Canada is one of the countries that pursue that line of inquiry before you can expect to gain residency status. Although you may still enter the country, unless you have a sponsor or an employer, gaining a job in Canada is just as hard as anywhere else in the world. While waiting to find a job, without an employer or sponsor, you should ensure you have enough funds to go on living in the country.

Funds that the immigration authorities will want check normally focus on your own assets, which cannot be borrowed from someone else. Bringing your dependents with you is another point of interest. Since they literally do depend on you, you will need to have a greater sum of money available, specifically funds you have generated your home country. All the necessary documents and proof are required if you are to be successful in obtaining a Canadian immigrant visa.

There is a diverse set of options to choose from for anyone wishing to permanently work and settle in Canada. After satisfactorily complying with the three-year residency requirement, the Immigration service or Citizenship and Immigration in Canada (CIC), will review your eligibility for permanent status in the country.

One very effective way of obtaining a Canadian visa is by applying for a Federal Skilled Worker Class Visa.

This is how the country entices foreigners who have the relevant business acumen and technical skills to help make Canada a more progressive and technologically advanced country. This type of work visa is issued based on a points system and many factors are involved before a person can be qualified to apply for one, including age, work experience, educational background, English competency and even the coping mechanism of the individual to settle in a foreign country.

Once a Skilled Worker Visa, has been obtained the holder will be issued with permanent resident status. In this way, the candidate will enjoy equal rights to those of a Canadian citizen. The only difference is that they will not be allowed to vote. However, it will give them the freedom to choose where in the country to work.

Another option for prospective immigrants is the Immigrant Investor Programme. A minimum investment of $400,000 (CDN) is mandatory and investors must show that they have successfully managed an enterprise and have accumulated a substantial level of assets, not less than $800,000 (CDN).

Existing permanent Canadian residents or citizens can sponsor their foreign relatives, using the Canadian Family Visa. They need to confirm that they agree to support their benefactors for a specified period of time, usually between three and ten years, until such time that their relatives are able to support themselves financially. This is an easy way for foreigners to obtain permanent residency in Canada, because they will not have to go through the points system.

Canadian Student Visas are given to anyone intending to pursue their education in the country. Applicants must show proof that an approved Canadian educational institution will accept them. In this way, students can work part-time and their visas will be renewed if they wish to further their studies. However, if they will be in the country for less than six months, then a Canadian Study Visa is not necessary.

Holders of Tourist Visas can only stay in Canada for a maximum of six months and it is strictly forbidden for them to seek employment in the country.

Skilled workers and professionals are provided with various options when planning to immigrate to Canada and foreign nationals can apply for permanent or temporary visas. All categories have corresponding points, which determine whether the individual applicant achieves the required score, based on a set of criteria.

Online visa assessments are available on a number of websites, so it is quite a simple matter to check if you are likely to have your application accepted. Around 250,000 Canadian visas are offered to experienced workers, most of whom are also offered permanent residency.

The Skilled Worker Class category includes permanent residency and this can be applied for personally or through the provincial nominee programme.

Investors are usually given Canada business class visa options and this can be issued to either a self-employed person or the owner of a corporation.

Sponsorship is also allowed and this takes the form of a family class Canadian visa. This application is usually initiated by a Canadian national or permanent resident on behalf of a foreign relative. Medical and security checks are required before such applications are granted.

A Canadian work experience student or graduate from a Canadian college gives an individual the chance to secure a Canadian experience class visa, which can later be converted to permanent residency. Canada is particularly looking to attract immigrants with good credentials and strong backgrounds in English and French languages.

Investors, businessmen and self-employed workers can also apply for visas. Skilled employees who wish to immigrate to Canada using the Provincial Nominee Programme Visa should have the skills, background and work experience necessary to contribute to the economic progress of the country.

This is a type of Canadian visa that allows an alien to temporarily work in the country. A work permit is not intended to be seen as a stepping-stone to allowing the permanent residency of an alien worker; rather it serves as a means of helping Canadian employers deal with a labour shortage.

What are the benefits of getting a work permit?

Aliens who hold a work permit may be allowed to bypass a point-based assessment. Skilled workers are normally required to meet a point threshold in order to obtain a visa to Canada, but work permits enable foreign workers to enter the Canadian job market under the sponsorship of a Canadian employer.

Are work permits transferable?

No, but aliens holding a work permit can apply for another immigration status during their stay.

Can a Canada visa holder migrate with his dependents?

A work visa allows marriage and spouse immigration; however, dependents are not allowed to work unless they themselves qualify for a work visa.

How can workers apply for a Canada visa?

You need to wait until the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) confirms the availability of job openings for foreigners. You may then request a Canadian visa from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). If you are planning to work in Quebec, you also need to obtain approval from the province’s immigration authorities.

Under what circumstances can an alien work in Canada without a visa?

The following is the list of work permit exemptions: Expert witnesses and investigators, civil aviation inspectors, flight attendants, journalists and diplomats.

Moving to Canada means working through the procedures laid down by the Canadian Immigration Office.

The office, which is located in Quebec, can assist immigrants in processing their applications to move to Canada. It operates closely with its clients and customers and all files are properly evaluated before being sent to Immigration Canada. All the assistance you may require is provided by Canadian Immigration, from the filing of an application to giving advice on the various immigration categories, such as employment or student visas.

A questionnaire is given to evaluate applicants before the actual processing process begins. For skilled workers, factors such as education, language, work experience, age, arranged employment and adaptability are considered. Students must have study permits or Temporary Resident Visas. If business is the purpose of the immigration, the applicant must apply as an investor, entrepreneur or self-employed and each category has specific requirements.

It is the duty of the Canadian Immigration Office to check all of these factors to ensure a safe and fulfilling Canadian immigration process.

Other services of the Canadian Immigration Office include assistance in providing support documentation, the completion of government forms, legal assistance, monitoring of the application process and suggesting solutions to possible problems that applicants may encounter with the Canadian government. Applicants will only be charged for professional services, consultations and mail correspondence.

The professional consultants at the Canadian Immigration Office have one goal in mind, to give you the best service.

For example Canada’s Visa policies have recently (July 2009) been updated to reflect the need for people immigrating to the country from Mexico and the Czech Republic to hold a Visa. Although this won’t be relevant to you as a UK citizen it is still worth knowing exactly what changes take place over time in the Canadian Visa policy.

Recently too, in June 2009, Citizenship and Immigration Canada introduced a new bill to help protect vulnerable foreign workers from human trafficking. This focused particularly on protecting live-in caregivers and dancers who could potentially be the victims of exploitation.

The Government of Canada also lately introduced a new resource for Canadian employers interested in hiring internationally trained workers. Since this was announced in June 2009 people have already been selected from the UK to improve the labour market integration in Canada. The Canadian Government is committed to promoting multi-culturalism and diversity, and propose to invest $50 million into this project. If working permanently in Canada is something you are considering, then knowing about announcements such as these is certainly worthwhile.

The different visa categories have been created to make sure that potential applicants choose the right visa to meet their requirements. For work visas, Canadian Immigration allows up to 18 months for an unskilled temporary work visa, but requires experience in certain sectors before approving an application for longer periods. However, the list of professions is quite broad and if you are applying as an entrepreneur you can obtain visas of varying lengths depending on the size of your business and what you plan to provide for the country. Canada visas are also issued to farmers who agree to take certain areas of land for cultivation.

As the Canadians take pride in their culture, visa laws are considered more liberal for artists and people who work in the entertainment industry. If you can prove you will add to the country’s cultural standing, it will increase your chances of your visa application being approved.

You can also be granted a visa if you have family or a spouse in the country and you will be allowed to apply for visas for your own family after you have been resident for a specified length of time.

Recently a change in immigration law has allowed children of temporary workers in Alberta and Ontario to obtain work permits. This is currently a temporary scheme and eligible candidates will have to meet certain requirements.  Canadian immigration laws can vary quite substantially from province to province and no similar schemes have been put in place in other areas of the country.

A new report detailing the impact of Canada’s immigration reform has just been released by the Maytree Foundation, a Canadian policy research organisation, and this may bring about further changes to the country’s immigration policy. Currently, Canada has a quite liberal stance in comparison to most countries for migrants arriving from the UK, and the data collected in the report suggests that closer monitoring should be brought in for temporary workers. It was also stated that immigration was “fundamental to the nation’s social and economic well-being”.

The country of Canada is largely under-populated, but smaller communities in the rural areas, such as North Bay, Ontario, have developed initiatives to attract more migrants into these areas. It is well worth considering rural areas as a location to settle if you are applying for a permanent visa to Canada as this will increase the chances of your Canada visa application being approved.

Every year, Canada offers up to 100,000 slots for foreign workers to fill. However, the process of working abroad is not that simple. Like other countries, the government has set a particular procedure before working abroad, just to make sure both the employers’ and employees’ welfare are protected. One of the “must” procedures to be followed is having a ‘working permit’. In Canada, one must first file a working application and wait for its confirmation before he shall be granted a ‘working permit’. Once granted with the said application, submitting the important papers such as a short-term residential visa (if required by the employer) is necessary, in the office of a Canadian embassy, consulate or high commission abroad.

A Canadian Work Permit, which is issued by the Canadian immigration office, is necessary before working in Canada. Listed below are some important points for those wishing to work in Canada to remember.

Typically, ‘working permits’ are prerequisites to every Canadian employer before hiring an employee. However, there are also “job openings” that are allowed by Canadian immigration, which are non-employer specific. These ‘working permits’ are short-term in nature, but can possibly be extended in duration inside Canada. More often, authorities from Canadian immigration grant a ‘work permit’ if, and only if, it is positively supported by the “Labour Market Opinion” letter or LMO released by the Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC).

Before a family’s Canadian Immigration application is approved, much paperwork will need to be filed and checked. The first thing that you will need to do is to determine the category under which you will submit your application.

Based on a set of criteria, Canadian immigrants are classified into different types, namely: Skilled Workers, Provincial Nominee, Business Class, Family Class, Canadian Experience, Retirees, and Refugees.

Applicants should have proof of the following: business or employment background in the form of correspondence from business associates or employers; proof of financial net worth, which includes deposits, official property valuations, shares, and the like, which must be confirmed by your bank references; and educational credentials, backed-up by diplomas, degrees, and certificates. These documents must be presented to a Canadian visa office. Applicants should also submit the original certificates of live birth and marriage issued by a government office or an institution. If applicable, spousal death certificates or divorce decrees, together with custody orders, should also be presented. It is paramount that all applicants are bearers of a valid passport.

The application for permanent residence must be submitted together with the processing fee. A successful approval of application will lead to an interview, which will be scheduled by the Canadian Consular office.

Applicants are required to undergo medical examinations. Children above the age of 18 must submit police clearance to prove zero criminal convictions. These documents are to prove that no immigrant will cause harm to public health and safety.