Attracting over 200,000 immigrants from all over the globe each year, Canada is ranked among the top 10 countries to live in. It is the 2nd largest country in the world, with over 36 million people. With a thriving economy and breathtaking scenic landscapes, Canadian citizenship offers people a very high standard of living.

Canada is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada’s vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It’s also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls. Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa are the major cities in Canada that we will be sharing some details about.

Toronto

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and is North America’s fifth most populous municipality – with a population of 2.7 million people. The Greater Toronto Area, usually called the GTA is home to 6 million people.

Forbes Magazine tracked the “World’s Most Economically Powerful Cities” and included Toronto in its top ten list. According to Forbes, powerful cities such as Toronto attract investment due to the size of their economy, their projected future prosperity, cost of living and quality of life. Forbes describes Toronto as lying at the economic heart of one of the world’s wealthiest countries, projected to keep humming through 2020.

Toronto is Canada’s banking/financial capital and the home of its principle stock exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange. In addition to that Toronto has North America’s third largest concentration of private IT companies, bettered only by San Francisco and New York.

Toronto’s Positives

Toronto has many prestigious schools, from elementary to tertiary. It is Canada’s financial, IT and manufacturing hub and so offers a lot of opportunities for the educated. There are a lot of suburbs that is surrounding the city and hence those that would like to live a bit away from the city life can use this opportunity.

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada with a population of 1.3 Million. Ottawa boasts to offer the second highest quality of life of any city in North America. It is also a known fact that it is the third cleanest city in the world. It has 64% of people with mother-tongue English, 15% French, and 21% other languages.

Ottawa is a one hour drive from the USA border, where you can cross the St. Lawrence river into New York State. You can drive to Lake Placid (US Winter Olympics Venue) in about three hours from Ottawa.

Ottawa has sometimes been called “Silicon Valley North” because of the number of high-tech companies located there including:

Ottawa’s Positives

The houses are modestly priced relative to incomes in Ottawa. Another positive about Ottawa is they have very low crime rates. Incomes are the highest in this city compared to other cities. Due to the proximity to both USA and Quebec, people prefer to stay in this city. There are a great many schools and education institutions in Canada.

Vancouver

Living in Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver has a population of 2.4 million. It has about 700,000 residents who speak languages other than English in their own homes. Chinese languages account for about 280,000 and Punjabi 125,000 of these.

Vancouver sits on the Pacific west coast of Canada. It is the largest city in British Columbia and, as a result of its Pacific Ocean location, is a very important port, exporting Canadian goods to Asia and the USA’s west coast.

Vancouver’s climate is incredibly mild by Canadian standards; its winters are easily the warmest of Canada’s big cities.Snow falls in Vancouver on an average of eleven days a year, rarely reaching depths of more than a few centimeters.

On top of this, Vancouver is surrounded by ocean and mountains that result in a moderate climate allowing outdoor recreational activities all year round. The housing market in Vancouver is the highest priced in the country, and crime rates are higher than in “competing” Canadian cities.

Vancouver’s Positives

One of the positives is that it has a strong economy with a wide range of industries and opportunities. The moderate climate, with rarely any snowfall is also another reason for people to flock in this city. The city is spectacularly beautiful land and boasts of a seascape that permits a huge range of year round recreation options. It consistently ranks in the world’s top three most livable cities.

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta. It is known as the Oil Capital of Canada, and also known as the Festival City of Canada. The population is roughly about 1 million. It is one of the easiest cities to find work. Edmonton is home to several shopping malls and the largest mall in North America, West Edmonton Mall, which is also considered to be the 10th largest mall in the world. Edmonton has Canada’s highest area of parkland per resident and so if you prefer outdoor activities, you may find yourself enjoying the city’s extensive and well-connected park system.

Edmonton’s Positives

Low taxes, a strong economy, with one of best jobs markets in Canada, cheaper houses, when compared to cities like Vancouver and Toronto. One another positive worth mentioning especially if you are a travel lover is, Edmonton has the lowest gasoline and fuel prices in Canada

Calgary

Calgary Is Alberta’s most populous city, with a metropolitan population of 1.2 million. Since Alberta has the lion’s share of Canada’s oil industry. Its reserves – in the form of oil-sands – are estimated to be second only to Saudi Arabia’s. Calgary is one of Canada’s wealthiest cities. Of all Canada’s provinces, Alberta’s character is most like the USA. Alberta has cowboy boots, rodeos and cow festivals (Calgary is sometimes called Cowtown).

Low taxes have brought many businesses to Calgary. Small businesses in Alberta pay just 14 percent tax, and there is no payroll tax.

Calgary’s Positives

Low house prices compared to Vancouver and Toronto, Salaries above the Canadian average, Low violent crime rate and Low taxes are just few of the reasons why people flock to the live in the city.

Canada – Visa types

Canadian immigration laws are constantly changing and are complex. The requirements are precise and sometimes vary from visa to visa. It is to better to seek professional advice before lodging a visa application for Canada. Our professional and experienced Canadian Immigration Consultants are qualified to advise you on all of your options.

There may be several options available for you for a Canadian Visa and we recognize that people have individual circumstances. That is why we offer a free online assessment to get you started on the right track. Based on the information you provide, we then forward to you our recommendations for migration to Canada, which may include several options.

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) 

This Canadian visa is a PR visa. Applicants are evaluated based on their education (which, for many eligible occupations, includes a university degree), knowledge of French and/or English, age and work experience.

Applications for the FSWP are managed via Express Entry – so an Express Entry profile will need to be created as the first step. Express Entry is the selection system for Canadian immigration, designed to select skilled workers for immigration to Canada. Express Entry is a completely electronic process involving the federal government, provincial governments, and Canadian employers.

An applicant will need to meet the requirements of the FSWP and will also need to meet the threshold of Express entry, in order to be given an Invitation to Apply.
The FSWP selects immigrants based on their ability to succeed economically in Canada. It used to be known as the ‘points system’ – this is because it measures applicants using a selection grid worth up to 100 points. The current pass mark remains at 67.

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is for people who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade. This category is geared at attracting more skilled trades-people to Canada. It is not a points system but rather is a “pass/fail” system. An applicant must have either Arranged Employment or a Canadian Certificate of Qualification in order to qualify, amongst other requirements.

Provincial Nominees Programs Visa – (PNP)

For those who will not qualify for a skilled worker visa, this is another chance to receive Canadian permanent residency. One of Canada’s provinces or territories can nominate to settle and work there. Most provinces in Canada have an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows them to nominate immigrants who wish to settle in that province. If you choose to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee, you must first apply to the province where you wish to settle and complete its provincial nomination process. The province will consider your application based on its immigration needs and your genuine intention to settle there.

Student Visa 

Under the Student Visa Program in Canada, interested students from across the globe can come to Canada to study at one of the country’s prestigious colleges or universities. To qualify for their Visa under this program, students must apply to the immigration authorities with an acceptance letter from the Canadian institution, proof of their ability to financially support their studies including paying the tuition fees and the cost of living in Canada while they study, as well as supporting relevant documents such as passports and personal information. Through this process, immigrants may then be approved for a study permit to complete a school program in Canada.

Family-Sponsorship Visa

Canada understands how important family life is, and hence offers the opportunity to reunite families from other countries to come and join with you in your new life in Canada.  Once you have become a Canadian Citizen or a permanent resident, you are entitled to sponsor your spouse/common-law partner and dependent children and also give them the chance to become permanent residents. You are then responsible for supporting your family financially, and they will enjoy the benefits of residency – being able to live, study and work in Canada.