How to Relocate to Canada with your Family
It is the joy of every family to be together in the same location which is why it is important that if you plan to relocate to Canada with your family, you get the necessary information. Your question of ‘is it easy to immigrate to Canada with family’ from Nigeria, USA, India, etc, will be answered as you read on to the end of this post.
There are several ways to relocate to Canada. It is very important to fully equip yourself with the right information because it can be frustrating to follow through this process and not get the desired result.
Canada encourages immigration because it is trying to fill the gap in the skilled labour industry. This is because the population is mostly growing old and the country records low birth rate.
Ways to relocate to Canada
- Express Entry
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- Family Sponsorship
- Canada Start-Up Visa Program
Requirements for moving to Canada
- Police Certificates- This is for you and your family members that are 18 years and above. This is to ensure that you have a clean criminal record. Must be valid at least 6 months before the date that you submit your application.
- Results of Medical Examination – Issued by a Panel Physician that is a medical doctor appointed to perform immigration medical examinations.
- Proof of funds – The amount you need to support your family is dependent on the size of your family. To calculate this, you must consider yourself, your spouse, your dependent children and your spouse’s dependent children.
- Birth Certificates for all your dependent children.
- Use of Representative Form – This is for anyone you have hired to provide assistance or guidance for your application process. See here.
- Common Law Union Form – your marital status as ‘common law’, that is, having a live in partner that you’re not married to. See here.
- Marriage Certificate.
- Divorce Certificate and legal separation agreement if divorced.
- Death Certificate if widowed.
- Adoption certificate where it is applicable.
How much money do you need to immigrate to Canada?
It will be unrealistic to imagine one can move to Canada with no money.
You may be asking ‘how much do I need to relocate to Canada with my family from Nigeria, USA, India’ or any country. This will give you an idea based on the size of your family.
The cost of immigrating to Canada through Express Entry is about $2,300 CAD for a single applicant, or about $4,500 CAD for a couple. The breakdown of costs include,
- Language tests: Average cost – $300
- Educational Credential Assessment (ECA): Average cost – $200
- Biometrics: $85/person
- Government fees: $1,325/adult & $225/child
- Medical examination fees: average cost – $450/adult & $250/child
- Police clearance certificates: average cost – $100/country
What is the fastest means to relocate to Canada?
The fastest and most popular way to relocate to Canada with your family is through the Express Entry System. It provides the avenue to include your family members including your parents and children in your visa application process so that they can migrate along with you.
What is the Express Entry System?
The Canadian Government uses the Express Entry System to process applications for skilled workers who want to relocate and possess a permanent Canadian Resident Permit. You earn Express Entry points based on
- Age;
- Level of education;
- Proficiency in French or English;
- Foreign and Canadian work experience;
- Spouse factors; and
- Connections to Canada
To confirm eligibility for the Express Entry System, you must do the Free General Canadian Immigration Assessment.
To apply to the Express Entry System, you must submit your profile which includes:
- Language test results (IELTS or the French Exam)
- Travel document or Passport
- Educational credential assessment report
After your profile submission, you will receive an invitation to apply where you will need to provide a reference letter along with the documents listed in the requirements for moving to Canada.
The Express Entry system has three main Federal Economic Programs which include:
- Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
This program uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank candidates based on skilled working experience, age, language proficiency and level of education. You must have at least 12 months of continuous paid skilled working experience within the last 10 years before your date of application. The good part is that you will be considered based on your working experience in your country of residence.
Meeting all the requirements will guarantee you a minimum score of 67 out of 100 on the FSW eligibility points grid.
To understand the Comprehensive Ranking System, click here.
Click for more information.
Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
For the Federal Skilled Trades Program, applicants must have at least two years of full time work experience in a skilled trade or an equal experience of part time work. The experience must be within the last 5 years. Only experience acquired after relevant certification in that particular trade is gotten will be considered.
| Major Group 72 | industrial, electrical and construction trades |
| Major Group 73 | maintenance and equipment operation trades |
| Major Group 82 | supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production |
| Major Group 92 | processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators |
| Minor Group 632 | chefs and cooks |
| Minor Group 633 | butchers and bakers |
See here to determine your category.
The requirements for this program include:
- A valid offer of full-time employment for a position lasting at least 12-months or a certificate of qualification in their skilled trade which is issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.
- English or French Proficiency.
- Must intend to live outside of the province of Quebec.
To understand the Comprehensive Ranking System, click here.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
This program is for applicants who have previous working experience in Canada and are seeking permanent migration. It is the fastest of the three programs as it takes four months at most to process. The candidate must have at least 12 months full time skilled working experience which is lawfully obtained and must be within the last 3 years before the application is made.
The candidate must have language proficiency and must intend to live outside the province of Quebec.
To understand the Comprehensive Ranking System, click here.
Comprehensive Ranking Score Calculator
More information is available on the Canada Immigration Official Website.
As you relocate to Canada with your family, you will need to pass a driving test in order to get a Canadian Driving License to make it easy to transport you and your family from one location to another. See details here.
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