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Canada · Permanent residence

Canada Permanent Residence from Pakistan

Canadian permanent residence lets you live, work and study anywhere in Canada and later apply for citizenship. Most skilled applicants from Pakistan go through Express Entry or a Provincial Nominee Program, where candidates are ranked and invited rather than applying whenever they like. Spouses, partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can be sponsored.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026

At a glance

Decided by
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Main skilled routes
Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades) and provincial nominee programmes
How selection works
Candidates are ranked by Comprehensive Ranking System score and invited in rounds
Language tests
IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core; TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French
Education check
An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for degrees from Pakistan
Quebec
Selects its own skilled workers outside the provincial nominee programmes

Who this is for

  • Graduates and skilled workers in Pakistan with good English or French and skilled work experience
  • People interested in a particular province, or with a job offer there, who may qualify for a provincial nomination
  • Pakistanis already working in Canada on a work permit, who may qualify through the Canadian Experience Class
  • Spouses, partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents

When another route fits better

  • You want to study in Canada first: apply for a study permit. Canadian education and work experience can strengthen an Express Entry profile later.
  • You want to visit family: apply for a visitor visa, or a super visa if you are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Your parents or grandparents want to move permanently: the parents and grandparents sponsorship programme is paused for new applications, so consider the super visa for long visits and check canada.ca for any reopening.

Documents to prepare

Express Entry profile and application

  • Valid passports for you and each family member
  • Language test results that are still valid when you create your profile and when you apply
  • Educational Credential Assessment report for your degree from Pakistan
  • Reference letters from employers showing duties, hours, pay and dates
  • Proof of settlement funds, such as official bank letters, unless you are exempt
  • Police certificates from Pakistan, issued by the police in your province, and from other countries where you have lived
  • Medical exam by an IRCC panel physician

Family members

  • NADRA marriage registration certificate and nikah nama
  • Birth certificates or NADRA Child Registration Certificates for children
  • NADRA Family Registration Certificate showing your family members

Nominee or sponsorship cases

  • Provincial nomination certificate, if you have been nominated
  • The sponsor's proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence and evidence of your relationship

Step by step

  1. 1

    Check which programme fits

    Read the programme pages on canada.ca to see whether you meet the Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades rules, or a provincial stream.

  2. 2

    Take a language test and get your ECA

    Book an accepted test and order your Educational Credential Assessment early. The assessing organisation will tell you exactly how records from Pakistani universities must be sent.

  3. 3

    Create your Express Entry profile

    Enter your details online to get a Comprehensive Ranking System score and join the pool. Keep the profile accurate and update it when anything changes.

  4. 4

    Look for a provincial nomination

    Some provinces invite people from the Express Entry pool or run their own streams. A nomination linked to Express Entry adds a large number of points.

  5. 5

    Receive an invitation to apply

    IRCC holds general, programme-specific and category-based rounds. If invited, submit a complete application before the deadline shown in your account.

  6. 6

    Upload documents, biometrics and medicals

    Upload your evidence, pay the fees, give biometrics at a visa application centre and complete your medical with a panel physician.

  7. 7

    Confirm permanent residence

    If approved, you receive confirmation of permanent residence and, where needed, a visa in your passport. Travel to Canada before these documents expire.

Costs to plan for

  • The processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee, for you and each family member
  • The biometrics fee
  • Language test and Educational Credential Assessment fees
  • The medical exam with a panel physician
  • Police certificates, translations and courier costs
  • Settlement funds you must hold unless exempt; check the current figure on canada.ca

Why applications get refused

  • Work experience that does not match the duties of the claimed occupation, or is not backed by detailed reference letters
  • Language results or an ECA that have expired by the time you apply
  • Misrepresentation, such as undeclared family members or previous refusals, which can also lead to a ban
  • Settlement funds that are borrowed, not available to you, or recently deposited without explanation
  • Missing police certificates for a country where you have lived
  • Points claimed in the profile that cannot be proved at the application stage
  • Medical or criminal inadmissibility

Tips before you apply

  • Declare every family member, including those not moving with you. A dependant left out of your application may not be sponsorable later.
  • Start your police certificate early; Pakistani character certificates are issued by provincial police, and you may also need certificates from other countries.
  • Do not pay anyone who promises an Express Entry invitation or a provincial nomination. Invitations come only from IRCC and the provinces.
  • Watch the category-based rounds. Categories have included French-language ability, healthcare, STEM, trades and education, and they change, so check the current list.

Questions people ask

No. Job offers stopped adding points in Express Entry in 2025, though some provincial streams still require one. Federal Skilled Worker applicants usually need to show settlement funds instead.

There is no fixed score. Each round has its own cut-off, which depends on the pool and the type of round. Check recent rounds on canada.ca rather than relying on old numbers.

Yes, PTE Core is accepted for Express Entry, but PTE Academic is not. For IELTS, you need the General Training test, not Academic.

Quebec selects its own skilled workers. You need Quebec's selection first, then you apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

The parents and grandparents programme is paused for new sponsorships. The super visa lets parents and grandparents make long visits in the meantime.

Official sources

Fees, fund requirements and processing times change. Check the current figures on the official site before you apply.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. VisaWala is not affiliated with any embassy or government, and only the issuing authority decides a visa application.