If you believe the recent buzz in the tinsel town, the royal couple of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to move to Canada, after stepping back from their royal duties. For now, they have decided to embrace the Maple leaf nation as their part time home.
With that comes the question in the minds of many, that will they be treated royally by the immigration department of Canada or will they follow the normal Canada PR Visa process for permanent residence? The answer is yes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will just like other prospective skilled workers, be required to fulfill the Canada immigration criteria, but will they be eligible?
Potential and the most favorable pathways for the royal immigration are Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), that is designed for skilled workers with overseas work experience and educational qualifications, who are looking to migrate to Canada as permanent residents.
Under this category, also known as the Canada Express entry, housing three major economic class programs, you will be required to score a minimum of 67 points or more on the ranking tool called the Comprehensive Ranking System, which will be used to rank candidates who have created their respective express entry profiles.
CRS Points are granted on the six selection factors of age, work experience, educational qualification, a valid job offers from a licensed Canadian employer, proficiency in English or French language as well as adaptability (as in whether you are able to blend in with the Canadian environment).
Even the Self-Employment Program is a good Canada PR visa option for Meghan since it allows you to migrate to Canada permanently, and that too as a self-employed person, and Harry could opt for the Family Reunification program, within which the spouse or common law partner can be sponsored either by recent permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
This program aims at reunifying family members and is inclusive of even the sponsorship of dependent children, parents, grand-parents, children adopted from abroad, and other relatives in special circumstances. Since the royal pair wish to settle in British Columbia, what better than a provincial nomination, and if not, then how about becoming immigrant entrepreneurs.
And if they have blocked their option on Federal Skilled Worker Program, Meghan can submit an Express entry profile as a principal applicant. The highest scorers of the Canada Express entry system are sent an Invitation to Apply to apply for Permanent Residency Canada via the Express entry draws, that are conducted on a regular basis.
Married couples like Meghan and Harry can select which one among them will be the principal applicant, while naming the other partner as the spouse accompanying them. Factors like age is considered important in the Comprehensive Ranking system, as after the age of 29 any prospective applicant begin to lose points from the maximum, that is out of 100 for a married couple.
Particular details about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s education, whether they equal the Canadian standards, their performance in the language competency tests, as well as their acquired experience of work outside Canada, will be relevant for CRS points calculation.