Borders Law Firm

Presently, there are three Federal streams for individuals with business managerial/executive experience and high net worth to apply for Canadian permanent residency: the Self-Employed Persons Program, the Start-up Visa Program, and the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program.

Provincial Immigration Programs are here to stay. In addition to Canada’s Federal immigration programs, a number of provinces have entered into agreements with the Federal government enabling them to select and nominate new immigrants based on their own economic needs.

Individuals seeking to work in Canada must have their employment offers confirmed by ESDC before applying for a work permit at a Canadian consulate or port of entry. If the worker has received and is employed on a positive LMIA, ESDC has the ability to confirm that the conditions of the application are being followed.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Work Permits

Obtaining Canadian Permanent Residence. Canada is a nation that was built by immigrants, and the tradition of welcoming new permanent residents remains as strong as ever.

Provincial Immigration Programs are here to stay. In addition to Canada’s Federal immigration programs, a number of provinces have entered into agreements with the Federal government enabling them to select and nominate new immigrants based on their own economic needs.

Enter Canada as a tourist, business visitor, student or temporary worker. Foreigners may enter Canada as temporary resident visitors. The term encompasses more than tourists to Canada; it includes business visitors, students and temporary workers.

Avoiding excessive and undue hardship. Normally, applications for permanent residence are required to be filed at a visa post outside of Canada.

Dealing with immigration refusals head on. After months of hard work and sometimes years of waiting patiently for an application to be finalized, nothing could be more heartbreaking than to receive a refusal.

There are a variety of reasons why someone trying to come to Canada may be denied entry. A few of the most common reasons for rejection at the Canadian border include, threats to national security, past criminal record, posing a health risk to Canadians, insufficient funds to support a visit to Canada, and fraud or misrepresentation.

Individuals who have entered Canada as visitors, students or workers and who have allowed their visas to elapse are technically out of status. Although the law suggests that they should leave Canada immediately, immigration policy has incorporated a certain degree of flexibility into the system. Specifically, there are four options that can be tapped into which will allow some out of status individuals to prolong their stay or remain in Canada on a permanent basis.

Permanent Residence Cards. Upon landing, all new immigrants to Canada are issued a Permanent Resident Card (PR Card). The PR Card is valid for five years and to renew it, permanent residents must demonstrate that they have complied with the residency requirements as set out in the Act.

Individuals visiting Canada are sometimes refused entry. Grounds for refusal include past criminal offences, health risks to Canadians, lack of financial resources to visit Canada, presenting fraudulent documents at the border, misrepresentation and other breaches of the Immigration & Refugee Protection Act.

The L category is reserved for intra-company transferees who are temporarily entering the U.S. to work in a managerial, executive or specialized knowledge capacity. Unlike the H-1B category, the L visa has the distinct advantage of not being subject to an annual cap on the number of allowable visas.

TN NAFTA Professional Visas. Citizens of either Canada or Mexico can enter the United States to work in professional occupations listed under the NAFTA in two distinct situations.

The B visa category is for individuals who are entering the U.S. to engage in short-term business activities and who will not enter the U.S. labour market. In order to qualify for a B-1 visa, applicants must demonstrate non-immigrant intent. They must show that they will not receive remuneration from any company in the U.S., other than payment for incidental expenses such as travel and accommodation related to their trip.