Most popular ways to come to Canada from Bangladesh

Under its Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome 465,000 new permanent residents by the end of 2023. This goal is increased to 500,000 by 2025.

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According to Statistics Canada, there are about 100,000 Bangladeshi origin Canadians. In 2023, Canada welcomed over 2,700 Bangladeshi permanent residents.

Canada is a popular destination for Bangladeshi’s due to the many immigration pathway options, vast economic opportunities, an internationally renowned education system and access to Canadian universal healthcare and social services.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is a great option for applicants overseas. The FWSP allows candidates with work experience and no connection to Canada or job offer to apply for permanent residence.

The FSWP is one of the programs managed by Express Entry, the Canadian federal government’s application system that manages the FWSP, the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Foreign skilled workers who have foreign work experience, education, language skills and other human capital factors are the ideal candidate for the FSWP, as these factors will help them become established in Canada. In order to be eligible for the program, candidates must meet the following criteria:

One year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled occupation classified under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3;
Validated language ability equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in English or French across all abilities (reading, writing, listening, and speaking); and
A Canadian educational credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) or foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report.
At least 67 points on IRCC’s six immigration selection factors.
Enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada.

If you are eligible for the FSWP, you may apply through Express Entry by uploading your profile onto Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) website. You will then be given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on human capital factors such as age, education, work experience and language ability, among others.

In addition, IRCC has recently launched new category-based draws for Express Entry candidates. Candidates are chosen if they have a strong French language proficiency or have work experience in the following professions:

Healthcare
STEM professions
Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
Transport
Agriculture and agri-food

The Quebec Skilled Worker Program

The province of Quebec has its own permanent immigration programs. One of the main immigration pathways available for candidates looking to settle in Quebec is the Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

Similar to Express Entry, selection under the QSWP is based on candidates’ level of education, language skills, work experience and ties to Quebec.

Bangladeshi foreign nationals who wish to immigrate through the QSWP must first declare their interest in immigrating to Quebec by completing an expression of interest (EOI) form. The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) regularly selects people from the pool of candidates and invites them to apply for permanent selection.

The Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is another option for Bangladeshi foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada. Each province and territory (except for Quebec and Nunavut) has their own immigration pathways through the PNP, which is created and effected according to the province’s demographic and job market needs.

Candidates can apply directly through the PNP provided they meet all the eligibility criteria of that program. If chosen, the provinces and territories will nominate a skilled worker to immigrate to their respective jurisdictions.

In addition, a candidate can also apply through the Express Entry pool. The provinces and territories will invite candidates to apply for immigration by selecting them from the Express Entry pool. If nominated through Express Entry, the candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points, which virtually guarantees an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence in an upcoming Express Entry draw.

Work permits

Foreign nationals can come to Canada to work by getting a Canadian work permit.

Canadian work permits are divided into two programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP). The main difference between the two is that a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is required for the TFWP, while it is not for the IMP.

The LMIA’s purpose is to demonstrate that hiring the foreign worker will either have a positive or neutral effect on the Canadian job market. It is the employer’s responsibility.

In order to apply for a work permit, a job offer from a Canadian employer is usually required beforehand. However, there are some situations in which applicants can apply for an open work permit, which are not tied to a specific employer and allow the holder to work almost anywhere in Canada.

Study permits

Canada welcomed a record number of international students in 2022, reaching 551,405 students from 184 countries. In 2023, over 3,800 Bangladeshi international students obtained a study permit to pursue an educational program in Canada.

Canadian study permits are very popular because international students will have the opportunity to work in Canada while studying. In addition, the permit offers an opportunity for a permanent residency upon graduation, as many federal and provincial immigration programs value candidates that have Canadian study and work experience.

In order to get a study permit, an international applicant must get a letter of acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). There are over 1,500 DLI’s in Canada.

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