To live in Canada, you either enter on a temporary permit tied to work, study, or a visit, or you apply for permanent residence through one of several federal and provincial programs. Which route makes sense depends on your work experience, education, language ability, family in Canada, and how long you plan to stay. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs most of these programs, and many temporary permits can lead to permanent status later if you plan the sequence carefully. The rest of this guide walks through the main pathways, what each one requires, and what the process costs.
Temporary or Permanent: Pick Your Track First
Temporary residence lets you stay in Canada for a defined period tied to a specific purpose. Permanent residence gives you the right to live, work, and study anywhere in the country indefinitely, with access to public health care and most social programs. Permanent residents cannot vote in federal elections, run for office, or hold a Canadian passport.1Elections Canada. What Is Permitted Under the Canada Elections Act Citizenship is a separate application available after living in Canada for at least three of the previous five years.
If your goal is to settle in Canada long-term, you can either apply for permanent residence from abroad or come first on a work or study permit and transition later. Canadian education and Canadian work experience both add significant weight to a permanent residence profile, so many people take the temporary-first route on purpose.
Temporary Permits
Work Permits
Canada issues two kinds of work permits. An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer without your employer needing a Labour Market Impact Assessment.2Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What Is an Open Work Permit An employer-specific work permit ties you to one employer, one job location, and one set of duties, and usually requires that employer to first obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment proving no Canadian worker is available. Spouses and partners of certain skilled workers and international students often qualify for open work permits of their own.
Study Permits
A study permit lets you attend a designated learning institution. Students with valid permits can also work off campus up to 24 hours per week during classes and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks.3Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Can I Work as Many Hours as I Want if Im Eligible to Work Off Campus Studying in Canada is one of the more reliable stepping stones to permanent residence, because Canadian credentials and Canadian work experience both boost your ranking in the main economic immigration system.
Visitor Status
Visitors can generally stay up to six months. Depending on your nationality, you’ll need a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorization before arrival. Visitors cannot work, and cannot study beyond short courses, so this status doesn’t build toward a long-term life in Canada on its own.
Express Entry
Express Entry is the most-used route to permanent residence for skilled workers. It’s an online system that manages applications across three federal programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.4Government of Canada. Express Entry – Who Can Apply
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for people with foreign skilled work experience. It requires at least one year of continuous full-time work in an eligible occupation and a minimum CLB 7 in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.5Government of Canada. Express Entry – Language Test Results The Canadian Experience Class is for people already working in Canada on temporary permits, and asks for at least one year of skilled Canadian work experience within the three years before applying. The Federal Skilled Trades Program covers qualified tradespeople such as electricians, welders, and plumbers, usually with a valid job offer or a Canadian certificate of qualification.
All three programs feed one pool, where candidates are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). CRS points come from age, education, language proficiency, work experience, and, if applicable, a spouse or partner’s credentials.6Government of Canada. Comprehensive Ranking System CRS Criteria IRCC runs regular draws and invites the highest-ranked candidates to apply. Recent general draws have had minimum cutoffs in the low-to-mid 400s; category-based draws targeting specific occupations or French-language ability can have lower thresholds.7Government of Canada. Express Entry – Rounds of Invitations A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points, which effectively guarantees an invitation.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Every province and territory except Nunavut and Quebec runs a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) aimed at people whose skills or business plans match local needs.8Government of Canada. Immigrate as a Provincial Nominee Each province writes its own criteria and sets an annual cap, so eligibility varies. Some prioritize occupations with labor shortages; others focus on graduates of local schools or entrepreneurs willing to invest locally.
PNPs run through two streams. The Express Entry-aligned stream funnels your nomination back into the federal pool with the 600-point boost. The base stream is a separate provincial process, on its own timeline, that leads directly to a permanent residence application with IRCC. If your CRS score isn’t competitive in a general draw but you have a clear tie to one province through work, a job offer, or family, a PNP is often the strongest option.
Family Sponsorship
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor certain family members. The most common category is spousal or partner sponsorship, covering a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner. You must be at least 18, live in Canada, and commit to supporting the person you’re sponsoring.9Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner or Child – Check if Youre Eligible For a spouse or dependent child, there’s generally no minimum income requirement, which makes this pathway more accessible than many people expect.
Dependent children under 22 without a spouse or partner of their own can also be sponsored. Children 22 or older qualify only if they’ve been financially dependent on their parents since before turning 22 because of a mental or physical condition.10Government of Canada. Who You Can Include as a Dependent Child on an Immigration Application Parents and grandparents fall under a separate program with its own intake and income rules.
You cannot sponsor if you were sponsored by a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than five years ago, if you’re behind on court-ordered support payments, if you’re receiving social assistance for a reason other than disability, or if you were convicted of a violent or sexual offence.9Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner or Child – Check if Youre Eligible
Other Permanent Residence Programs
Several smaller programs target specific situations.11Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Live in Canada Permanently
- The Atlantic Immigration Program is for skilled workers and international graduates with a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador.12Government of Canada. Atlantic Immigration Program
- Quebec runs its own selection system. Skilled workers and business immigrants apply to Quebec first, and only apply to IRCC for permanent residence after receiving a Certificat de sélection du Québec.
- Caregiver pilot programs cover people with job offers in home child care or home support work, with a lower language threshold (CLB 4).
- The Start-Up Visa Program is for entrepreneurs whose business idea is backed by a designated Canadian investor, venture capital fund, or business incubator.
What Every Permanent Residence Applicant Has to Show
Language Ability
You have to prove your English or French through an approved test. IRCC accepts the IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core for English, and the TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French.5Government of Canada. Express Entry – Language Test Results Scores convert to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC). Minimums differ by program: CLB 7 across the board for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, but only CLB 4 or 5 for some caregiver and trade streams. Higher scores earn more CRS points, and time spent preparing for the test often pays back more than any other single thing you can do.
Education Credential Assessment
If you studied outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) confirming your degree or diploma is equivalent to a Canadian one.13Government of Canada. Educational Credential Assessment The report must come from a designated organization and be less than five years old when you submit your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence. One caveat worth stating plainly: an ECA is only for immigration. It does not license you to practice a regulated profession like nursing or engineering in Canada. That takes a separate credential recognition process through the relevant professional body.
Proof of Funds
Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must show enough money to support themselves and their family on arrival. The amounts are updated annually. As of the most recent update, a single applicant needs at least $15,263 CAD and a family of four needs $28,362 CAD.14Government of Canada. Documents for Express Entry – Proof of Funds You prove this with bank statements, and the funds must have been continuously available, not just deposited in a lump sum before applying. Canadian Experience Class applicants already working in Canada are exempt.
Medical Exam and Police Certificates
Every applicant and accompanying family member needs a medical exam by an IRCC-designated panel physician. You also need police certificates from every country where you lived for six consecutive months or more since turning 18.15Government of Canada. Express Entry – Police Certificates A criminal record isn’t an automatic bar, but serious offences will be.
What It Costs
As of April 30, 2026, IRCC increased fees across most permanent residence categories.16Government of Canada. Permanent Residence Fees Increasing on April 30, 2026 The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF), paid by most principal applicants and their spouses, is $600 CAD. Processing fees depend on the program.
- Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades): $950 processing plus $600 RPRF, totaling $1,550 per principal applicant.17Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Fee List
- Provincial Nominee Program: $990 processing plus $600 RPRF, totaling $1,590 per principal applicant.16Government of Canada. Permanent Residence Fees Increasing on April 30, 2026
- Family class sponsorship: $570 processing plus $600 RPRF for the sponsored person.
- Biometrics: $85 per person, or $170 maximum for a family applying together.18Government of Canada. Biometrics
Government fees are only part of it. Budget for language tests (roughly $300–$400 CAD each), the ECA ($200–$300 CAD depending on the organization), medical exams, police certificates, and certified translations of any document not in English or French. Total costs from start to landing can easily reach $4,000–$6,000 CAD or more for a family.
Applying and What Happens Next
IRCC’s online “Come to Canada” tool asks a short set of questions and then lists the programs you appear to qualify for.19Government of Canada. Do You Want to Come to Canada, or Extend Your Stay It takes about 10 to 15 minutes and is a good starting point, since people sometimes qualify for programs they hadn’t considered.
Before opening a profile or filling out forms, gather your documents: a valid passport, language test results, ECA report (if educated outside Canada), employment reference letters detailing your job title, duties, dates, and salary, bank statements for proof of funds, and police certificates. Employment letters are where many applications stumble. They need to come from the employer on company letterhead and describe your duties in enough detail to match a National Occupational Classification code.
For Express Entry, you create an online profile in the pool. If you receive an Invitation to Apply, you upload your documents through your IRCC secure account, pay the fees, and submit. Inconsistencies between your profile and supporting documents can trigger requests for more information or refusal outright, so accuracy matters at every step.
IRCC’s service standard for Express Entry applications is six months. Other programs run longer, sometimes much longer, especially in family sponsorship. During processing, respond quickly to any request for additional documents, and provide biometrics at a designated collection point if you haven’t already done so within the past 10 years.18Government of Canada. Biometrics
If approved, you’ll receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and, if your country requires one, an IM-1 single-entry visa. Your COPR expires with your medical results, and you have to enter Canada and complete your landing before it does. At the port of entry, a border officer confirms your identity, checks your documents, and formally grants your permanent resident status. Your physical PR card is mailed to your Canadian address afterward, which can take six or more weeks on top of the standard processing time.20Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Getting Your PR Card After You Apply A refusal letter will explain why; depending on the reason and the program, you may be able to appeal, request judicial review, or fix the issue and reapply.
Keeping Permanent Resident Status
Permanent residence is not permanent by default. To keep your status, you have to be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (two years) out of every five-year period.21Government of Canada. Understanding Permanent Resident Status The 730 days don’t have to be consecutive, and some time abroad counts — for example, accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or working for a Canadian business. Falling below the threshold puts your status at risk when you try to renew your PR card or return to Canada from a trip.