Immigrating to Canada can be a very rewarding experience. A new country, new opportunities, new possibilities. Because the process can be complicated, some false ideas about immigrating to Canada have crept into the mainstream. In today’s article, we’ll look at some of the myths about immigrating to Canada so you won’t be caught off-guard when you find out they are not true.
Myth #1: I just bought a house in Canada, so I can immigrate to Canada right away
Purchasing a house in Canada is not one of the requirements in any of the Canadian immigration programs. Buying property does not automatically grant you permanent residency or citizenship. You still need to enroll in an immigration program in order to come live in that new house you bought.
Some people who apply for permanent residency through one of the Provincial Nominee Programs buy a house in Canada because they want to have their own place to live when they arrive. This does have some benefit to their application as it shows they intend to live in that province when they are allowed to move to Canada. But buying a house is no guarantee they will be accepted. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house they might not ever be allowed to live in is a very large risk.
It’s safer to wait until you are granted permanent residency before buying your Canadian home.
Myth #2: Immigrating to Canada means you have to get rid of your own citizenship
When people tell you that they immigrated to Canada, it doesn’t mean that they become a Canadian citizen. Most of the time, they are probably permanent residents living in Canada and they still have their previous country’s citizenship. You can still be a citizen from Ireland, Ghana, China, Venezuela, or any other country but you happen to live in Canada as a permanent resident. Being a permanent resident does not mean you have to give up your home country’s citizenship.
Now, if you meet the requirements and decide to become a Canadian citizen, you will have to submit your application to IRCC. Again, this does not mean you need to give up your home country’s citizenship as Canada allows Canadians to have dual or multiple citizenships with different countries. As explained on the Government of Canada’s website: “Canadians are allowed to take foreign citizenship while keeping their Canadian citizenship.”
There are 49 countries in the world that allow people to hold dual or multi-citizenship (including Canada). You will need to see if your country allows you to hold multiple passports, however. If not, you may have to choose which citizenship you want to have.
Myth #3: If you can speak English (or French) fluently, you don’t need to take a language test
Language results are one of the requirements for many immigration programs. Even if you are a native English speaker and you want to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry, you must provide an official language test result. You cannot assume you can achieve IELTS 7 or CELPIP 8 and arbitrarily write in those scores in your application. You need to have an official language test score. Sorry, but even if you hold a Doctorate in English Literature, if you want to immigrate to Canada you will need to take a language test.
Myth #4: Most immigrants to Canada are from the USA
Surprisingly, even though the US is the only neighbouring country and Canada’s largest trading partner, the top 3 countries that have the highest rates of immigrants to Canada are from India, China and the Philippines.
Myth #5: After you become a Canadian citizen, your citizenship will never be revoked if it’s discovered you lied on your application
This is a huge myth. If you are caught lying (or withholding information) at any stage of the immigration process to come to Canada you could lose your citizenship and be deported back to your home country. Lying on your application is considered immigration fraud.
If your citizenship is revoked, you must wait 10 years from the date of revocation to get citizenship again.
The best way to ensure your citizenship is never in jeopardy is to tell the truth. Do not lie on your application; do not lie to the Canadian Border Services Agency officer; do not lie to the Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant; do not lie. Lying risks everything you and your family have worked for in order to come to Canada.
