Canada Immigration 2021

Imani, an American citizen, intends to immigrate to Canada. As a hardworking small business owner, she believes Canada offers her many opportunities. Of course, she loves the Canadian culture and its proximity to the United States. Consequently, Imani wants to explore her options for immigration to Canada in 2021.  

Despite the economic downturn in 2020, Canada intends to accept 401,000 new immigrants in 2021. Of course, this is the largest number of immigrants per year for the past 110 years. Generally speaking, Canada accepts immigrants in one of the following major groups:

• Family Reunification
• Economic Immigrants
• Refugees

Let’s have a quick look at these options. Of course, you may also check out these sections of this article:

• Other ways of moving to Canada in 2021
• The cost of immigration to Canada in 2021
• The processing time

Canada Immigration 2021 through family reunification

Family reunification allows Canadians to sponsor their loved ones to Canada. Nonetheless, you need to see if you qualify under any of the following options in 2021:

• Sponsor your spouse or common-law partner outside Canada
• Sponsor your Spouse or common-law partner inside Canada
• Parents sponsorship
• Sponsoring siblings or other family members to Canada

Alternatives for family sponsorship

In some situations, when the sponsor or their family members do not fully qualify for immigration, an immigration officer could approve the application under the Humanitarian and Compassionate Considerations (H&C). However, in such cases, the officers consider the following:

• a child’s emotional, social, cultural and physical welfare
• the hardship imposed on the families
• circumstances in their home country
• their ties to Canada
• their establishment in Canada
• other factors that could affect an officer’s decision.

Of course, this list is neither inclusive nor exclusive.

Provinces and family reunification

Sometimes Canadian provinces introduce special family reunification opportunities for residents of their province. Of course, you need to visit the relevant websites or consult with a professional for more information. However, there are currently no special provincial options are available for family sponsorship immigration to Canada in 2021.

Canada Immigration 2021 for the economic class

Applicantsو who immigrate through the economic classes are mainly skilled workers, business owners, or senior managers with management experience and investment capabilities. In fact, the majority of immigrants to Canada fall under this group. We could divide economic immigration into three main groups:

• Federal  – These immigrants may settle in any province or territory of Canada other than Quebec.
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – The applicants immigrate to a specific province of Canada other than Quebec
• Quebec – The province of Quebec holds an exclusive agreement with the federal government, also known as the Quebec Accord, in which the province has the sole responsibility for its immigration programs.

Canada Immigration 2021 under the Federal Programs

The following programs were available through federal immigration in 2019:

• Express Entry or EE – This system, which has been in effect since 2015, includes three classes of immigration programs, namely:
  • The Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
  • The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
  • The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
• Self-Employed program – This program covers two specific groups, namely:
  • Athletics – Athletes and people active in sports (coaches, referees, sports managers, etc.)
  • Cultural Activities – Artists and people engaged in artistic and cultural fields (authors, musicians, filmmakers, screenwriters, artistic painters, singers, etc.)
• Start-up Visa – This program is designed for innovative immigrants
• Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot – Of course, this process covers caregivers who have job prospects in Canada. Nonetheless, it covers caregivers with past work experience in Canada as well.
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot – This program mainly targets people who have job offers from an employer in one of the Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot – If you have a job offer from an employer in some rural Canada regions, you may immigrate to Canada.
• Agri-Food Immigration Pilot – Some foreign workers in the agri-food industry may immigrate to Canada in 2021 under this pilot program.
• TR to PR Pathway – This program allows some international students and foreign workers to immigrate to Canada. However, you must reside in Canada. The program opened on May 6, 2021, and will end on Nov 5, 2021.

Canada immigration 2021 under the PNP

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Except for Nunavut, every province and territory in Canada offers some immigration opportunities. In fact, the Canadian Constitution Act 1867 enables provinces to manage immigration to their provinces as long as it is not against the Federal Government’s decisions. Consequently, for an introduction to PNP programs, visit the following link:

• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Immigration to Canada via Quebec programs in 2021

Quebec has a special agreement with the Federal government to manage the flow of immigrants to their province. Regardless, they have decided to keep accepting immigrants in 2021 and even increase their immigration targets.

Canada immigration 2021 as a refugee

If you have left your country because of persecution or similar immense issues, you could move to Canada as a refugee. However, the process of refugee application could be tedious and time-consuming. Therefore, click the following links for more information:

• Refugee Definition
• Claiming Refugee Status
• Refugee Resettlement Canada

Other ways of moving to Canada in 2021

You may enter or live in Canada for a few days to several months under the following options.

• Temporary Resident Visa
• Temporary Resident Permit
• Getting a Study Permit
  • The Study Direct Stream (SDS) Program
• Getting a Work Permit
  • A Special Work Permit for Performing Artists
  • Work Permit for Francophones
  • Work Permit for Successful People under Significant Benefits to Canada
  • USMCA – A Canadian Visa and Work Permit Perspective (NAFTA 2.0)
• Work without a Permit
  • Business Visitors to Canada
  • Other options to work in Canada without a permit
• Work Permit and Immigration Options for Artists

These temporary options do not necessarily result in immigration to Canada in 2021, but they could help. For instance, if a person works in Canada for at least one year, they could apply for immigration under the Canadian Experience Class. If a person finishes a Ph.D. program in Ontario, they could apply for permanent residence under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

The cost of Canada immigration 2021

If you intend to immigrate to Canada, consider the following charges:

• Processing fee – You need to pay the processing fee to Canada’s federal or provincial governments to ask them to review your application package. Of course, the amount they charge could vary from less than $100 (Canadian funds) to thousands of dollars. Nonetheless, the government increased some processing fees by 50% recently.
• Consultation and representation fee – If you hire an immigration consultant or an immigration lawyer, you need to pay their professional fees. Of course, the professional fees could be a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Nonetheless, while consultants or lawyers do not speed up your process, they could prevent drastic mistakes resulting in misrepresentation or other application issues. However, make sure to select a professional and knowledgeable practitioner. Needless to say, an incompetent practitioner could become part of the problem instead of the solution.
• Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) – We also know this fee as the landing fee. Nonetheless, the cost is currently $500 per person and applies to the principal applicant and their spouse or common-law partner (some exceptions apply).
• Biometrics fee – Regardless of your nationality, you need to give biometrics for immigration to Canada in 2021. Nonetheless, the current biometrics cost is $85 per person and a maximum of $170 per family.

Other fees you may consider in 2021

• Medial examination – All family members need to go through a medical examination. Of course, a panel physician must conduct the examination. Panel physicians charge you for their services. However, the amount you need to pay depends on your country and your medical issues’ complexity.
• Preparation and translation of documents – Of course, you need to prepare several documents and translate them into English or French languages.
• Other expenses – Sometimes, you need to conduct exploratory visits to Canada. You may also need to pay a good faith deposit to certain provinces. Consider other unexpected expenses such as travelling to another country or city to give biometrics, hiring an accountant, hiring a property appraiser or mailing your documents.

The processing time of Canada immigration 2021

IRCC tries to limit the processing time of applications to under 12 months. However, applications’ processing times could exceed a few years. Nonetheless, the following article sheds light on the concept of processing time:

• Canadian Immigration Processing Times: Seven Factors