5 Ways You can Legally Move to Canada from China

Did you know that since 2013, one of out every ten immigrants in Canada comes from China? According to Rahul Sethi, director of insights at Vividata, the highest number of Chinese people are trying to retire or start a business in Canada. A pilot study by the Hamazaki Wong Marketing Group shows that Canada is currently one of the most desirable countries Chinese immigrants are looking to move to, with one in five people stating that they want to move within the next few years. 

There are over 100 immigration programs you can apply for to be able to move to Canada from China but trying to understand which one to go for can get very overwhelming and challenging because there might be programs that are suited or not suited for you, which is why it’s always advisable to get an immigration consultant before doing anything. 

These are some of the best immigration options to consider for your migration journey. 

1. Express Entry

Express Entry recruits highly skilled candidates to apply for permanent residency using a ranking system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). There are three different permanent residency applications under Express Entry. They are:

1. Federal Skilled Workers Program
2. Federal Skilled Trades
3. Canadian Experience Class

The two federal programs are eligible for immigrants and foreign nationals.

Anyone who submits an Express Entry is ranked based on a total of 1,200 points. The CRS is used to rank individuals based on their human capital. The breakdown of the 1,200 points includes 

1. Human Capital Factors – 460 to 500 points  (with or without a spouse) 
2. Spouse/ Common-Law factors – 40 points 
3. Skill transferability factors – 100
4. Additional points – 600 

The human factors considered include, but are not limited to 

1. Age – it is better to be within the age range of 20 to 35, usually the older you are, the more points decrease. 
2. Work Experience – have at least one year of full-time work experience 
3. Language Ability – the better your English or French is, the higher your points will be 
4. Education  -the higher your level of education, the higher your points will be. 

Invitation to apply (ITAS) is given to the individuals with the highest score and there is usually a cut-off score. 

Express Entry used to be the fastest way to move to Canada, as application processing time used to be 6 months or less but due to a backlog of applications caused by the pandemic, its been on hold and announced that it will resume by July 2022. 

2. Provincial Nominee Programs

Canada has ten provinces and three territories, and most of these provinces and territories have their own immigration programs to help meet their economic needs and goals, these immigration programs are usually called streams. Draws are also used to pick applicants that get to apply for permanent residency and live in said province or territory – each province gets to pick their own individuals 

Here are the provinces and territories that have nominee programs

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Ontario
• Manitoba
• Yukon 
• New Brunswick 
• Prince Edward Island
• Saskatchewan
• Nova Scotia
• Northwest Territories

3. Business Immigration

This is for the immigrants that are looking to start up a business in Canada or are self-employed and want to move their business to Canada. Some of the options available includes

1. Start-up visa program
   1. Entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to move to Canada and build a business based on the idea of being innovative and can create jobs for Canadians
   2. Some of the requirements include having a qualifying business that has to be innovative, confirmation of investment intent of at least $200,000 from a venture capital fund, acceptance confirmation by a business incubator, meeting the language requirements, and having proof of funds. 
2. Self Employed program 
   1. This is best for self-employed individuals i.e. farmers, artisans, professional athletes, and graphic designers who are able to prove that they have the relevant skills and can also support themselves and their families. 
3. Immigration Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program
   1. Candidates must prove that they have the business experience needed to run the business, have a net worth of at least $1,600,000, and can invest $800,000
   2. The $800,000 will be returned to the candidate within 5 years

Other options include the LMIA Owner Operator Work Permit 

4. Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Due to the pandemic, multiple immigration programs have been introduced to support Canadian employers with labour shortages. This program gives Canadian employers the power to hire foreign nationals. Any employer that wants to hire a foreign worker has to have an LMIA. After this, an LMIA-approved employer can officially hire a foreign worker in which the foreign worker can apply for a work permit and eventually for permanent residency. Some of these immigration streams are

1. Global Talent Stream
2. High wage workers
3. Low wage workers
4.  In-Home Caregivers and others. 

5. Study Permit

Studying in Canada is also a pathway to obtaining permanent residency in Canada, assuming all qualifications are met. To come to Canada as a student, you have to apply and get enrolled in one of Canada’s DLI (Designated Learning Institutions) – you will need to get a letter of acceptance before applying for a study permit. 

The main eligibility requirements needed to get an approved permit include a letter of acceptance, proof of financial support, and other supporting documents. You may be eligible for PGWP (Post Graduate Work Permit) after the completion of your studies. After a year of working, you can be eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Final Words

The first thing to do trying to determine which immigration program you need to do is to find out if you are eligible. You can find that out by taking our free assessment form – https://greenlightcanada.com/assessment-forms/

Author’s Bio

Mariam Balogun works for Green Light Canada, an immigration consultancy firm in Canada. An extrovert who loves digital marketing and reading.