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Business Immigration Lawyer
Evelyn Ackah Founder and Managing Lawyer,

Every immigrant who is now a permanent resident of Vancouver must have a PR card. This card is the official proof confirming their ability to reside indefinitely in Vancouver even as non-Canadian citizens.

For new permanent immigrants, the Canadian immigration authorities automatically give you a PR card without applying for one. The reason for this is that its part of the immigration process carried out by the immigration and refugee board.

You may not get your permanent residence card immediately when you arrive in Vancouver. It typically takes three to four months before it arrives in your mail. Most of the time the processing time is always indicated on the board's website.

On the other hand, you may need to renew your PR card. This might be as a result of a change of name, change of location, or a damaged or lost card. In this case, you will have to apply through the board website.

The Permanent Resident Visa is only given to foreign nationals. It offers them a one-time entry into Canada with a validity period within which they are expected to land in Canada. Students, workers, and foreigners who want to visit Canada are not entitled to receive a Permanent Resident Visa. Instead, a student will get a student visa, workers will get workers' permits and visitors will be given visitor visas.

Aside from visiting Vancouver as a student, worker, or visitor, you can choose to migrate as a permanent resident. The Canadian government has a series of programs it uses to admit foreign nationals into Canada.

• The first of these programs is known as Express Entry which is the most common and has the quickest and the most seamless processing.
• There is also a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) which is targeted at skilful foreign nationals.
• The federal skilled trades program is also another means of obtaining permanent residence.

Other immigration opportunities are Atlantic Immigration Pilot, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, Family Sponsorship, Start-up Visa and Quebec Selected Skilled Workers. You can get a full understanding of all these programs and their requirements by consulting an experienced immigration lawyer at a Vancouver immigration law firm.

IRCC requirements for Canadian Citizenship has requirements:

• The first requirement is permanent residency status—only permanent residents can become Canadian citizens.
• Secondly, your tax form must have been filled out for three consecutive years.
• Also, you will be required to take a Canadian citizenship test which you must pass.
  
• Language skill proficiency in either English or French is also a requirement.
• Finally, you can not have a criminal record either in Canada or in your home country.

Once you are eligible to become a Canadian citizen, the next step is to go through the application process. The entire process is a complex one and may require the effort of an extremely experienced immigration lawyer. You can then choose to employ immigration consultants or immigration lawyers from a Canadian immigration law firm.

• The application process starts with calculating your staying time in Vancouver.
• If eligible then you can proceed to download and fill out the application form.
• Please note you will be required to pay the application fee, submit your application test, and take the citizenship test.
• Finally, you will be invited to attend an interview and also to take the oath of citizenship.

The Express Entry Program is one of the easiest programs an immigrant can use to migrate to Vancouver. It is an online application where skilled immigrants can apply to become a Canadian permanent resident. Each applicant is assigned an Express Entry profile which serves as a ranking tool for admission. Your rank then allows you to apply for admission programs such as Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class Program.

The Express Entry Programs assess applicants based on several qualifying factors and assign a point to each one. Consequently, the point is used for ranking and determining the most suitable of the three programs as highlighted above.

Free Express Entry Score Calculator

Calculating points is based on the following;

• Skills
• Education
• Language
• Work experience

You can get up to 1200 points and there is a benchmark for admission into each program.

It’s possible to claim additional points if you

• have a sibling in Canada
• speak a high level of French
• receive a job offer in the country
• secure a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

This is immigration program is for workers who have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory and have ambitions to live in that province and eventually become permanent residents of Canada.

Working as an immigrant in Canada is based on certain factors. You might need to consult immigration lawyers to ascertain whether you can work in Canada or not. As a foreign national, you will need a work permit to work in Vancouver. The work permit can either be an open or closed permit. The open permit allows you to work for any employer in Vancouver while the closed permit has certain restrictions.

Students with student visas may also be eligible to work depending on the clause stated on the study permit. Generally, you can apply for work in Canada through the International Experience Canada option.

Permanent residents are eligible to work for any employer within Vancouver. Making use of an immigration lawyer in Vancouver is the best way to ensure you are qualified for employment and have all the required documentation.

You can make use of job websites, networking, volunteering, immigrant-serving organizations, employee agencies and recruiters to get a job as a permanent resident.

Permanent residents have the right to stay in Canada for as long as they live. Once granted permanent resident status, they must live in Canada for at least two out of every five years.

While Canadian Permanent Residents obtain the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, they do not have the right to vote, nor do they carry a Canadian passport.

On the other hand, Canadian citizens acquire the right to vote, participate in political activities, and run for office. They may also apply for a Canadian passport.

The cost of applying for immigration for an individual to move to Canada varies considerably depending on what immigration program you apply for and who is sponsoring your immigration application. Included in application costs is proof of funds that show you have enough money to settle in the country.

The estimated required money to move to Canada varies greatly depending on your type of immigration application and the number of family members joining you, if any. It also excludes the cost of your flight, accommodation, and other living expenses.

Because every case is different, we can’t predict an exact processing time for your specific application. Some visas have an option for priority, fast-turn around processing.

Processing time depends on IRCC’s visa office resources and the number of applications currently being processed and the immigration paperwork backlog. Your country of residence and application type also impacts processing time.

Ackah Law works closely with our clients and we do our best to ensure your application is processed as quickly as possible.