🇨🇦 Canada · Permanent Residency
Permanent residency and golden-visa paths: eligibility, required years, investment thresholds, and official checklists.
Quick answer
Canadian permanent residence is commonly obtained through Express Entry (skilled workers), Provincial Nominee Programs, family sponsorship or business routes. PRs can live, work and study anywhere in Canada and must meet residency obligations.
Canada grants permanent residence through several federal and provincial programmes. The main economic routes are Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades) and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP); there are also family sponsorship, Quebec-selected, and pilot/regional streams. IRCC sets the criteria and processes applications.
- Express Entry ranks candidates by points (CRS) across three federal programmes; higher-ranked candidates are invited to apply.
- The Provincial Nominee Program lets a province nominate you; an Express Entry-linked PNP nomination adds 600 CRS points.
- Family sponsorship lets citizens/PRs sponsor a spouse, partner, dependent child, parent or grandparent.
- Quebec runs its own selection; processing times and quotas vary by programme — check IRCC for current rounds and times.
Official authorities
- Live in Canada permanently (IRCC)
Official overview of permanent-residence programmes.
- Apply for PR through Express Entry (IRCC)
The main federal economic route.
Frequently asked questions
What is Express Entry?
A points-based system (CRS) managing applications for federal skilled-worker programs; top-ranked candidates are invited to apply for PR.
What is a Provincial Nominee Program?
Provinces nominate candidates who meet local labour needs, which boosts their PR application, often via Express Entry.
Is there a residency obligation?
Yes — PRs must be physically present in Canada at least 730 days in every five-year period to keep status.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Government of Canada — Canada's federal service portal — immigration, taxes, benefits, and travel info
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program, work/study permits, and PR card applications
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) — T1 personal tax returns, corporate taxes, GST/HST, and benefit applications (CCB)