Canada is one of the most popular locations in the world for UK citizens to move to, yet it is often believed to have one of the strictest immigration policies. With it's close ties to the UK, it's ease of access and of course high standard of living, Canada has become a front runner for most British people looking to move abroad permanently. There are a number of different visas available for moving to Canada and in most cases people can find one that is suitable for them.
Points Based Immigration to Canada
If you'd like to apply for immigration to Canada on an independent visa, you can check to see if you're eligible through the points based system. In 2003, Canada changed their points system by lowering it from 75 points to 67. As this is the most popular way of immigrating to Canada, you should plan well in advance if you're trying to get a visa through this method. The points system takes into account the following:
- Education – The level of your education will determine how many points you get in this area with a maximum of 25 available.
- English and French Language Ability – If you have high proficiency in English and French, this means you can obtain up to a maximum of 24 points
- Work Experience – The number of years you've spent in a particular job and at what level can influence your points here. You can obtain a maximum of 21 points.
- Age – Your age will have an effect on your application when applying for a Canadian Visa. You can obtain a maximum of ten points here if you're in the 21-49 years old age group.
- Arranged Employment – If you have a job waiting for you in Canada this can help your points. You can obtain up to ten points here.
- Adaptability – This covers a number of areas from what your spousal level of education is, whether they've studied or lived in Canada or whether they have family in Canada. Ten points in total are available here.
As well as this you will need to be able to show that you have enough funds to look after yourself for a certain period of time. If you have arranged employment however you don't need to prove you have sufficient funds.

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There are a few different types of visa available under the family group in Canada. These are:
- Canada Family Class Visa – This visa exists so that permanent residents can sponsor one of their relatives to help them move to Canada permanently also. This doesn't require assessment through the traditional points scheme or via work means.
- Canada Spouse Visa – If you marry, have a common-law relationship with, or are in a partnership with a Canadian citizen you may be entitled to apply for a Spouse Visa. This is a sponsorship visa where you will be sponsored by your spouse to live there. You spouse must sponsor you for between three and ten years until you are settled and setup fully there in your own right.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Employment Visas
Moving to Canada on a work visa can at times be a lengthy process. They do have certain employment areas that they actively seek individuals from abroad for, but these are often based on a points system or having a job prior to moving. Some of the most common are:
- Canada Work Permit Visa – This is a temporary visa where you will move to work with a Canadian company for a set job and period of time. Generally these aren't used to migrate to Canada on a permanent basis, although it can lead to applying for a permanent visa. You will need to be able to fill a position in Canada that local employers there are unable to fill with Canadians.
- Canadian Entrepreneur Visa – This visa is a business visa that encourages innovation and investment in Canada through business means. If you have highly sought after business skills or experience, you may apply to live in Canada on this basis as you'll be contributing to the economy.
- Canadian Self Employed Visa – Similar to the Entrepreneur Visa, the Self Employed Visa is business based and you can use this to apply for permanent residency. You will need to prove that you have a viable business idea to start in Canada and that you can earn a living doing so and employ Canadians.
- Canada Investor Visa – If you have a large amount of capital that you're willing to invest in Canada, you will be able to apply through this route. If you'd like to immigrate to Canada, invest in their economy and use your business skills to have a positive effect there, this is the way to go.
Canadian Experience Class Visa
If you have previously worked in Canada or studied there as a temporary resident, you may be able to apply for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class Visa. This visa exists for those individuals to apply for their permanent residency through a priority processing route. As you're already familiar with Canadian customs, culture and way of life, it's deemed that you're a more suitable candidate for permanent residency.
I have visited Calgary numerous times whilst in the RAF and have become very fond of it and it is one of my favourite places that I have visited and I have visited a lot of places with my career.
I would like to take a step out of my comfort zone and seriously emigrate to Canada in the next 3 years.
My plan is to take time out during the end of my resettlement to stay for a few weeks and get an idea of what kind of jobs would be available to me.
I am educated and am just about to start an open university degree.
I have also got qualifications in French.
What advice could you give me on the path that would be best?
Kind Regards
Jodi
I am 30 years old living in UK from past 9 years, I am Indian National. Currently I am on Entrepreneur 50K route. I have UK degree (MSc IT). I want to move to Canada permanently. What are the requirements and eligibility criteria for me. I will have around £45,000 to bring with me to Canada.
Thank you very much in advance.
I had a business in UK with amazon and iam accounts.
Want to move to canada
So need guidance
Want to move to canada
Soo need guidance
Many regards
We’ve looked at various sites but are concerned we may have some problems appreciate very much any help or guidance you could give.
Thanks so much
I am trying to find out which jobs are in high demand in Canada for someone wanting to emigrate from UK
i am not sure if i am in the right place to ask this question, but ill give it a shot.
I am from the U.K, i am a barber by trade, and have been for the last 10 years, 35 years old and i have just recently had an offer of employment from Toronto Canada to be a barber educator in a barber shop.
I was just after some information in regards to what visa i would have to apply for to make the move possible.
Any information would be greatly appreciated
regards, Chris
We as a family of 4 with two young children are desperate to emigrate to Canada.
What are the best trades Canada are looking for ? I am 41 my wife is 42 and I have two children aged 4 and 6. I want a fresh new start and my children to grow in a different country. I have lived in the UK all of my life but I feel its time to move out. How long is the process. where are the best places to live?
Appreciate any help you can give.
My dad was born in Scotland which means I'm eligible for a British passport & wondered if I'm eligible for working visa in Canada if my age is 37.
Your help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
An online form said I'd be eligible for express entry given my experience but I'm not convinced.
thanks.
Many thanks
I have a tefl qualification - and want to move at some stage ( ideally soon) to a country where i can work in universities or schools as a tefl - or dyslexia tutor - is it at all possible that i might be able to get into Canada? My grown up 20 year old daughter is desperate to move to Canada too and i am wanting to move here , at least in part because i know she wants to - - and as i say - the Brexit was the last straw for me , and a final demonstration of intolerance from the UK that just makes me want out. can anyone tell me what my chances are of getting in? and if in fact i c ould?
Debbie MOran
He is a welder and we have 4 children.
Thanks
If anybody out rhere is similar to me and has made the move id be grateful for any feed back .
Thanks.
Next Canada has many monopolies which make food and drink double UK price so be warned and much else. Canada is NOT the Utopia it makes out so be warned I've lived there and came back UK.
Just wondering if anyone can help me, my partner and I want to move to Canada from the UK, we are looking to get any job and really want to study in Canada ie. I would like to do a degree into craft brewery and my partner into wildlife. I have a degree already in the UK in Law. I would really like to know if older people. Ie. We are both 30 and not a young student, could move to Canada, work and study? Is this possible?And has anyone done this?
Thanks,
Look forward to hearing everyones views.
We are thinking of moving to Canada , I know we have to work there for 2 years to get residence.
Cos of our ETaS visa , How long can we stay in Canada for we are British citizens.. also I'm a care giver for the elderly and one know what work permit I need ??Thankyou
Me and my family (wife and 2 sons) are thinking of moving to Canada.
Me and my sons are french and my wife from south Africa.
We are business owner since 2012 (shoe repairs)
We are thinking of moving to the west part of Canada.
Not so sure how the point work for a family of 4.
Can someone help please!
Regards
Many thanks in advance for your help!
i am looking at the best way to move over if i can that is. not sure of the type of visa i would require and what the best websites to look for banking jobs. any help would be appreciated. thanks
i was wondering if me and my family can move to canada if my relatives can sponsor all of us. My wife, me and 3 kids. I have a house here in the uk and have 20 years work experience. I am 53 years old looking to move due to life being better there and the job opportunities. Is this possible?
Thanks shell
Just wanted to know the best ways out there to me and how to go about looking for work.
Thanks shell
My partner and I are considering a move to Canada. I am a 21 year old UK citizen and my partner is a Portuguese citizen living and working in the UK with me.
We are settled here and have a home together. We are looking to move mainly for quality of life and for work.
I have 4 years of working experience in customer service and my boyfriend has extensive hospitality experience as well as 2 years of working in Finance in a bank.
I have immediate family that live in Canada and I am wondering what advantages, if any, does this give us?
Thanks for your help
regards,
Dominique
My partner is Canadian but lives in the uk currently.
If we were to think about Moving to Canada how would it work?
I am a British citizen. What kinda visa would i need?
1.If I have a job to go to in Canada, do I still need to declare my net worth?
2.Do I have to prove monies that I have to a certain amount?
3. Does my U.K. Car finance go against me if I intend on letting my remaining family use the car??
Thanks
I am a British citizen with a British passport. I am married to a Canadian citizen. We are considering relocating to BC with our two daughters. Can my wife sponsor all of us whilst living out there?
My husband company is based also in Canada and he asked to move internally, unfortunately I can not find the information regarding this type of move.
Do we need to following the normal procedure and enter in the lists?
We have three daughters.
thank you
I own a property in Nova Scotia and we would like to either build on this or buy a home as soon as possible.I have a daughter and son-in-law as well as a grandchild living in Nova Scotia also.
The Canadian Immigration web site does not seem to consider immigration to Canada for retirement and the benefits for Canada of someone spending their retirement savings in Canada
Could you please inform as to which might be the best route for us to take under our circumstances?
My boyfriend was just offered a job with BMW in Toronto, he is a fully qualified pannel technician and We are both uk citizens and both 21. Unfortunately the only decent qualification I hold is a biology a-level other than that my qualifications are limited to GCSE's. What are my chances of being able to go to Canada with him? What would I need to do too help my chances? Also what are the best ways of going about moving out there, i.e. Best amount of money to take to start up? Getting a house set up wile in the uk to move streight out? Is there I Canadian support line of such? If so does anybody have a number? How would I go about getting a SIN so I can start looking for a job before I go? Any and all help is useful no matter what information you have got for me :) thank you in advance.
P.s are there any chat rooms where I could possibly talk to someone who has been in a similar situations to myself? And/or who has already moved out there who could give me firsthand advice?
I'm wanting to move to Toronto to work ideally for 6-12 months. I'm 24 years old with college qualifications but don't have a university degree. I currently work for Lloyds Banking Group as a Project Manager and have worked for the company for five years (worked my way up the ladder) do you think it would be possible to apply for a similar role or do you think having no university degree would act as a blocker for me? Thanks, Beth :)
Me and my boyfriend are looking to move to Canada, I'm 19 and he's 23 is this possible?
I am an Indian Citizen married to a Lithuanian Girl since 5 years. we both stayed in England for more than 8 years and had son 14 months old.Next year I am eligible for Indefinite to leave to remain in UK. however, we have had a thought that we want to settle down in Canada near to my best friend who is a resident of Canada.
we want to start our own small scale business and we have proposal as well.
could you please guide me that which way would be better for me to process as my family can live permanently and do business for earning.
looking forward to hear expert advise.
Thanks,
Nitin
what and how can I go about it please.
Your advice is greatly appreciated!
Ryan
And my age is 29 .
I am speaking English and French
Tell how I move to Canada permanent
Help me thanks :)
My Fiance and I hope to emigrate to Canada in about 4-5 years though we are trying to plan ahead for various reasons. I am an amputee - through injury not disease and I am very fit and mobile. I read that disabled people can be rejected, though I have the financial means to cover costs of prosthetics should that be the case. Can you please confirm the likelihood of this being taken into consideration?
I am a British citizen going to work in Canada for a year. I am taking my wife and son (also british) along for the year. My wife is npt planning on working. While I try to see if she requires a visa, it says she doesnt need and needs only an eTA. But also there is somewhere that says you cant stay more than 6months. Can someone suggest if anyone in similar situation. I have tried e-mailing their helpline etc, they send a link to their own website Q&A regarding this but doesnt seem to answer my specific question
My husband citizen here my husband sposer me I just came from India few month ago on settlement visa
So now want moving to Canada how can we appley
Thank you
i am a UK Britesh Resident, i want to move to the Canada for good.. i have a friend that lives in states but her relations lives in canada, can they sponsor me or help me ot stay there.. they would support me in funds way and i may look for work locally when i get there..
i am 34 have no ties in UK and no funds but willing to do what ever it takes.. i have 15 years of sound engineering and 15 years of admin experience..
can this be done.
thanks
I hav done the entry test on the Canadian immigration website and we qualified for express entry and to go further we needed to formally apply.
my question is if we are excepted into the pool what is he competition like to be selected what calibre of people are normally selected?
What do I need to do for get things done asap.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
1) Is it beneficial for me to register with my professional body before applying for the Canadian visa. Notably, I have to pass a course before I am applicable to register with the professional body. I am not sure if this enhances my chances of attaining a visa.
2) Is it better for me to get a lawyer from Canada or the UK to aid with the process of attaining a Canadian permanent visa for work under the express entry?
Thanks.. I look forward to hearing from you!
Many thanks
Any advice would help
Please help with this as we would love to have a better way of life
I am 5 months away from being a qualified nurse and my husband is a plumber. I have been looking into the Quebec skilled worker express entry option. Where do I start??
And that is the reason I'm currently looking to move there
Apologies
I am 17 and British but am looking to move to Canada
I can secure flights, housing and am looking for a job in Canada for if I do move there
I have education in the UK
Including English, Math, Science, Diploma in sport and active leisure, Computer programming, food technology, Product design and ICT
Would i be eligible for a move to Canada?
And if so, what route should I look to take?
i was born in canada in 97 but moved to the uk in 99 is there a chance that i would need a visa to go back to canada?
i have a canadian birth certificate would that help?
Thank you
looking to emmigrate. i know i can sponser my hubby but on line. it says can take up to 2-3years we want to go sooner than that! my husband is an electrician so am sure he could get work there but dont know what to do?
I hope you can help and advice me better or point me in the right direction. I, and my family are all British citizen, I have three kids aged 1-5. I want to move my family to Canada for a new start. My wife will finish her BA in Social Housing next year, I have just completed my Comptia a+ (IT technician certificate) and I also I have HND in Biblical theology. As we want to live in Canada and I would like to know if we are eligible? What visa option is available for us? I am assuming work permit visa - how do you go about applying and securing a job from the UK to Canada.
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
I'm living in uk with my fiancé, her 2 children and our baby.
Can I sponcer them to move to Canada while I'm still in the uk?
My wife is set to take a job in Canada and we plan to move there. She will no doubt get a work visa but I'm confused as to which visa I require and should apply for...I plan to get a job there too.
Also, how do you go about securing a house to rent when we're thousands of miles away
Thanks
I am contemplating moving and staying in Canada , British Columbia .I have had two Canadian passports but not yet visited ( second one has run out ).
I want to know what my first steps to moving back to stay permanently besides getting my passport renewed. I don't have a skilled job and so I will look for job vacancies when I get there , I am sure I have heard about a buddy system also
So is there particular things I should do and just because I have a passport does it really mean I can just get on a plane and come ? Am I scrutiny to then points system , too ? Thanks
Hi, i live in the UK with my husband and 3 year old daughter. I work in the the public sector as a benefit officer and my husband works as a postal assistant in the post office. Could i apply for permanat residency? The only family we have out there are my two first aunts. I have also previouly had a 1 year work permit (currently called IEC) when i leaft unversity at the age of 22. I only worked and lived in Canada for 3 months at this time in 2002.
Many Thanks
Many Thanks
Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
I am 21 his year and my fiancé is 25. Due to get maderied in July 2015. We have a daughter who is 3 months old and are expecting another baby I'm August 2015. We both have full time jobs. My fiancé is a qualified electrical engineer with 6 years work experience (company he works for are also based in Canada). I do not have a particular profession however work in the legal sector and have business/administration apprenticeship qualification with over 3 years work experience. I am also currently studying for entry into a law degree course and this could be an option for me to either study or work in Canada. I would love to do either! We both have shared property in the UK. We have always wanted to live in Canada and would like to know if we are eligible? At the very least we would love to visit /work in Canada for a few years as we both love it there. If we are eligible to move what would we have to do with our property in the UK, could we keep this and rent it out or would we have to sell as we have a mortgage? We have no family in Canada and are both UK citizens from birth. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
We are in early 20s (I've seen that this adds points to the application for visa/residency etc).
Is there any advice that may help us, with regards to the process and/or requirements?
Also, would we have to apply separately for residency/immigration, or is there a 'family'/joint option?
Many thanks in advance. Kind regards.
I have a studio in London offering Pilates on machines (reformers) and do a lot of rehab work as well as general wellbeing fitness for the general public and athletes. I would love to relocate to Canada and open a studio or more there too. However I am 52 years of age , my wife is 44, do I stand any chance of doing so? Even under the entrepreneurs program?
Many thanks!
Pete
I am 18 years old and want to start a life in Canada, I have medical skills as I was in the British army for two years and gained other skills whilst in there. I now work for a private ambulance company working as a technician.
Is it best to apply for jobs prior to completing visa application forms ? Will this help towards sponsorships if I have a job before I travel to Canada?
My question is how do they now go along with her moving to Canada as they were planning before? They would hate to be separated for a long period and would prefer the baby to be born in Canada.... Health care etc?
Worried mum please help, I don't want my daughter or future son in law stressed.
I am 45 a UK citizen. I currently work as a health care assistant in the hospital, divorced. I have 4 children but my last two are with their father and I have been responsible for the older two age 22 and 19. I am looking into moving to Canada. My question is will I be allowed to come to Canada with my 22 year old and my 19 years old daughter? Will my status cover them?
Many thanks for your help.
Best regards
Mr.islam
Tom
he orginally applied for a permanet resident
Regards
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