Canada is part of the way into a multi-year immigration plan that seeks to bring 1 million foreign skilled workers into the country. There are several immigration pathways of persons from Brazil with skills or a profession that are required.
With a booming economy, Canada welcomes applications from Brazil, South America, and across the world.
The South American and Brazilian immigrant skilled workers play a large part in boosting the economy of Canada, and there are Brazilian immigrants to be found in all provinces.
The largest Brazilian communities are found in the cities of Brooks in Alberta, Brandon in Manitoba, Vancouver in British Columbia, and Bradford and Toronto in Ontario.
Notable South American populations also live in various parts of Quebec, which has an immigration plan that runs separately to the federal entry system.
The first step for Brazilian applicants is to take the free self-assessment test and establish credentials. Following is further information about the most popular methods of applying for permanent residence.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
Brazilian applicants wishing to apply for permanent residence who have relevant skills should do so via the FSWP and will need to meet the following criteria:
- Have at least one year of continuous work experience in a skilled role that is classified under the Canadian National Occupation Classification (NOC) to level 0, A or B.
- Language skills in English or French to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 across speaking, listening, reading and writing.
- A recognized Canadian certificate, diploma or degree or a foreign qualification and the required Education Credential Assessment (ECA) Report.
The FSWP is subject to the Express Entry process as described later.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PSP)
Applicants who wish to live and work in a specific province may apply through that province’s PSP. Note that this does not include Quebec, so those wishing to settle and work in Quebec must apply to the government of Quebec using the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.
The PSP is a fast-track route to permanent residence and usually takes less time to process than other pathways. The requirements for each province can differ. Immigrants from Brazil should identify the province they wish to live and work in and apply for a Provincial Nomination Certificate from the province’s government. If accepted, such candidates gain priority for permanent residence.
Other categories include Family Class, whereby persons already resident in Canada can nominate Brazilian relatives for permanent residence, and Canadian Experience Class in which the applicant must have worked continuously in full-time employment in Canada or have a current job offer for more than a year in a recognized role.
For Brazilian nationals of high net worth and entrepreneurs looking at starting a business in Canada, the Investors and Entrepreneurs class may be of interest.
Express Entry
Express Entry is a fast-track process that applies to applicants using the Federal Skilled Worker or Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class entry system. The applicant is required to submit an online profile. This will include details of their age, marital status, work experience, education, and other details. A rank will be determined using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Those who score highly on the CRS, which is a pass or fail assessment, will be put into the Express Entry Pool. From the pool, a draw is made regularly and those who are successful are issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA). At this stage, they can begin applying for permanent residence.
The Canadian Government may close the immigration plan once the numbers have been met, so Brazilian candidates should begin the process as soon as they can.