How to immigrate to Canada from South Africa

October 3, 2022 Abraham Smith

Posted October 3, 2022 at 8:00 am EDT

Canada is a popular destination for South African immigrants

Canada’s high standard of living and global reputation for security and stability make it a popular destination for South Africans looking for a new home abroad. Canada is always on the lookout for global talent to fill growing labor shortages across multiple sectors. This is largely due to Canada’s aging population and low birth rate.

Canada offers over 100 immigration routes for those looking to begin the next phase of their lives and aims to welcome over 450,000 new permanent residents by the end of 2024. Some trails are more popular than others and it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them so you can decide if they’re the best option for you and your family.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

Express entry

Most skilled workers who immigrate to Canada come through Express Entry, an application management system that uses three programs; the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). These programs aim to assess a candidate’s qualifications against specific criteria and rank them alongside other candidates using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

CRS scores are based on factors such as education, language skills, work experience and other human capital factors such as age. The higher the CRS score, the more likely a candidate is to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. Language skills are one of the most influential factors in a CRS score. This can give South Africans an advantage as English is one of Canada’s official languages.

The first step for those interested in an Express Entry program is for a candidate to self-assess their eligibility for one of the programs and submit their profile on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC ) uploads. Once a profile is complete, candidates receive their CRS score and are ranked relative to other candidates in the Express Entry pool.

Federal skilled worker program (FSWP)

Of all the Express Entry programs, the Federal Skilled Worker Program is the most popular route for those who have work experience and education outside of Canada and wish to immigrate permanently. It was the world’s first program with a point system for impartial evaluation of candidates and formed the basis for similar programs in other countries.

The first step to becoming an FSWP candidate is to assess yourself if you meet the minimum requirements:

At least one year of qualified work experience
A Canadian language benchmark of at least 7 on their English or French language proficiency test
At least one proof of education
Proof of Funding (if applicable)
Get at least 67 out of 100 points in the FSWP scoreboard

What to do if you are eligible

If you are eligible for the FSWP, you can create a profile on the IRCC website. Once your profile is uploaded, you will receive your CRS score and enter the pool.

The IRCC resumed Express Entry draws on July 6th this year. The draws, where the candidates with the highest CRS scores receive an ITA, are typically held every two weeks. The CRS score changes with each draw, so even if you don’t get invited to one draw, you’re still invited to the next. IRCC has a processing standard of six months for 80% of all Express Entry applications.

If you receive an ITA, you have 60 days to submit your application for permanent residence to the IRCC.

Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP)

Along with Express Entry, PNP is one of the top two ways to immigrate to Canada via Economy Class. All provinces, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, have Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). These programs allow provincial governments to select candidates they believe are best suited to the province.

Provinces may invite candidates from the Express Entry Pool that they believe are the best match for the province to apply directly to the provincial government for a nomination, a process known as expanded nomination. Candidates who may not be in the Express Entry Pool may submit an application directly to the province for consideration.

Provincial nomination can be a huge boost for Express Entry as those who receive a provincial nomination will automatically receive 600 CRS points and have a high probability of receiving an ITA.

Conclusion

Canada enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world and is overall an extremely safe country for newcomers. South Africans looking to immigrate to Canada are in an advantageous position as a common language makes them more likely to receive a high CRS score and anyone from around the world could benefit from Canada’s ever increasing permanent resident targets.