Permanent Residency (PR)

Express Entry manages Canada's main economic immigration programs, including FSW and CEC below. You submit an online profile; if you qualify for one of those programs, you join the Express Entry pool.

Every profile gets a score from the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The government regularly invites the highest-scoring candidates in the pool to apply for permanent residence.

Your CRS score is based on:

• Age
• Education
• Work experience
• A valid job offer
• Adaptability
• English and/or French language skills
• Your spouse's education, language ability, and work experience

FSW is one of the programs Express Entry manages. It's scored using the same CRS factors above, plus these program-specific minimums:

• A high school diploma or the equivalent
• Proof you can support yourself financially
• You intend to settle in Canada
• At least 1 year of continuous work experience (or 1,560 hours total) in the last 10 years, in NOC TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities — a ranking of how skilled a job is) category 0, 1, 2, or 3
• A minimum CLB 7 in all 4 parts of an approved English or French test
• You're admissible to Canada

CEC is for people who already have skilled work experience in Canada — often international graduates who used a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) to gain it. Canadian work experience, language skills, and local networks all help CEC candidates succeed after landing.

Typical path for an international student:

1. Complete your program at a recognized Canadian learning institution.
2. Apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) at IRCC.
3. Gain at least 1,560 hours of Canadian work experience in a NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 job while on your PGWP.
4. Pass an approved Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test in English or French.
5. Enter the Express Entry pool. If you get an Invitation to Apply, IRCC aims to process your application within about six months.

A Canadian citizen or permanent resident (the sponsor) can help a close family member immigrate. The sponsor commits to supporting that person financially.

To sponsor a family member, you must be:

• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• 18 years of age or older
• Able to support the sponsored person financially for several years

You can sponsor:

• Your spouse or common-law partner — see Spousal Sponsorship below
• Your dependent children
• Your parents or grandparents — see Parent & Grandparent Sponsorship below

General steps to apply:

1. Confirm you're eligible to be a sponsor.
2. Confirm the family member you want to sponsor is eligible.
3. Submit your sponsorship application to IRCC together with their permanent-residence application.
4. Pay the sponsorship application fee.
5. Mail your application to the address listed in IRCC's sponsorship guide.

Spousal applications get priority attention at Canadian visa offices. If you apply from within Canada, your spouse can get an open work permit while the application is processed, and their status becomes permanent once it's approved.

On top of the general sponsor requirements above, you'll need to show:

• You can meet your own and your partner's basic needs financially
• Proof your relationship is genuine — photos, joint finances, correspondence, and similar evidence

Bringing dependent children

Your spouse's dependent children — biological or adopted — can become permanent residents and live with you too. A dependent child is under 22 and not married or in a common-law relationship, or is 22 or older with a disability that means they depend on a parent.

To include a child in the application:

• You and the child abroad must both be accepted by IRCC for a visa
• You must show your relationship to the child with a birth or adoption certificate

Reuniting families is a goal of Canada's immigration system. Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship (PGP) is the other major family-class pathway, alongside spousal sponsorship.

IRCC opens a new PGP intake period from time to time and selects sponsors by invitation. Sponsors must meet a minimum income requirement to support their parents or grandparents.

If PGP intake isn't open, or you don't yet qualify, the Super Visa lets parents and grandparents visit for extended stays while you wait.