Permanent Residence

Applying to Become a Permanent Resident (Landed Immigrant) of Canada

While studying in Canada, you may become interested in applying to become a Canadian Permanent Resident (also known as a Landed Immigrant). If you want to immigrate to Canada, there are a few different ways to apply. You will need to decide which immigration program will work best for you and your family.

Below are the several streams through which individuals can apply for Permanent Residency. Review the eligibility requirements and application process for the various categories.

  • Federal skilled workers
    For people who want to settle and work in Canada (outside of Quebec)
  • Skilled trades
    For people who want to immigrate based on qualifications in a skilled trade.
  • Quebec-selected skilled workers
    For people selected by the Quebec government to settle and work in Quebec
  • Canadian Experience Class
    For people who have recent Canadian work experience or have graduated and recently worked in Canada
  • Start-Up Visa Program
    For entrepreneurs with potential to build innovative globally competitive companies
  • Self-employed Persons Program
    For immigrants who will make a significant contribution to athletics or culture, or manage a farm in Canada
  • Provincial nominees
    One of Canada’s provinces or territories can nominate you to settle and work there
  • Family Sponsorship
    To sponsor a family member to join you if you are a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen
  • Live-in caregivers
    For individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities
  • Refugees
    For people in need of protection who fear persecution in their home country

Express Entry

Effective from January 1, 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada launched a new electronic system (Express Entry) which will expedite the processing of selected Permanent Residency (PR) applications for four economic programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of applicants from the Provincial Nominee Program.

Express Entry does not create a new program for Permanent Residency. It is an application management system for the four above-mentioned existing economic programs for Permanent Residency.

Two-step system

  1. Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for one of the four economic programs (listed above) will be accepted into a pool of candidates. Candidates in the pool will be assessed based on a number of criteria under IRCC’s new Comprehensive Ranking System.
  2. Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will receive an invitation from IRCC to apply for Permanent Residency. Candidates who are invited to apply for Permanent Residency will have 60 days to submit a complete PR application to IRCC. IRCC has committed to processing the majority of those PR applications in six months or less.

    * Please note: only a portion of applications for the Provincial Nominee Program will be processed under Express Entry. The Provincial Nominee Program in Ontario has confirmed that they will continue to accept applications using the normal application procedure for the International Masters Graduate stream, International PhD Graduate stream, and the International Student with a Job Offer stream.

Learn more about the Express Entry system on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.

Canadian Immigration Seminar and Permanent Residency Clinics

Offered every year by the International and Exchange Student Centre. Please visit our events page.

International Student Services

Our International Student Advisors support current students and students who graduated in the last six months.

If you require legal assistance with a Permanent Residency application, you can contact a lawyer or a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC).

The Law Society of Ontario offers a  referral service for a free 30-minute consultation with a lawyer in Ontario. You can contact the referral service by phone at: 1-855-947-5255; or you can  apply online.