Canada Permanent Resident Visa Requirements, Eligibility & Cost

Canadian PR Latest Update 2025

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the amount required for getting Permanent Residency in Canada. Now, to get proof of funds for Canada PR, applicants need to pay CAD 15,263 (INR 9.55 Lakhs). This new change will affect the PR applications submitted after 7 July 2025. This amount is for one applicant only. To apply PR for your spouse with your application, you need to have CAD 19,001 (INR 11.89 Lakhs). 

What is a Canada PR Visa?

Benefits of Canadian PR

If you hold a Canada PR, you will have a permanent resident status; however, you will not be a Citizen of Canada. The following are the benefits of Canada PR:

• You will receive social benefits (such as healthcare coverage) that are available to Canadian citizens.
• Freedom to live, work, and study anywhere in Canada.
• You can apply for Canadian Citizenship, if you have lived in Canada for a minimum of 3 years out of the last 5 years. It includes a total of 1,095 days.
• You will receive protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Check Out: Economic Overview of Canada

Steps to Apply for Canada PR

• Arrange all the necessary documents such as IELTS score, ECA (Education Credential Assessment), etc.
• Check whether you are eligible to apply through the Canada Express Entry program.
• If you are eligible, you can submit your Expression of Interest (EOI). Your profile will be ranked in the Express Entry Pool with the help of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
• You will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) if you have scored well on the CRS.
• From the day of receiving the ITA, you will have 60 days to apply.
• Canada PR application processing time will be nearly 6 months in case your documents are complete and in order.
• After applying, you will have to go through document verification and other formalities. All this will be done by an immigration officer.
• Once your application is approved by the IRCC, you will receive your Canada PR.
• The table given below provides an overview of the CRS points:

Different Routes to Apply for Canada PR

Here are two ways to apply for Canadian Citizenship:

As mentioned above, you will have two routes to apply for Canada PR:

• You can apply for Canada PR directly. In this case, you can work/study in Canada, and later on, you can apply for Canadian Citizenship.
• If you choose to apply to a Canadian University, you will have to apply for a Canada Student Visa. After graduation, you can apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit Canada (PGWP Canada), which will allow you to work in Canada for a maximum of 3 years. Finally, after working for some time, you can apply for Canadian Citizenship.

If you apply for PGWP after your graduation and gain work experience in Canada, you will receive extra points for the same. Assuming that you have earned at least a college diploma, you will be working in the NOC TEER 2 or 3 and above jobs. NOC or National Occupation Classification provides a detailed list of jobs in the Canadian labour market. These jobs have been classified on the basis of TEER (training, education, experience, and responsibilities).

• TEER 0 corresponds to management jobs.
• TEER 1 corresponds to professional jobs that require a degree from a University.
• TEER 2 or 3 corresponds to technical jobs and skilled trades that require a college diploma.

Now that you are clear about the type of job and PGWP, let us look at various Canada PR routes and programs.

The table given below provides the conversion of CLB Level to IELTS score:

Please Note:

• Even if you have not graduated from a Canadian institution, you can still apply through the Express Entry program for Canada PR. We have discussed it in detail in the later part of the article.

Canada PR Programs

As mentioned above, Canada has several programs that provide a route to Canada PR. However, applying for permanent residency in Canada requires a candidate to fulfil different Canadian PR requirements. Various Canada PR programs have been covered below:

Atlantic Immigration Program

Atlantic Immigration Program is for those who wish to apply for permanent Canada residency in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador provinces. It is for international graduates (from a Canadian institution) and skilled foreign workers. Candidates are required to possess at least 1,560 hours of work experience in the last 5 years. However, international graduates are exempted from this work experience requirement.

Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry)

Canadian Experience Class falls under the ambit of the Canada Express Entry program. Here are certain requirements of the Canadian Experience Class program:

• English language proficiency: CLB 7 (for TEER 0 or 1) and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3
• At least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada in the last 3 years. This translates to at least 1,560 hours. However, this work experience must be paid.
• Having a degree from a Canadian University will improve your score in the Express Entry Pool.

Federal Skilled Trades Program (Express Entry)

Federal Skilled Trades Program falls under the Canada Express Entry program. The following points will provide you with the requirements for applying for Canada PR through the Federal Skilled Trades Program:

• English language proficiency: CLB 5 for speaking and listening, and CLB 4 for reading and writing
• Minimum 2 years of full-time work experience in the last 5 years (before application). Work experience must be in a skilled trade (TEER 2 or 3)
• Canadian Education will fetch you extra points in Canadian Express Entry Pool.
• You need to show proof of funds. However, if you are authorised to work in Canada and you have a valid job offer, you do not need to show proof of funds. The table given below provides you with the details of proof of funds.

Note: CAD 3,958 are required for every additional family member.

Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry)

Federal Skilled Worker Program comes under the purview of the Express Entry Program. The following are the requirements:

• You must score CLB 7 level in speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
• At least 1 year of work experience in TEER 0 to 3. This means at least 1,560 hours.
• You need to provide proof of funds. The criteria are the same as those of the Federal Skilled Trades Program (mentioned above).

Provincial Nominee Program

Those who want to apply for Canada permanent residency through the Provincial Nominee Program need to fulfil the Canada PR requirements as per different provincial requirements. Different provinces in Canada require human resources as per the demand of the economy. There are two ways to apply for PNP Canada:

• Notification of Interest (NOI) for Province: Provinces can access your Express Entry profile and can choose it from the Express Entry Pool. If they select your profile, they will send you a Notification of Interest. If you happen to accept it, you will receive an additional 600 points in your CRS Score (Comprehensive Ranking System).
• Apply directly to a Province: You can apply for a nomination to a Province under their Express Entry stream. If they agree to nominate you, you can create your Express Entry profile for applying for Canada PR.

The following Canadian provinces have their own immigration programs:

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

If you plan to apply for Canada PR through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and you have not applied for a community recommendation, you can find an overview of the Canada PR eligibility criteria in the points below:

• English language requirements: CLB 6 for TEER 0 and 1, CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3, and CLB 4 for TEER 4 and 5
• At least 1 year of work experience in the last 3 years. This translates to a minimum of 1,560 hours. However, this work experience requirement is waived off for international students.
• Proof of funds: Information is provided in the table below:

Note: CAD 618 is required for every additional family member.

Family Class Immigration Program

Family Class Immigration Program intends to provide Canada permanent residency to the close family members of Canadian permanent residents (and Canadian citizens). Spouses, common-law or conjugal partners, and dependent children are given priority in this program. The sponsor (person holding Canada PR or citizenship) and the IRCC Minister co-sign an undertaking, which provides support to the applicants. Support includes food, shelter, clothing, necessary goods or services, and health and dental care. Those who reside in Quebec need to submit the undertaking to the Quebec Ministry of Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI).

Canada PR Documents

Now that we have covered various Canada Permanent Residency programs, we can have an overview of the documents required for Canada PR. Here is an overview:

• Valid Passport
• IELTS Test Score
• Proof of Canadian education/ECA (Educational Credential Assessment)
• Provincial nomination (if applicable)
• Job offer from a Canadian employer (if applicable)
• Proof of funds
• Medical examination reports
• Police Verification Certificate
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate/Divorce certificate/Death certificate/Adoption certificate (if applicable)
• Digital photographs
• Any other relevant document

Canada PR Cost

The following table provides Canada PR fees and an approximation of other related Canada PR costs:

Canada PR Application Processing Time

Canada PR application processing time can range from 6 months to 63 months, depending on the Canada PR process route that you have chosen. It also depends on how complete your documents are. The following is an estimate of the overall processing time for various types of Canada PR applications:

• Canadian Experience Class: 20 months
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot: 15 months
• Provincial Nominees: 12 months
• Federal Skilled Workers: 30 months
• Federal Skilled Trades: 63 months
• Quebec Skilled Workers: 19 months
• Start-up Visa: 32 months

Related Read: IRCC CIP Code Change

Candidates looking to study abroad can get in touch with our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors for assistance with university applications. Candidates can also write to us in the comments section below.