If you are looking to apply for Canada permanent residence from Nigeria, read on to discover which programs are available.

What Are The Options For Immigrating To Canada From Nigeria?

Canada’s primary immigration avenues are:

• Family Class Sponsorship.
• Federal Economic Class.
• Provincial Economic Class.
• Quebec Immigration.
• Temporary Residence First, Then Transition To Permanent.
• Business Immigration.

What Is Family Class Immigration?

Family Class Sponsorship immigration allows Canadian permanent resident and citizens to sponsor family members for immigration.

Which Family Members Can Be Sponsored For Canada Immigration From Nigeria?

• Spouse
• Common Law partner
• Conjugal partner
• Dependent children
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship
• Another relative of any age or relationship but only under specific conditions
• Accompanying relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children).

What Are The Requirements To Be A Sponsor?

• You must be 18 years of age or older.
• You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative, if necessary. This agreement also says the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support her or himself.
• You must provide financial support for a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner for three years from the date they become a permanent resident.
• You must provide financial support for a dependent child for 10 years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first.

There are many more options if you do not qualify through the family class.

Canada accepts the largest number of immigrants under the economic class.

Both federal and provincial immigration programs cover a multitude of skills and target occupations.

There are many immigration streams to be considered when considering applying for Canadian permanent resident from Nigeria.

What Are Canada’s Federal Economic Class Programs?

• Federal Skilled Worker
• Federal Skilled Trades
• Canada Experience Class

Canada’s federal economic class immigration system is managed using Express Entry. Many provinces also follow a similar expression of interest approach.

Candidates must submit a profile which is scored based on core factors such as age, education, work experience and language ability.

The highest scoring profiles are issued an Invitation to Apply to one of the above immigration programs.

Candidates then get 60 days to submit a full application.

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What Is The Express Entry Process?

• Submit profile and enter Express Entry Pool.
• Get issued an Invitation to Apply if you meet minimum points requirement.
• Submit an application in 60 days.
• Get a decision in target processing time of six months.
• If successful, move to Canada.

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A job offer is an important factor in increasing a Comprehensive Ranking System score.

It can be worth 200 or 50 points depending on the skill level. Visit skilledworker.com, the leader in foreign recruitment, to access our job search services.

Several of Canada’s provinces tap skilled workers from the Express Entry pool with their own streams.

A provincial nomination is worth 600 points and all but guarantees an Invitation to Apply.

The Express Entry target processing time is six months once the full application is received, making it a fast track to Canada immigration.

What Are Canada’s Provincial Programs?

• Ontario Immigration
• Quebec Immigration
• Alberta Immigration
• British Columbia Immigration
• Manitoba Immigration
• New Brunswick Immigration
• Newfoundland Immigration
• Nova Scotia Immigration
• Saskatchewan Immigration
• Prince Edward Island Immigration

Provincial streams are the next consideration for your application for permanent residence from Nigeria.

Each one of Canada’s provinces targets the specific demands of their labour markets with different immigration streams.

If you have specific skills, there could be a provincial stream waiting to accept you.

Quebec has autonomy over its immigration system, with the power to operate its own programs.

Quebec recently launched an Expression of Interest system similar to Express Entry.

Can I Transition From Temporary To Permanent Residence?

Increasingly, immigrants are coming to Canada as temporary residents and transitioning to permanent residents.

This is a popular route for candidates who do not immediately qualify for permanent residence when applying from Nigeria.

Time spent in Canada as a temporary resident counts towards a permanent residence application.

Work permits are issued through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, International Mobility Programand International Experience Canada Program.

Caregivers also have their own streams for work permits(under the TFWP) and transition to permanent residence.

Can I Apply For A Business Immigration Program?

Canada also aims to attract entrepreneurs and investors through its business immigration programs, with many applications accepted from Nigeria.

At the federal level, options include:

• Self Employed Program
• Start-Up Visa Program
• Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Pilot Program

However, by far the most popular business program is the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program.

It is the only passive investment program that leads to Canadian permanent residence.

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Quebec Investor: 2018 Primary Requirements

• Legally acquired personal net worth of $2 million;
• Two years of suitable management or business experience within the five years preceding the application;
• Investment of $1.2 million into a passive government guaranteed investment for a period of five years bearing no interest;
• Intend to settle in the province of Quebec.

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Quebec also runs Immigrant Entrepreneur and Self-Employed programs.

A selection of Canada’s other provinces also operate business programs as a route to permanent residence from Nigeria

Increasingly, the provinces require time spent in Canada setting up a business as a temporary resident before candidates are nominated for permanent residence.

Owner-Operator Business Immigration

Candidates looking to immigrate to Canada from the UAE should also consider the Buy a Business and Move to Canada Program.

Federal owner-operator rules allow a candidate to buy a business and move to Canada on a temporary work permit, before transitioning to permanent residence further down the line.

Under this policy a work permit is issued following the sale and transfer of the majority share ownership of an existing profitable Canadian business to the immigration candidate.