How To Relocate to Canada from Nigeria

Canadian immigration offers a great entry programme for immigrants relocating to Canada. Canada has many provinces and territories, is a very pro-immigration nation, offers universal healthcare, has a thriving economy, and ranks as one of the top 10 safest countries in the world. It’s no wonder so many are eager to immigrate to Canada from Nigeria.

There are many different routes to immigrate to Canada from Nigeria. In general, you can enter Canada via:

• Temporary Resident Visa, also known as an Entry visa
• Work and student permits
• Express Entry programmes for skilled workers
• Business and investment programmes.

Some applications require more documentation, experience and time than others. In general, you will need to:

• Have a valid passport
• Prove you have enough finances to support yourself during your time in Canada
• Not have any criminal records or previous issues with immigration law
• Demonstrate a clear purpose for relocating to Canada.

Page Contents

• Immigration to Canada from Nigeria
• How Do I Relocate to Canada from Nigeria?
• Express Entry
• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
• Family Sponsorship
• Start-Ups and Business Immigration to Canada
• How To Immigrate to Canada
• How Can IAS Help?
• FAQs

If you plan to move permanently or for an extended period of time to Canada, then you should look for immigration routes that offer long term or permanent residency.

It is best to avoid applying for a Temporary Resident visa, which are only valid for 6 months, unless this has been specifically requested by an employer or sponsor who intends to arrange a permanent visa for you once you have arrived in Canada.

This page covers some of the more common permanent entry routes to Canada:

• Express Entry
• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Provincial Nominee Program
• Family Sponsorship
• Startup and business options.

Please note that to apply for this immigration route, you need to have already lived and worked in Canada for at least 12 months.

The Canadian Experience Class is an Express Entry route available to applicants who have at least one year of skilled work experience, or 1560 working hours, in Canada within the last three years. This may look like:

• Have worked a full time job for at least 30 hours a week for 12 months
• Have worked a part time job of around 20 hours per week for 24 months
• Have worked under temporary residence status during your work experience.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program allows you to apply to immigrate to Canada and gain permanent residence. In order to be eligible, you must have specific work experience.

To apply for the FSWP, you must meet the following criteria:

• You can provide evidence that you have the financial means to support yourself and your family (if applicable) in Canada
• A Canadian educational credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) or foreign equivalent with an Education Credential Assessment report
• A IELTS or CELPIP test proving your English or French language abilities (reading, writing, speaking, listening) meet grade 7 in the Canadian Language Benchmark
• A minimum of 67 points on IRCC’s immigration selection factors
• You can prove that you have 12 continuous months of full time paid work experience within the last 10 years in a skilled occupation that is listed under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3. Examples of jobs that fall under this category include:

• Dental Assistants
• Financial Advisors
• Laboratory Technicians
• Office Managers.

Family sponsorship is a popular immigration route to Canada from Nigeria. Individuals with Canadian permanent residence or citizenship are able to sponsor family members through the Dependant visa, which offers the family member(s) from abroad permanent residence in the country.

Priority is generally given to spouses, civil partners or children, though there are options to sponsor other relatives too.

In order to sponsor a dependant, the person in Canada must be:

• Above 18 years old
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Living in Canada when the dependant becomes a permanent resident.

To qualify for sponsorship, in general priority will be given to:

• Spouses, common-law partners, or conjugal partners of the sponsor
• Children of the sponsor under 22 years old who are not married or in a common-law relationship
• Children of the sponsor above 22 years old with a mental or physical impairment that means they cannot support themselves financially.

To immigrate to Canada from Nigeria through the family sponsorship immigration route, the sponsor must prove they are financially stable and can support the dependant(s) at least by covering basic needs such as accommodation, clothing and food in Canada.

Both the sponsor and dependant must fill out separate applications, and should submit their applications together. If the person being sponsored is under 18, they should have a guardian complete their application for them.

Sponsoring family to move to Canada can be a complicated process. We can help. Contact IAS today online or call us +44 (0) 3316300929 or +23413438882 in Nigeria, or visit our office in Lagos.

Relocating to a new country takes a considerable amount of time and preparation. The application process and cost will differ according to which route you take, and if you are bringing dependents with you. There will be considerably more to organise if you are planning to permanently relocate to Canada, rather than enter through temporary means.

In general, applications can take up to six months of processing time, with temporary visas more likely taking 1-2 months. However, this could take longer depending on your particular circumstances.

It should be noted that to prove that you have the means to support yourself while in Canada, you will usually need to show that you have the equivalent of around $13,000 CAN dollars per applicant per year.

If you relocate to Canada through an economic immigration scheme, then you will need to prove significant sums of money that you plan to invest in Canada through your company. You may have to invest in a Canadian company, or offer an interest-free loan to a province or the federal government.

You will need to be sure that you have all relevant documents ready when you enter immigration controls in Canada. This includes:

• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (if applicable)
• Valid passport
• Valid Permanent resident visa (if applicable)
• Quebec Selection Certificate (if applicable)
• Any other document that may have been issued to you by the Canadian government.