Immigrating permanently
Canada selects permanent residents in three groups set by law: economic immigrants, family members and refugees. Skilled workers use Express Entry, which ranks candidates by points and invites the highest-ranked to apply. Provinces and territories nominate their own candidates, and Quebec selects its own. Citizens and permanent residents can sponsor close family. An IRCC officer decides each application.
Checked against official sources:
$990
IRCC’s Express Entry processing fee for the main applicant
$600
Right of permanent residence fee for most adult applicants
about 6 months
IRCC’s estimate for the Canadian Experience Class
$15,263
Settlement funds for one Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades applicant
IRCC’s fee list was checked on November 11, 2026, its wait tool on November 11, 2026 and its funds table on November 11, 2026. See every fee, every wait and the funds for a larger family.
Each card states one rule and opens the page that explains it.
The Federal Skilled Worker class needs at least one year of continuous skilled work in the last 10 years, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. It also needs an approved language test and a Canadian credential or an assessed foreign one.
IRPR s.75
The Canadian Experience Class needs at least one year of skilled work in Canada, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, within the three years before applying. Self-employment and work during full-time study do not count.
IRPR s.87.1
The Federal Skilled Trades class needs at least two years of work in the trade in the last five years. It also needs a Canadian certificate of qualification or a job offer of at least one year.
IRPR s.87.2
A province or territory nominates a person under its agreement with Canada. It alone judges the person’s ability to settle there.
IRPR s.87
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor a spouse, a partner, a dependent child, a parent or a grandparent. IRCC lists new parent and grandparent sponsorships as paused.
IRPA s.13, IRPR s.117
A person needs a Quebec selection certificate before applying to IRCC for permanent residence. The Express Entry classes are for people who intend to live in another province.
IRPR s.86
These steps are for Express Entry. A provincial nomination, the Atlantic program, the rural and Francophone community programs and family sponsorship each follow their own steps.
Each Express Entry program needs an approved English or French test. The Federal Skilled Worker Program also needs a foreign diploma assessed.
A candidate submits a profile online. IRCC checks it against the three programs.
IRCC scores each profile under the Comprehensive Ranking System. A provincial nomination adds 600 points.
IRCC invites the highest-ranked candidates in rounds. A round can be general, for one program or for one category, such as French-language proficiency.
An invited candidate has 60 days to apply. The application carries police certificates and a medical exam, and most Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants show settlement funds.
Funds for one person $15,263
Build a document listThe main applicant and a spouse or partner each pay the processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee. Biometrics cost $85 where required.
Processing fee $990
See every feeAn officer issues the visa if the applicant meets the class and no family member is inadmissible. IRCC then sends the confirmation of permanent residence.
about 6 months, Canadian Experience Class
Check current waitsFree, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
No. Two rules sit above every score.
IRCC publishes an estimate for each program, counted from a complete application. Today: about 6 months for the Canadian Experience Class, about 7 months for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, about 13 months for a provincial nomination outside Express Entry and about 18 months for a spouse sponsored from abroad. Qualifying and being invited come first.
Yes. The Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class need no job offer. The Federal Skilled Trades Program needs a job offer of at least one year or a Canadian certificate of qualification. In Express Entry, a job offer adds points only for a high-wage occupation on IRCC’s list.
One route is the Canadian Experience Class. It needs at least one year of skilled work in Canada, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, within the three years before applying. The language level is CLB 7 for a TEER 0 or 1 job and CLB 5 for a TEER 2 or 3 job.
Marriage alone gives no status. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor a spouse or partner, and an officer must find the relationship genuine. The sponsor signs a three-year undertaking. IRCC’s fee is $1,260, including the right of permanent residence fee.
No federal program grants permanent residence for a passive investment. IRCC lists the Start-up Visa Program as paused and the federal Self-Employed Persons Program as paused. A provincial nomination based only on providing capital does not count (IRPR s.87).
No fixed score exists. Each round sets its own cut-off, the score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited. IRCC publishes it after the round. A provincial nomination adds 600 points.
A Provincial Nominee Program lets a province or territory nominate people for permanent residence. Every province and territory has one except Quebec and Nunavut. A stream linked to Express Entry adds 600 points. IRCC estimates about 13 months for an application outside Express Entry and about 7 months through it.
Americans use the same routes as everyone else: Express Entry, a provincial nomination, family sponsorship, or study or work followed by permanent residence. US citizens have no separate track. Skilled work in Canada on a CUSMA work permit can count toward the Canadian Experience Class.
This page is the short version. The textbook explains the subject in full.
The chapters on this subject
The textbook on this subject
The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
Follow on Facebook to hear when the library opens (opens in a new tab)Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Selection, invitations and inadmissibility: sections 12, 10.1 to 10.3 and 34 to 42.
laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
The visa, the economic classes and the family class: sections 70, 75 to 87.2 and 117.
laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: Express Entry
Who can apply, the rounds and the application.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: Comprehensive Ranking System criteria
The points for each factor.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: Provincial Nominee Program
Who takes part, and the two ways to apply.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: Quebec-selected skilled workers
Applying to Quebec first, then to IRCC.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)