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Sponsor your spouse, partner, or children

Effective December 22, 2014, eligible spouses or common-law partners have the opportunity to work in Canada while they wait for their application for permanent residence to be processed.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue open work permits to certain spouses or common-law partners who are applying for permanent residence from inside Canada, before the approval in principle decision on their application is made.
For more information and instructions on this pilot program, please see CIC’s program delivery update.
Effective August 1, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has changed its definition of a dependent child for its immigration programs. A dependent child should be under 22 years of age, instead of the previous limit of under 19 years of age. Find out more about the change in the definition of a dependent child. New application kits, forms, and fee information are now available. These new forms must be used starting August 1, 2014. Use this web tool to determine how your application may be affected.

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can sponsor your:

• spouse
• common-law or conjugal partner
• dependent children

to immigrate to Canada.

If you sponsor a family member to immigrate to Canada, you must provide proof that you can:

• meet basic needs—such as food, clothing, and shelter—for yourself and your family
• support your relative financially
• make sure your spouse or relative does not need to ask for financial help from the government.

Business (Entrepreneur) Immigration

British Columbia
Net Worth: $600,000 / Investment amount: minimum $200,000
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience or 4 years of senior management experience
Exploratory Trip: recommended strongly
Interview: upon request of BC Government
Deposit: not required
Job Creation: 1 full-time
Language Test: not required, but recommended
Nomination: Operating business required after 18 months to 20 months
Purchase of existing business considered and start-ups

British Columbia - Regional Pilot
Net Worth: $300,000 / Investment amount: minimum $100,000
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience or 4 years of senior management experience
Exploratory Trip: required
Interview: upon request of BC Government
Deposit: not required
Job Creation: 1 full-time
Language Test: required CLB 4
Purchase of existing business not applicable business start-ups only

Alberta - Farmer Stream Only
Net Worth: $500,000 / Investment amount: minimum $500,000
Experience: Farm management and experience with an existing farm business
Exploratory Trip: Recommended
Interview: Not required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Not required
Nomination: Once approval

Saskatchewan
Net Worth: $500,000 / Investment amount: minimum $200,000 (Regina, Saskatoon $300,000)
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Not required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: 2 full-time Regina, Saskatoon only
Language Test: Recommend, but required
Nomination: Operating business required for 1 year

Manitoba
Net Worth: $500,000 / Investment amount: minimum $150,000 (Winnipeg $250,000)
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience of past 5 years
Exploratory Trip: Required within 1 year at least 5 days to 10 days
Interview: Not required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required CLB 5
Nomination: Operating business required for 1 year

Ontario
Net Worth: $800,000 (Greater Toronto: $1,500,000) / Investment amount: minimum $500,000 (Greater Toronto $1,000,000)
Experience: 3 or more years management experience in the past 5 years
Exploratory Trip: Required within 1 year
Interview: Required in Toronto office
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: 2 full-time
Language Test: Required CLB 4
Purchase of existing business allowed with conditions
Nomination: Operating business required for 1 year

Ontario - Corporate Stream
Net Worth: none / Investment amount: minimum $5,000,000 (Land development $10,000,000)
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience
Exploratory Trip: Recommended
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: 5 full-time
Language Test: Not required

Quebec
Net Worth: $900,000 / Investment amount: not required, but 51% of equity of enterprise acquires or 25% of creates
Experience: 2 or more years of management experience
Exploratory Trip: Recommended
Interview: Required
Deposit: $200,000 (Greater Montreal: $300,000)
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required

Quebec - Investor Program (No business operating condition applied)
Net Worth: $2,000,000 / Investment amount: $1,200,000
Experience: 2 or more years of management experience in the past 5 years
Exploratory Trip: Recommended
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Not required

New Brunswick - CLOSED Temporarily
Net Worth: $600,000 / Investment amount: minimum $250,000
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience of past 5 years
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Required
Deposit: $100,000
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required CLB 5
Nomination: Once approval

Nova Scotia
Net Worth: $600,000 / Investment amount: minimum $150,000
Experience: 3 or more years of management experience of past 10 years
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required CLB 5
Nomination: Operating business required after 1 year

Prince Edward Island
Net Worth: $600,000 / Investment amount: minimum $150,000
Experience: management experience required
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required CLB 4
Nomination: Operating business required after 12 months

Newfoundland Labrador
Net Worth: $600,000 / Investment amount: minimum $200,000
Experience: 2 or more years of management experience of past 5 years
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: 1 Full-time
Language Test: Required CLB 5
Nomination: Operating business required for 1 year
Purchase of existing business considered

Yukon
Net Worth: $500,000 / Investment amount: minimum $300,000
Experience: 3 or more years management experience of past 10 years
Exploratory Trip: Recommended
Interview: Required
Deposit: Not required
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required

Northwest Territories
Net Worth: $250,000 (Yellowknife: $500,000) / Investment amount: minimum $150,000 (Yellowknife $300,000)
Experience: relevant management experience required
Exploratory Trip: Required
Interview: Required
Deposit: $75,000
Job Creation: Not required
Language Test: Required CLB 4

Rehabilitation

Under Canada’s immigration law, if you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada. In other words, you may be “criminally inadmissible.”

This includes both minor and serious crimes, such as:

• theft,
• assault,
• manslaughter,
• dangerous driving,
• driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and
• possession of or trafficking in drugs or controlled substances.

You can find a list of criminal offences in the Criminal Code of Canada and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

If you were convicted of a crime when you were under the age of 18, you may still be able to enter Canada.

Depending on the crime, how long ago it was and how you have behaved since, you may still be allowed to come to Canada, if you:

• convince an immigration officer that you meet the legal terms to be deemed rehabilitated, or
• applied for rehabilitation and were approved, or
• were granted a record suspension or
• have a temporary resident permit.

Deemed rehabilitation

Under Canada’s immigration law, means that enough time has passed since you were convicted that your crime may no longer bar you from entering Canada.

You may be deemed rehabilitated depending on:

• the crime you committed
• how serious the crime was and how much time has passed since you completed the sentence imposed for your crime:
  • 10 years for one indictable offence
  • five years for two or more summary convictions
• whether you have committed one or more crimes and
• if the crime would be punishable in Canada by a maximum prison term of less than 10 years.

In all cases, you may only be deemed rehabilitated if the crime committed outside Canada has a maximum prison term of less than 10 years if committed in Canada.
Individual rehabilitation

Individual rehabilitation

Rehabilitation means that you are not likely to commit new crimes.

You can apply for individual rehabilitation to enter Canada. The Minister, or their delegate, may decide to grant it or not. To apply, you must:

• show that you meet the criteria,
• have been rehabilitated and
• be highly unlikely to take part in further crimes.

Also, at least five years must have passed since:

• the end of your criminal sentence (this includes probation) and
• the day you committed the act that made you inadmissible.

If you are applying for criminal rehabilitation along with your temporary resident (visitor visa, study permit or work permit) application, you can submit everything together and apply at the nearest Visa Application Centre.

If you are a foreign national who needs an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), you have to submit a separate application for criminal rehabilitation before you apply for your eTA. You can do so by following the procedures below. Once you have received confirmation of your rehabilitation, you may apply for an eTA. If you apply for your eTA before you receive your rehabilitation, your application will be assessed based on the information currently available, and may result in the refusal of your application.

If you are submitting a separate application for criminal rehabilitation you must complete the application and submit it directly to the visa office responsible for your region by mail or courier only. You must also pay a processing fee.

Note: These applications can take over a year to process. Make sure you plan far enough in advance of your travel to Canada.

Record suspension or discharge

If you have been convicted in Canada and want to apply for a record suspension (formerly known as a pardon), check with the Parole Board of Canada. If you get a Canadian record suspension, you will no longer be inadmissible.

If you received a record suspension or a discharge for your conviction in another country, check with the visa office that serves the country or region where you live. It will tell you if the pardon is valid in Canada.

This will help make sure that when you arrive in Canada, a border services officer has enough information to decide if you can enter Canada. The officer will still check to make sure you are not inadmissible for other reasons.

Temporary resident permit

A temporary resident permit lets you enter or stay in Canada if:

• it has been less than five years since the end of your sentence or
• you have valid reasons to be in Canada.

If you have a valid reason to travel to Canada, but you are inadmissible, we may issue you a temporary resident permit. An immigration or border services officer will decide if your need to enter or stay in Canada outweighs the health or safety risks to Canadian society.

Even if the reason you are inadmissible seems minor, you must show that your visit is valid.

Expression Of Interest (EOI) Fee Structure

British Columbia
Creation of Profile: $300 registration fee and $3,500 application fee and $1,000 each key staff application fee
Invitation to Apply: 0
 

British Columbia - Regional Pilot
Creation of Profile: $300 registration fee and $3,500 application fee and $1,000 each key staff application fee
Invitation to Apply: 0

Alberta - Farmer Stream Only
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: 0

 

Saskatchewan
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,500 application fee

Manitoba
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,500 application fee

Ontario
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $3,500 application fee

Ontario - Corporate Stream
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $3,500 application fee

Quebec
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,500 application fee

Quebec - Investor Program (No business operating condition applied)
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,500 application fee

New Brunswick - CLOSED Temporarily
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,000 application fee

Nova Scotia
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $2,500 application fee

Prince Edward Island
Creation of Profile: 0 application fee
Invitation to Apply: $10,000 application fee
 

Newfoundkland Labrador
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $3,500 application fee

Yukon
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $3,500 application fee

Northwest Territories
Creation of Profile: 0
Invitation to Apply: $3,500 application fee

Incorporated 1983 in Alberta and federally 1984, Kentrexs is one of the most respected visa and immigration consulting organizations in Canada. We have maintained our status by offering reliable, high-quality service adhering to the highest industry standards with a superior commitment level to our clients.

The visa process can be confusing and overwhelming. Over the past three decades, Kentrexs has cultivated a reputation for carefully guiding clients through each step of the immigration process. Kentrexs has successfully assisted clients with all matters related to Canadian immigration, employment, and international studies.

Kentrexs staff members are experienced professionals working in Canadian immigration regulations and procedures. Our consultants are offer the services of an in-house attorney, a member of the Canadian Law Society, for our client's convenience.

In addition to offering advice and recommendations to clients seeking visa and immigration consulting, Kentrexs also provides assistance to employers in preparing Labour Market Impact Assessment applications for submission to Employment and Social Development Canada to retain foreign workers.

Most will people need a work permit to work in Canada.

There are two types of work permits:

- Open Work Permit allows you to work for any employer in Canada, except for an employer:

• who is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions, or
• who regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services, or erotic massages.

You can only get an open work permit in specific situations. Find out if you can apply for an open work permit.

- Employer-specific work permit allows you to work according to the conditions on your work permit, which include:

• the name of the employer you can work for,
• how long you can work, and

the location where you can work (if applicable).

General eligibility requirements

No matter where you apply, you must:

• prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires,
• show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home,
• obey the law and have no record of criminal activity (we may ask you to give us a police clearance certificate),
• not be a danger to Canada’s security,
• be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed,
• not plan to work for an employer listed with the status “ineligible” on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions,
• not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages, and
• give the officer any other documents they ask for to prove you can enter the country.

Global Skills Strategy applicants: You can only benefit from two-week application processing if you apply from outside of Canada.

Eligibility requirements if you apply from outside Canada

Anyone may apply for a work permit before they enter Canada. In some cases, you must apply to a visa office outside Canada. This is usually true if you need a visa to enter Canada or if you need to have a medical exam before you come here.

Find out what type of work permit you can apply for and if you can benefit from the Global Skills Strategy’s two-week application processing. If you are applying for an open work permit, leave the employer section of the application blank.

Eligibility requirements if you apply from inside Canada

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if you:

• are currently in Canada and have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit,
• have graduated from a program at a
  
  • Canadian university,
  • community college,
  • CÉGEP,
  • publicly funded trade/technical school, or
  • another eligible school.
  • have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more,
• have applied or been included in an application for permanent residence from inside Canada (you will have to pass certain stages in the main application process to be eligible for a work permit),
• have asked for refugee status in Canada and are waiting for a decision from the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,
• have been recognized by the RPD as a convention refugee or protected person,
• have had your refugee claim turned down by the RPD but you cannot be removed from Canada for reasons beyond your control, or
• are allowed to work in Canada without a work permit but you need a work permit to work in a different job.

Find out what type of work permit you can apply for. If you are applying for an open work permit, leave the employer section of the application blank.

Eligibility requirements if you apply when you enter Canada

You can ask to be allowed to work in Canada when you enter Canada but only if:

• you are from a visa-exempt country,
• you already hold a valid medical certificate, if you need it for your job, or are from a designated country, and either
• your employer has completed all of the steps for your type of work permit, or
• you are applying for an open work permit.

If you are a citizen of an eTA-required country, you’ll need to get an eTA if you plan to fly into Canada. To avoid additional costs, we recommend that you apply for your work permit before you travel to Canada.

Find out what type of work permit you can apply for. If you are applying for an open work permit, leave the employer section of the application blank.