There are three main classes of Canadian immigration laws that cover the three main types of immigration into Canada.

• 1. Business Class Immigration.
• 2. Skilled Worker Immigration; and
• 3. Family Class Immigration.

1) The Business Class Immigration further splits down into:

• Investor
• Entrepreneur
• Self-Employed

The main Canadian immigration laws pertaining to an investor requires that he/she has a legally obtained net worth in excess of $1,6000,000 and must indicate in writing that they intend to invest a minimum of $800,000 and they must have business experience, or at least management experience over employees.

As an entrepreneur, the Canadian immigration laws state that he/she must have a legally obtained net worth in excess of $300,000. They must also provide written proof that they intend to comply with certain conditions, namely that for at least one year within the next three years they intend to control and actively manage no less than 33.33% equity in a Canadian business that employs at least one Canadian citizen other than the entrepreneur and his/her family members.

The Canadian immigration laws applying to self-employed persons state that the person has the ability to do business in Canada, is able to establish or purchase a business in Canada and will actually create a business opportunity for him/herself that makes a significant contribution to the Canadian economy or to the cultural or artistic life of Canada.

2) For skilled worker immigration, the immigrant must fall into one of these categories:

• 0111: Financial Managers
• 0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
• 0311: Managers in Health Care
• 0631: Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• 0632: Accommodation Service Managers
• 0711: Construction Managers
• 1111: Financial Auditors and Accountants
• 2113: Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
• 2143: Mining Engineers
• 2144: Geological Engineers
• 2145: Petroleum Engineers
• 3111: Specialist Physicians
• 3112: General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• 3141: Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
• 3143: Occupational Therapists
• 3142: Physiotherapists
• 3151: Head Nurses and Supervisors
• 3152: Registered Nurses
• 3215: Medical Radiation Technologists
• 3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
• 4121: University Professors
• 4131: College and Other Vocational Instructors
• 6241: Chefs
• 6242: Cooks
• 7213: Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
• 7215: Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
• 7217: Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
• 7241: Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
• 7242: Industrial Electricians
• 7251: Plumbers
• 7252: Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
• 7265: Welders and Related Machine Operators
• 7312: Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• 7371: Crane Operators
• 7372: Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
• 8221: Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
• 8222: Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
• 9212: Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

The immigrant must be able to prove that they have previously held this position in their previous country for at least one year prior to application for Canadian immigration.

For family class immigration, things start to get a whole lot more difficult. There are complex laws surrounding these issues regarding the definition of ‘family class’, the definition of dependent children, the health of sponsored parent(s).