Canada welcomed 184,000 immigrants as official citizens in 2020. The year 2021 came, and despite the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, they managed to welcome about 405,000 new expats. For the present year, 2022, the country plans on accepting 432,000 immigrants. It’s actually expected to reach more than one million in the next few years.
Considering the stats into account, it’s evident that Canada’s immigration just continues increasing yearly. The question is, why? It’s actually easy to answer the question considering the several positive reasons of immigrants behind their moving to Canada.
Apart from personal reasons and preferences, however, you need to have full knowledge of the legal benefits you’re qualified for as an immigrant. This is what we’re going to walk you through in the next sections.
- Access to Healthcare
Canada’s healthcare works through a single-payer system. This means that the public funds it through taxes, which significantly cuts down costs on health-related needs. Now, the good thing about this is even immigrants are qualified for the said free healthcare benefits. It isn’t only exclusive to locals, unlike those in other countries like the UK.
That said, as long as you prepare and submit the necessary documents for application, you can enjoy worry-free health management even as an immigrant. The only things that you have to pay for if ever you get sick are the prescribed medicines and optional supplements that come with it.
- Business Opportunities
The legal policies of Canada also allow expats to start and manage their own businesses.
Of course, the process can be a little complex and time-consuming since you have to gather a lot of resources like permits, taxation, statements, and likes. Depending on your status, you also have access to limited business fields. Even so, it’s still better than not being able to start your own livelihood at all.
For immigrants who want full access to economic opportunities, you always have a choice to partner up with a Canadian citizen for your business.
- Full Study Opportunities
Immigrants can freely study in Canada’s public and private educational institutions. Some are even qualified to apply for certain scholarships to aid with related expenses.
You can choose from more or less than 1,600 universities, all of which do not discriminate against applications based on citizenship status, race, or ethnicity. This applies to any degree offered in a specific institution.
Note, though, that if you plan on taking advantage of Canada’s educational opportunities, you should make sure that you consider a student visa when applying for initial immigration. Without this, you won’t be qualified to take official courses in the country’s universities nor be eligible for the advantages that come with it.
- Eligibility for Oath of Citizenship
Once you enter Canada as an immigrant with the right and valid documents, you can already be a candidate for the possible expats-turned-official citizens of the country. This means being able to attend the Oath of Citizenship and finally having the title of being a Canadian citizen.
To do this, you just need to collect three years’ worth of stay in the country, and you can already process the citizenship application. Ultimately, this is equivalent to getting complete access to what more the country has to offer for its locals.
Considering the high increase in the immigration rate of the country, both present and forecasted, you can just expect an even higher chance to be one of those who are included in the said ceremony.
- Right to Work Freely
Immigrants who have a valid working visa are free to work with whoever and whatever field they want to tie themselves with. Of course, this is as long as the matter at hand is considered legal.
Going back, you will be glad to know that there are no employment restrictions for expats. In fact, even students can have their own side hustles while committing to university. You should definitely consider taking this path if you plan on starting a business in the country in the future.
Summary
As you can see, you will never lose out on living in Canada, whether it’s because of personal preferences or you’re mainly based on legal policies and benefits. All of the things we discussed are possible as long as you complete the immigration process properly. This means knowing and having the specific requirements you have to prepare, depending on your needs.
On the flip side, for those that want to know how you can move to Canada, we recommend reaching out to a professional immigration lawyer for assistance and immigration advice. This will greatly help in the overall process from the start of preparing requirements up to your after-flight needs when settling in the country.
