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Immigrating to Canada (4/5) – Your Documents and Your Application

If you are following my Immigrating to Canada blog series, by now, you may have already determined which immigration category or program you may apply under and you now have a better idea of how much money you need to prepare to support your application. In this post, let us discuss about the document that you need to apply to immigrate to Canada.

I have discussed about the documents required in applying to immigrate to Canada in one of my previous posts, though the application process is changing often, I noticed that from the time that I submitted my application in 2007, the basic documentary requirements is still the same, though I must note that the documents that they require right now is more specific. An applicant still needs to provide documents to support or prove the following:

  • Personal Information
  • Educational Background
  • Employment History
  • Language Ability

There are a few more documentation that is required depending on the immigration category that you are applying under. As part of most of the immigration process, you will have to pass a medical exam and get a police check (certificate). All immigrants must have these checks, no matter where they plan to live in Canada.

The application package for each immigration category includes instruction guide, checklist of supporting documents that you need to provide and all the forms that you need to complete. In the previous process, the instruction guide can be downloaded from Citizenship Immigration Canada website, however, there are some categories that process application online.   For online or paperless application, a person who is interested to immigrate to Canada must first find out if he/she is eligible to apply. The candidate will answer questions to find out if he may be eligible to apply in any of the immigration programs, he/she will complete questions concerning about his/her nationality, age, language ability, family members, education, work experience and details of job offer (if there’s any.) Based on the candidates’ answers, it will be determined which program he/she may be eligible for. If found eligible, the candidate will be provided with detailed list of instructions on what to do next.

If you already know which program to apply under start with your application process following the instructions provided to you after answering the online eligibility questionnaire or download your application package online.

When applying under the Express Entry, your first step is to become a candidate in the Express Entry pool. If you are one of the candidates in the pool that will be given an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence you should start to get your documents ready, you will have 60 days to fill out your application for permanent residence and submit all supporting documents.

If you are applying under the Provincial Nominee Program, you must apply in two stages. First, you must apply to the province or territory where you want to live. Under this category your application will be reviewed based on two things (1) the immigration needs of the province and (2) if you really plan to live there. After a province or territory nominates you, you must apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. A CIC officer will assess your application based on Canadian rules.

The same procedure also applies to Quebec-selected skilled workers. You will also apply in two stages, first, you must apply to the Quebec government for a certificate of selection (Certificat de sélection du Québec). This shows that Quebec has accepted you as an immigrant. Quebec will assess you using its own rules. After which, if Quebec chooses you, you must then apply to CIC for permanent residence

There are also two stages in the process of Family Sponsorship, first, as a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you must apply to sponsor your family member. The Case Processing Center (CPC) will process your application to sponsor. Then CPC will advise if CIC has approved your application. Second, your family member (your spouse, partner, parent/s or dependent children must apply for permanent residence. Your sponsorship application and the permanent residence application for your family members must be submitted at the same time.

Here’s the 5-step guide that you may want to follow in processing your application:

  1. If applying online, complete the eligibility criteria online and wait for your detailed list of instructions on what to do next.If submitting a paper application, you must obtain and print the “correct” application package.
  1. Gather your supporting documents and complete your application.
  2. Calculate and pay your fees
  3. Double-check your application package and the supporting documents to ensure that they are complete and correct.
  4. Submit/Send your application.

However, for the categories that I have described above, there are a few more other steps that you will need to take.

Note that when you submit your application, it will be a processed based on regulations that are in effect on the date that you apply, even if they change after you apply.

 

DISCLAIMER:  The author is not in anyway connected with CIC or MPNP, is not an immigration consultant by profession, any information or update shared on this site are based on the author’s personal experience and information gathered from news update from various resources.

 

Sources:

Apply to immigrate to Canada. Retrieved June 8, 2015.

Apply: Provincial nominees. Retrieved June 8, 2015.

Apply: Quebec-selected skilled workers. Retrieved June 8, 2015.

Invitations to apply – Skilled immigrants (Express Entry). Retrieved June 8, 2015.

Self-employed people. Retrieved June 8, 2015.

Momsiecle

Momsiecle

Momsiecle is short for Momsie's Circle. I started my first blog on a free blogging platform in 2006 as a just for fun blog. When my family and I moved to Winnipeg in 2009, I started to write about my challenges and discoveries about living in Canada as an immigrant. In 2012, I decided to make momsiecle.com a place to come for aspiring Canadian immigrants and for people who are embracing life in the “new world” that they are in.

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Cup of Tyh

HI I’M CRISTINA!
Thanks for stopping by, as I make this space to be my superwoman wannabe diary, I want to share my life experiences as a mom, an immigrant, a financial advisor, a mortgage specialist and my life in general.

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