Yes, you’ve read it right. There are many programs that allow immigration without a job offer in Canada. You may be even allowed to qualify for Canadian permanent residency before you begin your job search in Canada!
Immigration in Canada means permanent settlement. There are more than 100 economic-class pathways to apply for Canadian immigration. Most programs rely on applicants’ work or study experience for qualifying.
A list of popular Canadian immigration programs that do not require applicants to have a prior job offer in Canada include:
- Federal Express Entry
- Alberta Express Entry
- Saskatchewan Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand
- Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream
- BC Skills Immigration International Post-Graduate
- Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
Canada PR Without A Job Offer via Federal Express Entry
Ever since the inception of the Express Entry system in 2015, skilled immigration for Canadian permanent residency is streamlined into three federal immigration programs. The federal Express Entry acts like an application database for these immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Each of these programs has work or study experience requirements but allows immigration without a job offer in Canada. Incentivizing Canadian immigration further, FSWP candidates need not have prior work experience in Canada to qualify. As a result, any foreign skilled worker with over 3 years of full-time experience in any skilled occupation stands a good chance to obtain Canadian permanent residency!
Express Entry year-end report noted occupations in Information Technology, and Business and Financial Services continue to dominate invitees in the Canada Express Entry. The 2020 Express Entry draws also invited more Food Service Supervisors and Administrative Assistants to apply for Canada PR.
Interested candidates will have to create an online profile and enter themselves into the federal talent pool. Further, the profiles are assessed and ranked based on the Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) which factors into core human capital criteria like age, education, work experience, and language proficiency.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invite the highest-scoring candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply for Canadian immigration about every two weeks. It is expected to resume the Express Entry draws for FSWP and CEC candidates from July 2022.
What are Popular Provincial Streams for Canadian Immigration Without A Job Offer?
The introduction of the Express Entry system had a profound effect on the management of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). The growing popularity of Express Entry forced PNPs to dedicate an additional provincial stream to invite eligible skilled workers to receive provincial nominations.
A provincial nomination may effectively guarantee permanent residency to eligible Express Entry profiles by adding extra 600 CRS points. For instance, the latest Express Entry draw invited 829 candidates with provincial nominations and CRS scores above 772 points to apply for Canada PR. All the invited candidates were required to score 172 points while the additional 600 points would make their CRS jump to 772.
Here are some popular provincial streams from friendly immigration destinations for your Canadian immigration without a job offer:
Alberta Express Entry
Here are some of the general eligibility criteria for the Alberta Express Entry Stream.
- have a valid Express Entry profile in the IRCC Express Entry system;
- have stated an interest to immigrate to Alberta;
- work in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development; and
- have a minimum CRS score of 300.
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Saskatchewan Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand
Not all immigration streams under Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) require interested candidates to have a job offer before applying. Canadian Immigration without a job offer under SINP is possible through these two provincial nomination streams:
- Saskatchewan Express Entry-linked stream: requires you to have an active profile in the federal Express Entry system in order to apply.
- Saskatchewan Occupation In-Demand stream: an applicant must have at least one year of work experience in one of the positions included on Saskatchewan’s Occupations In-Demand list.
Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream
Nearly two-thirds of principal applicants who applied through Express Entry in 2020 named Ontario as their province of destination. Such is the popularity of Ontario among foreign skilled immigrants!
If you wish to settle in Ontario and do not have a job offer, you may submit an application under the Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream. This stream allows the province to nominate eligible Express Entry candidates who meet the language, work experience, and other requirements.
About 8,000 prospective immigrants receive nominations from Ontario every year. You could be one among them. Contact our consultants to know more about your chances of immigration without a job offer in Canada.
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BC Skills Immigration International Post-Graduate
Any international graduate student in science from an eligible institution in British Columbia can qualify for Canadian permanent residency without a job offer.
The provincial government gives more weightage to candidates with a master’s or Ph.D. degree in the following natural, applied, or health sciences programs:
- agriculture;
- biological and biomedical sciences;
- computer and information sciences and support services;
- engineering;
- engineering technology;
- health professions and related clinical sciences;
- mathematics and statistics;
- natural resources conservation and research; or
- physical sciences.
To meet the eligibility for immigration without a job offer, you will need to submit your application to the BC PNP within three years of the date shown on your official transcript. For anything else, our consultants are just a phone call away to help!
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Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
One of many pathways under Nova Scotia PNP is the Labour Market Priorities stream that allows immigration without a job offer.
To be eligible for a provincial nomination under this stream you will need to:
- have a valid Express Entry profile number and put in writing your intention to move to Nova Scotia;
- wait to receive a Letter of Interest from Nova Scotia provincial draws;
- have the required supporting documents to demonstrate your work experience;
- be able to show your financial stability, say about $10,000 or less, to support yourself and your family.
Take this free assessment online to determine your chances of qualifying for Canadian immigration without a job offer.
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