If you fulfill the requirements, you can get a Canadian permanent visa, which is commonly called Permanent Residency (PR). Getting a Canada Permanent Visa means you can live and work in Canada – it doesn’t make you a native citizen.
Canada is one of the best countries to live in – from the city’s architecture to the government policies, you’d feel at home. Here’s a guide to how you can apply for a Canada PR visa and most likely get approved for it.
Canadian Permanent Residency Overview
As the name implies, this is a visa that allows you to live like a citizen of Canada, even though you’re not a native. But this visa isn’t given to just anyone that applies for it – you must live up to a certain number of years in Canada as part of the requirements. A lot of people want to get this visa type so they can enjoy more privileges in the North American country.
There are ways to get a Canadian permanent residency, in most cases, you have to apply through Canadian permanent residency programs. Until you have a Canadian PR, you won’t enjoy the benefits a native Canadian citizen enjoys. So, whether you’re an international student or a foreign worker in Canada, you still need a Canadian PR to enjoy certain privileges.
To get started, you need to read these documents ready and meet some requirements too.
- Proof of sufficient funds by submitting your financial statement
- IELTS, CanTEST, TOEFL, and SAT language test results.
- Original copies of your documents and translation of your documents supporting the application
- Academic degrees (certificates).
- Birth certificate to show age your age proof
- Medical clearance certificate
- Travel document (International passport)
- Police clearance certificate
- Employment documents for jobs you’ve done in Canada
1. Fill Out the Online Form
Your Canada PR acquisition process starts with you fill the online form, which comprises different sections you should enter different data. Of course, to fill out this form, you must have an active account on the Canada immigration website.
When you log in to your account, click on the “Apply for Permanent Residency” link and get started with answering the questions provided. All your answers are expected to be true, and you should answer each section completely – most especially the fields marked as “Compulsory.”
You may not be able to finish the application straight away, so, you can always save your progress and come back later to continue from your stop. Yes, you can pause and continue as many times as possible, but make sure you don’t take too long.
2. Scan and Submit the Requirements
You must scan and submit all documents indicated in the online form. Interestingly, the system provides a personalized document checklist to tell if you’ve completed the required fields in your form.
Look at the checklist and ensure that you get all the documents shown there. If you have documents in other languages other than English or French, you’d need to hire a translator to translate them.
Your translator must be certified; certified translators have a stamp to put on the documents they translated. Also, the translator should photocopy your original documents and stamp them.
3. Fees Payment
After submitting the needed documents, the next is to pay the fees to get your submission processed. There are quite different payment gateways available on the Canadian immigration website; you may be paying for up to five different purposes, which include biometrics fees and the right of permanent residence fee.
It is advisable to pay all the fees on time so that your submissions will be processed very fast. Well, after paying all these fees, if your application request is not accepted, you’d be notified and you’d get some fees refunded to you. Refundable fees include the processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee (if you’ve paid it).
4. Submit Your Complete Application
After you have paid the fees, book your biometrics collection appointment as soon as you can to avoid processing delays. Also, ensure that you book the appointment before the deadline date in your biometric instruction letter.
Submit all other documents that need to be submitted – make sure the documents were scanned neatly and everything in the documents shows clearly. Before you submit those documents, ensure that you filled in all the required data – crosscheck well enough.
5. Wait For Feedback
At this point, after you have completed the steps above – all you need is to wait for feedback, which should come to your mailbox or online account with the Canada immigration service. The feedback message may request you give a go for biometrics capture and updates on the status of your application.
In some cases, you may be asked to submit some additional documents or book an interview appointment for clarification’s sake. If you’re between 14 and 79 years old, you need to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) for every permanent residence application you submit.
6. Get Your Canada Permanent Residence Permit
At the end of it all, after you have met all the requirements and submitted the requested documents, you’d be handed your new/renewed PR permit so you can continue to enjoy premium benefits like a native Canadian citizen. Always go to “View the applications you submitted” and click on “Application status and messages” to see if your submissions have been processed and accepted. Always keep your eye on these tabs!
What More?
This is a complete guide to Canada’s permanent residency application. This is not open to people coming to Canada for the first time – only people who have lived and worked in Canada for a long time are qualified. For first-timers, you can apply for a student visa, work visa, or travel visa.
