application even though they were allowed to register as candidates. Using this system, the government selects the most qualified candidates as permanent residence to Canada and you have no advantage of applying earlier than other candidates.
The main factors in the Express Entry ranking system are:
- people with a Provincial government approval or an approved job offer in Canada
- age
- language skills – assessed using a language test – The general version (not the academic version) of the IELTS is the most common english test used
- education (The Canadian equivalency of your education is assessed at a Canadian agency).
- work experience in Canada
Learn 40 ways to obtain a permanent resident visa in Canada
Surprisingly, to many, there is more than 1 way to obtain a permanent residency in Canada.
As you can see, getting permanent residency in Canada and citizenship is complicated. There are different options, many requirements for each option and different processing times. We start by assessing you and your family to see which option will fit your needs. You may want the fastest option or the option that you have the best chance of success for.
Sometimes you need to improve your education (perhaps by getting a Study Permit in Canada) or you need to improve your language skills. Sometimes you need to get an approved Canadian job or a Canadian trade certificate to qualify. Maybe you realistically do not have any good options and you need to be told the honest truth rather than being given false hopes.
So you see that you need to start by seeing if you are going down the right path for making a Canadian permanent resident application. So we start by giving our clients a thorough consultation with a Canadian immigration lawyer with 25 years of experience.
Typical consultations cost CAD$450 for up to an hour (depending on the issues to be discussed) for assistance in obtaining permanent residency in Canada. Legal fees to help you through the process from beginning to end start at C$3,500 (depending on the type of case and the complexity) and may be paid in monthly instalments of $500.
Call us at 1.604.900.3259 or email us to speak about the permanent resident application process in Canada.
Feel feel to contact our Vancouver immigration lawyer with your questions about a permanent resident card.
Immigration lawyer in Vancouver
You are not required to hire a lawyer to represent you in immigration matters, but it would be wise to do so. Hiring an immigration lawyer doesn’t mean your case will get special attention from the immigration authorities, and it doesn’t guarantee success. Still, a lawyer can help you avoid common mistakes that could derail your application.
Do you have questions about your eligibility for business or investor immigration to Canada? We can offer guidance at Goldman Associates.
With over 29 years of experience, our immigration lawyer can advise which immigration program might have the best chance of success based on your unique situation.
We will also prepare your immigration application, be your representative throughout the entire process and help you prepare for your interviews during the application process and at the border entry point.
Call us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your case.