Immigrate Federal Skilled Workers

General Questions

Q1: What is a Canadian Immigrant Visa?

An Immigrant Visa is a document which allows a person to live and work anywhere in Canada, and confers upon that person permanent resident status. It comes with certain responsibilities and can be revoked if the holder is out of the country for too long.

Q2: Can I apply for permanent resident status and temporary status at the same time?

You can apply for permanent resident status and temporary status at the same time (dual intent). Doing so will not harm your application for permanent resident status. However, your application for temporary status may be affected because an impression will have been created that you do not intend to leave Canada upon the expiration of your temporary status. Therefore, it is better to apply for temporary status before you apply for your permanent resident status.

Q3: How do I get Better Life to represent me?

You can call our office to make an appointment for your free in-office consultation:

 Saturday-Wednesday (9am-5pm)

Thursday (9am-1pm)

Alternatively, you can fill out a free self-assessment form on our website.

Q4: Who qualifies for an Immigrant Visa?

Immigrant Visas are given to qualified skilled workers, business persons, and to close family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Q5: Who can I include in my application for an Immigrant Visa?

Your spouse and any dependent children may be included in the application. Children must be under 19 years of age.

Q6: Can I include my parents and/or brothers and sisters in my application for permanent residence?

No. Family members other than spouse and children, generally cannot be included in the application; however, you may be able to sponsor your parents as part of the family class after you land in Canada.

Q7: Are there any special procedures for different provinces in Canada?

Certain provinces have been given the authority to select or nominate candidates for immigration destined to their respective provinces. Quebec has exclusive authority to select candidates who intend to reside in that province. These applicants are subject to Quebec's selection criteria, in addition to Federal medical and security clearance requirements. They must also pay an additional fee for processing by a Quebec Delegation. Applicants who qualify under the Federal selection requirements may not necessarily satisfy Quebec's selection requirements and vice versa. To a lesser degree, other provinces such as New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatoon, etc. have the authority to nominate immigration candidates for selection by Federal immigration authorities. Even without such nomination, you may reside in those provinces by meeting Federal selection criteria.

Q8: When do I pay government fees?

All government processing fees must be submitted concurrently with the submission of the application for permanent residence. By contrast, the Right of Landing Fee may be submitted at any time prior to the issuance of landing documents and is refundable if, for any reason, the applicant does not land in Canada.

Q9: What is the Right of Permanent Resident Fee (Landing Fee)?

All adults immigrating to Canada must pay this fee and can do so anytime before landing documents are issued. The Right of Landing Fee is fully refundable if for any reason the applicant or accompanying dependents do not land in Canada as permanent residents.

Q11: In what language must my supporting documentation be submitted?

All supporting documentation in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an English or French translation, as translated by a certified translator

Q12: Can I transfer my application to a different visa office after it has been submitted?

Immigration officials are required to transfer applications only in those cases in which doing so would enhance program integrity. Visa offices can refuse to transfer a case otherwise.

Q13: How long does the immigration process take?

The processing time varies depending on the volume of applications in a certain visa office and there is no exact time for processing applications.

Q14: What is a lock-in date?

A lock-in date is the date on which a visa office receives a completed application with full payment of the processing fees. The Canadian Courts have deemed the lock-in date to be the date on which factors such as age must be assessed. Thus, no points will be lost if the applicant's age changes during the processing of the application.

Q15: Will I be interviewed by an immigration officer?

Skilled Worker applicants for permanent resident status may be required to attend a selection interview with an immigration officer. Such interviews are held to ensure the information in the application is accurate, to verify documentation, to test language ability, and to help applicants relocate to Canada. Visa offices may grant certain Skilled Worker and Family Class candidates an interview waiver, depending on the qualifications of the applicant, the quality of the supporting documentation, and the overall credibility of the applicant. The likelihood of an interview waiver varies from one visa office to another. Almost all applicants under the Business Immigration Program will be required to attend a selection interview.

Q16: Is there anything I can do to obtain an interview waiver?

Applications which are complete in every detail increase the chances of an interview waiver. However, interview waivers are granted at the discretion of the immigration officials. It is not possible to apply specifically for a waiver. Even if an interview is waived, you may still be called to an interview, generally for quality assurance purposes.

Q17: As an immigration applicant, am I required to live in the province which I originally indicated as my intended destination?

According to the "mobility right" each permanent resident of Canada is free to live and work in any part of the country; therefore, once you become a permanent resident of Canada, you will be able to live, work and engage in business activities in any Canadian province or territory.