Canada currently has a multi-year immigration program and encourages applicants for permanent residence from Taiwan and elsewhere. Asian immigrants make up a large proportion of the skilled workers who immigrate to Taiwan, and the province of British Columbia has an Asian population of more than 400,000.
The bustling and friendly city of Vancouver, the largest in the province, is home to many Taiwanese families who have made the city their home, and job opportunities in and around Vancouver are plentiful.
There are several immigration pathways of persons from Taiwan with skills or a profession that are required. With a booming economy, Canada is looking for up to a million immigrants over the course of the program.
The first step for Taiwanese 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)
Taiwanese 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 – other than Quebec – may apply through that province’s PSP. 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 Taiwan 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 Taiwanese 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 Taiwanese 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.
With many thousands of positions to fill and a growing economy, there are plenty of opportunities for skilled workers from Taiwan to take up residence in Canada.