The Philippines is one of Canada’s top five destinations for new immigrants. And there are numerous ways with which one can immigrate to Canada from the Philippines. Presently, there are around 900,000 individuals of Filipino origin residing in Canada. Canada has become a popular destination for Filipinos. Well, that’s because of its various economic opportunities, like the internationally recognized education system, highly developed healthcare system, etc. Well, the nation aims to welcome over 465,000 new permanent inhabitants by the end of 2023. Moreover, this objective is set at 500,000 by 2025. Filipinos are in an excellent position to be selected as economic-class immigrants because of their high levels of English proficiency, professional work experience, education, etc. In addition, economic class immigration is the most popular way to immigrate to Canada & has over 100 pathways. 

The Federal Skilled Worker Program 

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is a pathway under economic immigration that enables an applicant with foreign work experience to apply for permanent residency, even if they do not have a connection to Canada or an employment letter in Canada. 

The FSWP targets foreign-skilled professionals who are likely to be successful in Canada because of their prior language capabilities, education, & work experience. So, in order to be eligible for the program, applicants must have: 

  • One year of continuous paid/ full-time work experience in the last ten years in a skilled profession under NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3.
  • Validated language capability equivalent to CLB level 7 in English/ French across all abilities, i.e., reading, speaking, listening, & writing. 
  • A Canadian educational credential or foreign credential, along with an ECA report. 
  • At least 67 points on IRCC’s six immigration selection factors. 
  • Sufficient money for you & your family to settle in Canada. 

The FSWP is one of the three programs managed by Express Entry in order to immigrate to Canada from the Philippines & other nations. Express Entry is the federal government’s policy that governs the FSWP, CEC, & FSTP. 

Moreover, when submitting the application in the Express Entry system, applicants will be ranked according to CRS. The CRS considers individual factors, like age, work experience, language capabilities, education, etc., thus assigning you a score out of 600. IRCC further invites applicants with the highest scores to apply for PR. 

In addition, IRCC has also recently launched a new category-based draw for Express Entry applicants. Applicants will be chosen under category-based draws if they have a strong French language proficiency or relevant work experience in the following professions: 

  • Healthcare 
  • STEM Professions 
  • Trades
  • Transport
  • Agriculture/ Agri-Food 

IRCC has recently held healthcare & STEM draws, as well as a draw inviting those with a strong French language proficiency to apply for PR. 

Provincial Nominee Program 

The Provincial Nominee Program is a popular alternative for applicants looking to immigrate to Canada from the Philippines. The program allows each province & territory to create & implement their own immigration pathways depending upon their labor & job market vacancies as well as demographic needs.

Moreover, the territories & provinces can nominate foreign skilled professionals to immigrate to their provinces via the PNP. Every province has its own eligibility requirements, which an applicant has to meet in order to be nominated by the province. 

In addition, applicants can directly apply to the province. However, applicants who are in the Express Entry pool can be invited to apply for nomination. Furthermore, if an applicant is nominated through Express Entry, they obtain an additional 600 CRS points, which essentially secures an ITA for PR in future draws. 

Caregiver Pilot Program 

There are pilot programs dedicated to caregivers. The Home Support Worker Pilot & Home Child Care Provider Pilot offer permanent residence to caregivers with relevant work experience for a minimum of 12 months, language capabilities, & Canadian/ foreign education. 

The Home Care Provider Pilot requires that you care for a child who is under the age of 18 in your home or your employer’s home. On the contrary, the Home Support Worker Pilot insinuates that you need to take care of someone who needs help from a home support worker, either in your home or your employer’s home. 

Moreover, IRCC sets out the information mentioned below about work experience criteria for the pilots: 

  • Effective April 30, 2023, you must have a minimum full-time work experience of 12 months within 36 months of applying to a pilot program. 
  • The work experience must fall under NOC codes 4411 or 4412. 
  • The work experience should be in one of these jobs. Remember – It cannot be a mix of both jobs. 
  • You need to demonstrate that your job matches the NOC job description & you have completed most of the main duties. 
  • Your work experience doesn’t need to be 12 months in a row. It just needs to be 12 months in total.   
  • Full-time work includes at least 30 hours of paid work every week. 

Regional Pilot Programs 

There are other pilot programs if you wish to immigrate to Canada from the Philippines. 

The Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot works with small & remote communities in Ontario, Western Canada, & three territories to attract & retain foreign professionals. 

In order to be eligible for RNIP, an applicant must meet the federal criteria & the requirements established by the participating community where they plan to settle. The federal criteria are: 

  • Have a recommendation from one of the designated communities.
  • Have a minimum of one year of continuous work experience in the last three years. 

OR 

  • Have a genuine employment offer to work in one of the designated communities. 
  • Have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary university/ institution in the recommending community. 
  • Meet the language benchmark for the NOC skill type/ level of the employment being offered.
  • Have enough funds to settle & support themselves as well as their families. 
  • Have an intention to live in the community. 

The AIP, i.e., Atlantic Immigration Program, offers PR to skilled professionals who want to settle in New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador.

In order to be eligible for AIP, an applicant must: 

  • Have qualifying work experience unless he/ she is an international student who has graduated from a post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.
  • Meet the language & educational criteria. 
  • Show that they have sufficient settlement funds. Moreover, they needn’t show any proof of settlement funds if they are already residing & working in Canada with a valid work permit.
  • Meet all the criteria mentioned above so that they can begin looking for a job with a designated Atlantic Canada Employer.      

Study Permits 

Canada is a famous destination for foreign students because of its high quality & affordability of education, work opportunities while studying, & obtaining permanent residency upon graduation. 

Canada welcomed 551,405 international students from 184 nations in 2022, which is a high record. Of that number, 23,380 were Filipino students. 

In order to study in Canada, you must first be accepted to Canadian DLI. Further, you can apply for your study permit. Upon graduating, international students might be eligible to remain in Canada for up to three years on a PGWP. 

Finally, Canadian education can also be advantageous to applicants seeking PR because many immigration programs value applicants with Canadian education & work experience. 

The SDS program makes the process of applying for a study permit faster & efficient. The program presently serves residents of 14 nations, including the Philippines. In addition, Canada aims to process all study permit applications via SDS in 20 calendar days. 

Work Permits 

In order to work in Canada, foreign professionals usually need a work permit. Canadian work permits are divided into two programs, i.e., TFWP & IMP. The difference between these two programs is that the former requires an LMIA, while the latter doesn’t.

An LMIA proves to the government that hiring an international professional will have a positive/ neutral effect on the Canadian job market. It is the responsibility of the employer.