Relocating to Canada from Nigeria has become a subject of discussion because it presents a wealth of opportunities for many. Canada recently announced a historic Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023 that will see the country welcome over 400,000 immigrants per year

It is however important to note that many who have relocated to Canada have advised that one must be sure before beginning the process.

There are two ways to move from Nigeria to Canada. They are: Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Canada is a federal country, with 10 provinces and three territories. Eleven of these jurisdictions operate the PNP.

Increasingly, Nigerians are traveling to Canada as temporary residents and transitioning to permanent residents. This is a popular route for candidates who do not immediately qualify for permanent residence when applying from Nigeria.

Time spent in Canada as a temporary resident counts towards a permanent residence application.

Here are the required steps to take:

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program is a program that focuses on individuals who have the education, skills, and work experience to contribute to the economy of a particular Province.

The program centers on graduates, semi-skilled and skilled workers. Each of the Provinces has streams designated to meet the needs of their labor markets that usually target particular categories of people

The Provincial Nominee Program allows different Provinces in Canada to nominate individuals interested in settling in a particular province. The program aims at enhancing a broader and even distribution of immigrants across the country.

The following steps are required to qualify for the Provincial Nominee Program:

1. Immigrants are required to apply for nomination to the Province they want to live in.

2. Immigrants need to possess the necessary skills, qualifications, and work experience for the Province to nominate them.

3. When approved by the Province, applicants should submit another application to the government for Canadian permanent resident status.

Express Entry System

Express Entry System is a system created by the Canadian government to address labor market shortages in the economy.

The express entry system consists of immigration programs that enable skilled individuals to migrate to Canada as residents.

The system offers some federal programs for skillful or experienced workers under the following categories:

1. Federal Skilled Trades Program for candidates who are certified and skilled in particular trades.

2. Federal Skilled Worker Program for skilled workers who have qualifications with a minimum of one year of work experience.

3. Canada Experience Class for candidates who have worked in certain occupations in Canada for at least one year.

The steps to take in the express entry program include:

1. Creating an Express Entry Profile: Interested candidates are required to apply through the Express Entry System by creating an online profile.

Applicants are usually ranked or scored following a ranking system known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Comprehensive Ranking System is a points-based system that awards points to profiles created according to specified criteria that include:

– Age

– Skills

– Canadian language benchmark: proficiency in English and French

– Work Experience

– Level of Education

– Provincial Nomination

– Relative residing in Canada

– Submitting documents in the document checklist: A document checklist is a list of the documents required to be with the online application.

The documents include:

– Birth certificate

– Marriage certificate if married

– Language test results got from approved English tests like the International English language Testing System (IELTS).

– Work experience documents which include reference letters and employment letters.

– Medical reports

– Education Credential Assessment report for foreign credentials and copies of certificates.

– Travel document or valid passport

Candidates ranked with high profiles following the Comprehensive Ranking System are given Invitations to Apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Immigration can be a stressful experience, but with the proper steps and timely plans, this can ease your immigration process.

(The Nation)

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