You have 1-2 years to apply to Immigrate to Canada. What do you do in the meantime?

Many people around the world have the goal of immigrating to Canada. The country has numerous positive attributes. Among many others, it is stable, prosperous, safe, welcoming and multicultural.

Those who wish to immigrate usually take a very short term view and ask whether they can immigrate today. The Canadian immigration system is structured such that in order to immigrate to Canada you need to qualify under one of several different categories each of which has its own specific criteria.  In order to succeed you need to satisfy the criteria in one of these categories.

In recent years there have been some significant changes to the categories. Applicants who don’t seem to qualify or who have applied and been rejected often get discouraged. Part of the reason for this is the adoption of a short term view and the acceptance of rejection or potential rejection as being something immutable.

Let us imagine, however, a situation in which, for some reason, you cannot apply to immigrate today but must instead apply in one to two years. With a one to two year time horizon, what can you do during this time in order to maximize the likelihood of eventual success? Is it even worth waiting two years? The answer to the first question is that there are many things that you can do in order to substantially increase your chances. The answer to the second is that yes it is worth waiting because by doing so you will be in a much better position to succeed both with your application and with your first years as a newcomer to Canada.

While immigration rules may change, there are several general facts about immigration that will almost certainly not change. First, language skills will be essential. Second, work experience in areas in which there is a shortage of Canadians workers will be highly valued. Lastly, education will also be beneficial. Over a longer time horizon all three of these factors are within your control to improve.

In addition to investing time to work on the three factors, it is also highly advantageous to lay the foundations for getting a job in Canada in advance. Look for employers who hire international workers and get in touch with them. Since you don’t need to do anything in a rush it is worthwhile to invest the time and effort necessary to prepare high-quality customized job applications and periodically send them out to employers who are looking for professionals with your skills. Although many of these applications may not work out initially, a small number could pan out over time. If you send your applications to companies who occasionally hire people with your skills, then if you get bypassed on the first occasion, an employer may need someone just like you in six months and call you back when a strong need for your skills re-emerges.

By taking sometime to set yourself up for success with the application you are also setting yourself up for success during your first years in Canada. Although Canada is a prosperous country, the first years for newcomers are usually the most difficult. If, however, you take the time to find a job in advance then those initial years become much easier.

So, while people have different timelines and reasons for wanting to immigrate, for those who are able to wait a bit to better lay the foundations for success, it is worthwhile to think about the benefits of taking the time to prepare. An assessment of the benefits may very well weigh in favour of taking the medium term view.