Whole Family Immigration to Canada – Plan & Execution
Based on the 2020 annual report to parliament on immigration from the Government of Canada, a total of 341,180 permanent residents were admitted to Canada for the period ending December 31, 2019. The report states that in 2019, Canada has also issued over 402,000 study permits and 404,000 temporary work permits as well.
All these numbers indicate the demand for immigration to Canada is rising, and Canada is also welcoming these interested immigrants to study, work, and settle in Canada. This is also evidently noted on the Government’s immigration plan to invite 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023.
This article is for families worldwide who are interested or are planning to immigrate to Canada. We will share the fundamental basic steps you should know if you are preparing for immigration for your whole family members.
Step 1: Find and Get Help from a Right Immigration Consultant or Lawyer
The initial step before doing anything is to research and find a right immigration consultant or lawyer that can genuinely and professionally help you and your family to immigrate to Canada successfully. This is especially important step because the more experienced and professional your consultant is, the better chance you’ll be led to a right immigration pathway for your family to take.
There are numerous ways where a person can immigrate to Canada, but there is an optimal pathway for your family to take based on your family’s plan, your children’s education, career expansion, past work experiences and education, English or French language skill level, and more.
For instance, if either or both husband and wife want to work in Canada, then the primary applicant can apply for a work permit while the spouse can apply for a spousal open work permit, which allows both applicants to work legally in Canada. If a husband wants to study full-time, and the wife to work full-time, then the husband can apply for a study permit and a wife can apply for a spousal open work permit. Also, it’s okay for either one of them to come to Canada as a worker or student, and the spouse can immigrate to Canada when permanent residence is approved. As long as one of the adult applicants successfully acquires an eligible study permit or a work permit, then their children can study in Canada for tuition-free until secondary school (high school). There are several factors that needs to be assessed before choosing a primary applicant such as each applicant’s education & work experience background, English language skill, and more.
As a result, not all immigration consultants or lawyers will be able to analyze your family’s unique information effectively, so please do your research to find the right consultant.
Step 2: Decide Where to Live in Canada
Once you have found a right immigration professional to help you, then you can start searching for areas to live in Canada. This research should be based on your decision on where to live (which city and province), an ideal place for your children’s education and your career expansion, and so on.
Make sure to discuss about your prioritizing factors with your consultant as where you live impacts your immigration program (city and province).
Step 3: Search for a Home to Rent or Purchase
Once you know the city and province you want to live, and which immigration pathway you are going to take, then you can start searching for a home. You can decide on whether to rent or to buy a property. Numerous immigrants usually rent first and purchase a home once their immigration paperwork is out and their road to permanent residency is stable.
In some immigration scenarios, your immigration consultants may not recommend you purchase a house right away because your intention to leave the country may cause your paperwork to get a refusal depending on your case. Ensure to discuss about your purchase decision with your consultant before taking an action.
Step 4: Choose a School for Your Children
Countless number of people choose to immigrate to Canada mainly because of their children’s education. Canada offers a top graded education, and the tuition fee is free up to secondary school if one of the parents have a valid visa/permit in Canada.
If you have children that you are bringing together, and if once of your main focus is their education, then make sure you do your research to find a right school for them to go. This impacts which city you live, and even a home location and transportation decisions, so thinking about this earlier is highly recommended.
Step 5: Open Up a Bank Account
Unless you only use paper cash, everyone needs a bank account for a faster and convenient transaction. Opening up a bank account in Canada is fairly easy, and there are many bank branches that offer different language services for newcomers to Canada.
Simply visit a bank nearby that you prefer to use, and request to open up a personal bank account. They will guide you step by step. Widely known banks in Canada includes but not limited to, Bank of Montreal, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and more.
There are some cases where you may not be able to open up a bank account right away due to your unknown credit scores as you are a newcomer to Canada. In this case, you can start by creating a bank account from other banks that have a lower entry barrier such as Capital One to build a credit first, and then create other bank accounts from banks you prefer.
Step 6: Decide on Transportation
You may decide on how you will be moving around once you are in Canada. You can choose to use a public transit such as bus and trains, or you can purchase a car via lease, finance, or cash purchase.
This is entirely personal to you as you and your family member have different needs and plans.
Step 7: Acquire Insurance
Acquiring an insurance for your house and car is mandatory if you are either renting or owning these properties.
You can also decide to get other types of insurances such as a life insurance if you prefer.
You can talk to local insurance professionals, or you can even request to introduce you with an insurance professional that can help you.
Step 8: Transfer Funds to Canada
You can easily transfer funds from your home country to Canada via using the banks.
Moreover, you can sway currencies by dealing directly with people in Canada that requires your home country’s currency. This can be very dangerous, so make sure you proceed this with upmost care if you are going to do this.
In addition, you can use reputable third parties that offer reliable currency exchanges and transfers.
Step 9: Get Connected to Your Community
Getting connected to same community for networking & socializing is one of the most significant activity to do once you immigrate to Canada. Your community can help you not just by sharing information with you, but you can easily find access to multiple platforms that your community has already built across the years. Many major cities already have established community websites for networking, and sharing information, so simply search for these communities by googling them or asking a person that shares a same primary language as you.
Conclusion
As Canada is accepting more immigrants every year, and the demand for immigration to Canada is increasing, it may be an ideal time for you and your family to start researching now if you are interested. If you have any questions, then please feel free to contact us by using our website’s contact us page or send us a free assessment via the website for us to analyze your case and share our expert opinions.
