Canada has been considered for many decades to be a great country to live in. The political situation is stable, economy is on the rise, and the country is beautiful. Canada has enacted Immigration Laws, which are aimed at expanding the pool of persons from which to fuel the new world economy. Canada needs people for their experience in various occupations and trades, as well as businessmen. Each year, Canada accepts approximately 250,000 new immigrants from all over the world. Persons can immigrate to Canada from any country in the world, and even persons who reside illegally in a country which is not their country of citizenship, can qualify.
Essentially there are three basic categories which are available for prospective immigrants to choose from for immigration to Canada, where independent persons or families can qualify without the assistance of any sponsors.
- The first category of independent immigration into Canada is known as 'skilled workers', where applicants are evaluated using a complicated point system, which is based on several factors, such as education, work experience, language ability, adaptability and age. It is important to obtain as many points as possible. To maximize a person's point total, is however only the first step in this process. Since the required number of points is high, many qualified applicants may not achieve it. Fortunately, Canadian Immigration law provides, that an applicant can be accepted as an immigrant into Canada even if his or her point total falls below the required number, if the Canadian Consulate is convinced that the person would likely become economically established in Canada, despite not having the required number of points.
- If an applicant is a 'business person', another method of Immigrating to Canada is based on his or her intention and ability to establish and operate a successful business in Canada. In addition, within this business category there is a group of applicants who can qualify if they have the ability to become economically established in Canada by creating their own employment and contributing significantly to Canada's cultural life, or if they have the ability to compete in athletics at the world-class level or if they contribute to Canada's economy through the purchase and management of a farm in Canada. The applicants in these business categories do not have to satisfy the usual number of points as in 1. above, but they must satisfy various other criteria. Applicants should prepare a business plan in order to increase the chances that the Canadian Consulate will be convinced that the applicants have the appropriate business experience, and the monetary resources to contribute to the economy of Canada.
- The most popular manner of immigrating to Canada for persons who have larger sums of money, is via the 'Investor Category'. These applicants do not have to establish any business in Canada, and they do not have to satisfy the usual number of points as in 1. above. They must however satisfy various other criteria, and must also invest directly with the Canadian Government the sum of $400,000 Canadian (there are loans available to finance this investment). The Government of Canada guarantees the return of these funds after five years. The funds do not earn the applicant any interest, but essentially buy the applicant and his or her family Permanent Resident Status, followed by Canadian Citizenship. The Government of Canada encourages these kinds of applicants, because they stimulate the Canadian economy. The applicants must also have a legally obtained net worth of Canadian $800,000, which can be comprised of cash and/or other property such as real estate, and this property can be located anywhere in the world.
The successful applicants in all of the above three categories will receive Permanent Resident Status in Canada, allowing them to work legally or carry on a business in Canada, followed by Canadian Citizenship.