If you have already answered the question of whether it is worth moving to Canada, then you are interested in the details of immigration. Canada receives over 150,000 immigrants from different countries every year. Foreigners are attracted by development opportunities, the prospects for high earnings and the level of prestige of living in a highly developed country. From 2020 to the present, the flow of migrants has been temporarily suspended due to forced restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian authorities are planning to reopen borders to fully vaccinated foreigners from September 7th. This means that you still have time to prepare and make a final decision.

Immigration options to Canada

The complexity of the move procedure depends on your original purpose. There are several ways for Russians to move to Canada:

• employment abroad;
• starting a business;
• family reunification;
• education;
• obtaining refugee status.

Each of them has special requirements. There is no single answer to the question of how much money is needed to move to Canada. The amount will depend on the number of people moving and the chosen method. The minimum amount of money for moving of one person is about 758,000 rubles; for two, about 950,000 rubles will be required. The amount is indicated without taking into account the costs of obtaining the necessary documents and their translations.

Labor immigration

This option is a priority for most foreigners. Canada is focused on the influx of qualified personnel, therefore, several programs have been developed for specialists in different fields.

If you are ready to handle all the paperwork yourself, you can use the Express Entry online system. It was developed by the Canadian government with the aim of recruiting specialists from overseas. With its help qualified personnel can apply for resident status (registration is free). To do this, you must meet the following criteria:

• be fluent in one of the state languages (English / French) and confirm your knowledge with an IELTS or TEF / TCF examination test;
• have work experience in the specialty from 1 year and above;
• have a specialized education.

The number of the group of professions can be specified on the official website of the NOC classifier. Additionally, you will need to confirm continuous work experience and attach a bank statement on receipt of salary.

The assessment of the level of knowledge of the language is based on 4 criteria: listening, reading, writing, speaking skills. For each of them, your score must be higher than 6, i.e. basic knowledge will not be enough. Passing the exam will cost about 14,000 rubles on average.

And one more thing is confirmation of the compliance of your education with Canadian standards. To do this, you need to send your diploma to the appraisal company. A list of organizations with such powers can be found on the official website of the government. Sending documents and evaluating your diploma will cost you about 22,000 rubles.

You will also need a valid passport. All these documents must be in your hands until you register in the system and fill out a standard questionnaire. After uploading all the data and checking it, Express Entry will assign a point to your questionnaire. The average passing score of the Canadian system is 460. The grade is given in a comprehensive manner, based on your age, knowledge of the language, education, length of service, experience of living / working in Canada, the presence of relatives in the country.

After scoring, your goal is to be selected from among all candidates. You can also receive an invitation from a specific province for a nomination. This will add the coveted 600 points to your profile, which will guarantee you getting into the sample. If you are lucky, you will need to collect an additional package of notarized documents for the nomination within 45 days from the date of your consent:

• certificate of no criminal record;
• certificates from places of work with a list of job duties and an indication of salary;
• resume;
• copies of the pages of the passport;
• photographs of the established sample;
• full statement from the bank account for the last 3 months with the balance of the required amount (758,000 rubles).

Another way is to use the services of intermediaries who take responsibility for all organizational issues. The recruiter will help you collect the necessary package of documents and will bring you to the employer of interest. When choosing this option, remember - you do not need to make an advance payment for the services of an intermediary! The employer pays off with him independently.

How to get a residence permit in Canada

Before moving to live in Canada, you need to obtain a residence permit status. After receiving an invitation to collect all documents, the candidate is given 60 days. When you have them in your hands, you need to load them into the Express Entry system profile. The package of documents includes:

• health certificate (you need to undergo a medical examination in a specialized clinic);
• certificate of no criminal record for the last 10 years;
• certificates from all places of work for the last 10 years;
• confirmation of your educational level;
• language proficiency test;
• bank statement;
• photographs of the established sample.

It is necessary to translate all documents into English / French (notarization is not required) and pay the fee. At this stage, the amount of your expenses will be approximately +100,000 rubles.

The application will be processed within 3 months and will cost you CAD 1,500 to apply. If you receive a positive answer, you will receive instructions on how to proceed to obtain a Canadian immigrant visa. Upon arrival in Canada, you will need to submit documents to the visa center to obtain permanent resident status.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Immigration

The first issue to consider before moving to Canada from Russia is the pros and cons of immigration. The advantages are:

• high quality of life;
• decent wages;
• a wide range of opportunities for professional development and self-development;
• advanced medicine;
• security of residence.

But there are also disadvantages. The low unemployment rate indicates that the country has enough specialists among the local population. High taxes justify a comfortable standard of living in a democratic country. Therefore, you must have a sufficient level of qualifications for the move to be financially justified. Home rentals, insurance and other costs will also be significant.

Therefore, before immigrating to Canada from Russia, evaluate all the pros and cons.