We get asked this question nearly every day and for this reason we wanted to take the time to answer it once and for all. To make a long story short, the answer is yes. It is entirely possible to immigrate to Canada without a job offer. There are several Canadian immigration programs that you can qualify for without finding a job first. However, if you have one, it will be significantly easier for you to earn Canadian permanent residence because most programs allocate additional points for an offer of employment. It is our mission to make the immigration process as simple as possible for our clients. In this article, you will learn all about the best programs you can apply for without a job offer from the Federal Economic Immigration Programs to several Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) categories. Together we will find the perfect route to Canada for you.
Federal Skilled Worker Program
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is the only Federal Economic Immigration Program that you can qualify for without a job offer. That being said, skilled work experience in a relevant occupation is essential. To apply for this program, you will need to meet a list of requirements and score at least 67 out of 100 on its assessment grid. Points are allocated according to factors like your age, work experience, language ability, educational background, ability to adapt to Canada and several others. You must create a seperate online Express Entry profile to be considered for an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. The profile is also assessed on a points scale, but this time it is measured according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which takes similar factors to the Skilled Worker Program into account. The big difference is that your CRS score is out of a maximum of 1,200. Once you have been assigned your CRS score, your profile will be entered into a pool of candidates where it will be ranked according its score. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada holds regular Express Draws (typically every two weeks) that issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence (PR) to profiles with the highest ranking scores. If you are issued an ITA, you will have 60 days to complete and submit your application for Canadian PR. Do not worry if you didn’t get selected in a draw. Your profile will remain in the Express Entry pool for a year. This gives you plenty of time to maximise your CRS so that you can secure an ITA in the next draw.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Each province and territory of Canada has their own PNP, which allows them to invite foreign nationals to the country if they have skills and experience that is needed in their borders. This often provides foreign nationals with a fast-track option to immigration if they can commit to permanently settling in the province that invited them to apply for a nomination. There are several categories of PNPs that do not require you to have a job offer to apply. Below we will discuss the best options you can take and how to apply for them.
Alberta Express Entry Stream
The Alberta Express Entry stream is designed for candidates who can meet and address the labour market shortages in the provinces but who also qualify for the Skilled Worker Program. As part of the Express Entry system, applications under this stream enjoy faster processing times but that isn’t even the best part! You only need to have a CRS score of as little as 300 to be considered for this stream.
Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream
Applications under this stream only take between 2-3 months to process. It is designed for candidates who are in the Express Entry pool who have skilled work experience in one of the province’s prioritized occupations. You will also need to indicate your interest in settling in Ontario when creating your online Express Entry profile.
Saskatchewan International Skilled Worker Category
Both the Occupation In-Demand and Express Entry subcategory of the Saskatchewan International Skilled Worker Category do not require you to have a job offer. Instead you will have to have experience in an in-demand occupation for the In-demand subcategory. For the Express Entry subcategory, you will need to complete an Express Entry profile, notify your interest in settling in the province and you need to score a minimum of 60 out of a possible 100 on the Saskatchewan points assessment grid.
Nova Scotia Demand - Express Entry Stream
This is a very popular stream with some stiff competition. You will need to create an online Express Entry profile and you need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark score of at least 7. It is also required of you to score 67 out of a possible 100 on the Nova Scotia point assessment grid.
Manitoba Skilled Worker Stream
The Manitoba Skilled Worker stream is another option you can take to immigrate to Canada without a job offer. You need to score 60 out of a maximum of 100 on the Manitoba point assessment grid. You also need to submit proof of your work experience along with some personal and educational documents proving that you are able to settle and work in Manitoba permanently.
What We Do
If you want to immigrate to Canada but you don’t have an offer of employment from a Canadian employer, you can apply for one of the programs mentioned above. But before you can apply, you will have to know if you actually qualify for one of them. Once you sign up for our services, that is the first thing we will be able to help you with. We will evaluate your profile against all of the Canadian immigrations to find the one you are most likely to succeed with. After you have decided on the program you want to apply for, we will represent you on your application to make sure all of your documentation is correct and delivered on time. Let’s start your journey to Canada today!
