If you plan to immigrate to Canada in the year 2022, here are several alternatives for becoming a permanent resident.

In this post, we’ll look at three different ways to immigrate to Canada: Express Entry, Quebec immigration, and family sponsorship. There are more than 100 immigration options in Canada to choose from.

However, before you pack your bags, make careful to familiarise yourself with Canada’s travel limitations, particularly if you plan to travel during the pandemic. COVID-19 case counts in Canada are at an all-time high to begin the new year.

COVID-19 case counts in Canada are at an all-time high to begin the new year. The necessity for incoming travellers to take a pre-arrival PCR test was recently reinstated by the federal government. Most international travellers will be required to be fully immunised with a vaccine from a recognised manufacturer beginning January 15.

The official information on travel restrictions as they change due to the coronavirus issue is available on the Canadian government’s website. Students, labourers, and permitted permanent residents can still enter Canada as long as they adhere to public health regulations.

Canada’s principal immigration route is Express Entry. The Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program are the three economic-class immigration programs for which it is the application manager. You may be able to apply for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that is aligned with Express Entry if you are eligible for one of these, though this is not required for all PNPs. Some PNPs, known as “base” PNPs, are administered by the province’s own application system and may be more appropriate for some people who are not eligible for Express Entry.

A points system governs Express Entry. A high language score, more skilled work experience, post-secondary education, and being between the ages of 20 and 29 earn you extra points.

Other criteria that can help you improve your score include knowing French, having a relative in Canada, and having a genuine Canadian job offer, among others.

Not everyone who fills out an Express Entry profile will be eligible to apply for citizenship. Through bi-weekly lotteries, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invite the highest-scoring individuals in the Express Entry pool to apply. Only candidates who were eligible for the Canadian Experience Class or who had already earned a provincial nomination from a PNP were invited to apply in 2021.

Despite the fact that the usual processing period for an Express Entry application is six months, the average processing time in 2020 was nine months. The epidemic hampered IRCC’s processing. IRCC has a backlog of nearly 1.8 million immigration applications across all programs, according to the most recent numbers. The backlog for Express Entry alone is almost 140,000 applications.

According to an internal briefing paper, IRCC has to reduce the Express Entry backlog by “more than half” in order to meet its six-month processing criteria. Processing appears to have accelerated in recent months as the government rushed to fulfill its 401,000 new permanent residents target for 2021.

Express Entry permits you to apply for immigration to Canada from any province or territory other than Quebec, which is why it has its own section.

Quebec, which is largely French-speaking, has its own immigration program. Although the federal government has final authority over who is granted permanent residency, it is unable to enact broad immigration policies that apply to Quebec.

A Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), which is administered by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration, is required to immigrate to Quebec (MIFI).

The CSQ can be obtained through one of Quebec’s immigration schemes, such as:

Quebec’s Regular Skilled Worker Program is for foreign workers in skilled occupations who speak French.

The Quebec Experience Program is popular among French-speaking overseas students and skilled workers who have graduated from Quebec institutions.

Permanent Immigration Pilot Programs in Quebec for various occupations such as food processing employees, orderlies, and IT workers.

Your CSQ serves as proof to the federal government that Quebec has chosen you for immigration. Then you can use it to apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

You may be eligible for family sponsorship if you have relatives in Canada. Canadians can sponsor their wives and common-law partners, as well as their parents and grandparents, if they have dependent children or adult relatives. Other family members of Canadians may be qualified to sponsor them in specific instances.

Both sides of the sponsorship process have eligibility requirements. Canadians may be required to show that they are financially capable of supporting both of you. The person who is being sponsored must meet criminal and medical eligibility requirements. Both of you must prove that your relationship is sincere. In the case of spouses, for example, the immigration officer must be convinced that the marriage was not solely for the purpose of immigration.

Each program has its own set of qualifying requirements, as well as varied paperwork requirements based on your place of origin. On its website, the IRCC provides all of the most recent application forms and checklists.