In 2022, Canada’s Immigration minister announced a new plan to provide a pathway for temporary residents to gain citizenship and permanent residency. With an ever-deepening labor shortage, Canada is looking for ways to encouraging more foreign workers to move to Canada permanently. The new plan outlines a five-pillar strategy to help temporary residents become Canadian citizens.
Five pillar strategy for increasing immigration
According to Government of Canada, the five-pillar strategy includes:
- Increasing immigration targets to encourage a larger labor supply
- Reforming the Express Entry system to enable appropriate candidates to be invited to apply for permanent residency based on labor market requirements
- Improve to permanent economic immigration programs for essential workers in high-demand occupations such as medicine and nursing.
- Helping municipalities attract and retain newcomers to address their local labor needs.
- Increasing capacity, improving client experience, and modernizing the immigration system through technological improvements to shorten the immigration processing time.
Resources for workers immigrating to Canada
When considering immigrating to Canada, there are several useful resources to help you plan this lifestyle change. First of all, check out the Canadian government’s website to understand the criteria under which you can apply for residency and the procedure you need to go through. Here, you can check your eligibility for immigration to Canada based on your education, experience, and skills.
The website Moving to Canada is also very informative and can help you identify where you might want to live, how to find a job, and the cost of buying or renting property. You can also learn about Canadian culture, how to become integrated into the community, and all about the main cities and surrounding areas in Canada so you can choose the area that best suits your needs.
Checklist for moving to Canada
- What are your reasons for wanting to move to Canada? Be clear on the advantages.
- Check eligibility and establish which pathway to citizenship is appropriate.
- Consult an immigration lawyer if your circumstances are complicated
- Apply for your visa – this can take up to 6 months on the Express Entry system.
- Apply for jobs in your chosen location.
- Ensure you have sufficient funds and open a Canadian bank account.
- Arrange travel insurance and make sure your passport is valid.
- Book flights and somewhere to stay for the first week or two if you haven’t already rented or purchased a property before move day.
- Arrange to ship your possessions to your new home.
- Update your resume in the Canadian format if you will be job hunting on arrival.
- Have references from previous employers or landlords available for inspection.
- Cancel your mobile phone contract and locate a new provider in Canada.
- Pack appropriately, especially for cold weather. Daily average temperatures in Toronto range from -3C in January to 22C in August but in Northern Canada, for example, in Whitehorse, Yukon, you can expect average daily temperatures of -15C in January up to 14C in July. Expect snow from October through to April.
Your money in Canada
Moving to Canada could enable you to earn significantly higher wages. While the cost of living may also be higher, sending money home may still be possible. The Western Union money transfer app makes this process very straightforward and easily repeatable for recurring money transfers to far-away families. You can send money in person from one of our agent locations across Canada, or you can visit /ca/en/home.html
If you require further help to make cross-border payments, contact our Help Centre.
