One of the most important objectives of many people who arrive in Canada with a temporary residence visa, whether study or work, is to achieve their dream of staying in Canada to live permanently.
This objective is always a goal longed for by many immigrants, since Canada is a country full of opportunities for economic, professional and personal growth, and where many things can be discovered and achieved. Unique landscapes, a standard of life among one of the highest in the world, development and economic prosperity, and a vibrant multiculturality: it is not difficult to understand why Canada is among the favorite destinations for many immigrants in all corners of the planet.
However, the demand for Canada has converted the system of access to permanent residence into a challenging and arduous objective to achieve, especially in recent years, where not only have there been changes in transition programs to permanent residence by the Canadian government, but also the various global situations such as the pandemic and wars, which have further altered the Canadian immigration scenario.
But beyond the difficulties, there has probably never been a better time to permanently immigrate to this country in recent history since, in figures from the Ministry of Immigration during the last meeting before the Parliament in November 2022, Canada expects to accept a total of almost 1.5 million new permanent residents between 2023 and 2025. The plan is to grant status to 465 thousand people in 2023, 485 thousand in 2024 and 500 thousand in 2025. This last figure, the highest that Canada has ever registered in its history.
But among the transition options to permanent residence, as we commented on a recent blog, there are two major routes: the federal government with Express Entry and the provincial governments with their provincial nomination programs PNPs But speaking of one and the other, how long can they take to get you permanent residence?
Express Entry
The Federal Express Entry program, as its name indicates, has the advantage that it is “Express”. Although in immigration times, Express does not always mean waiting little, but waiting less.
Usually the category that applies to a candidate with Canadian experience is that of Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This requires at least 12 months of qualified experience in an occupation within Canada and paid on payroll (Payroll). For the same reason, if we take into account this, an applicant must first accumulate that 12 -month experience, and only then be eligible to apply. Since its profile is created and placed in the “pool” of candidates, if you have a good score the invitation to be applied will arrive in a few weeks (provided that the government carries out the corresponding raffles that are almost always made every two weeks, although lately there have been much longer pauses without explanations by the immigration ministry).
From the invitation, the candidate has 60 days to complete and send an application to IRCC. It is since the application is received, and considering that it does not lack any document, it is estimated that the processing time is about 6 months. Originally, these times were respected very well when the government launched the program in 2015 and remained until the time of the pandemic in early 2020. However, due to the great accumulation of applications, those times have been extended. Nowadays you can expect between approximately 6-12 months, depending on the complexity of each case.
Provincial Nomination
As we saw in a past blog, there are many provincial nominee programs, around 100 across the country, and virtually every province and territory has multiple categories within their programs. This means that the calculation of times is highly variable from one program to another, and even within each category.
However, to be able to give a reference, the processing times of a permanent residence application through a PNP have two phases: the application to the provincial government for the provincial nomination, and then the federal government for final approval. of the application.
When a candidate is eligible, he creates her profile and enters the draw, as long as her score is good and above the draw’s minimum score, he will receive an invitation to apply. In general, the programs give 30 calendar days to fill out the forms and attach all the supporting documents of the application. The processing of the same takes between 2-3 months. Once the nomination of the province is obtained, the application is made with the federal government.
This second stage may vary in duration according to the route through which the original application of the PNP was made. In some provinces and for some categories, applicants can combine the PNP program with Express Entry. So once you have the nomination, the rest of the application is submitted online through Express Entry, and as mentioned above, the processing will take about 6-12 months from when IRCC receives all the complete information.
If the category does not allow it, or the applicant is not eligible for Express Entry, then after the approval of the PNP there is only the mechanism of sending the permanent residence application in the traditional way, which is known as “PR on papers” since which historically was always sent on paper. However, since 2021 the government launched an online platform for this type of application. The processing time of the same, at present, is between 15-18 months from the date of shipment of the complete package.
As can be seen, processing times vary according to the program and the type of application being made. While Express Entry may seem ideal for its relative simplicity and shorter wait times, it’s true that the scores have been unusually high in recent months and the draws have also become less predictable than in previous seasons. For this reason, PNPs are ideal as they fit many different types of profiles, and help candidates find one that allows them to achieve the long-cherished dream of Canadian permanent residence. Even if it takes a little longer, the end result is worth the wait!
Remember that at Velosa Immigration we are here to make your Canadian dream come true, so we are waiting for you in a consultation to start your project of making Canada your new home!
