Archive - Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Established in 1994, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is the federal department responsible for immigration and citizenship services.

Immigrants, refugees, foreign students, visitors, and temporary workers all fall under the jurisdiction of CIC. Citizenship and Immigration Canada maintains, reviews, and updates Canadian immigration and citizenship policy and processes applications for Permanent and Temporary Residency and citizenship. In addition, CIC provides programs and services to newcomers to help them more easily adapt to Canadian life and society, helping to build a strong and united Canada.

Some of the services that CIC provides are as follows:

Immigration

There are several different programs available to those interested in immigrating to Canada (permanent residence): Federal Skilled Worker, Business Class Immigration, Family Sponsorship, Provincial Nomination, and Quebec Skilled Worker. Applicants must select the program that best suits their needs.

Temporary Worker

Every year, over 90,000 temporary foreign workers come to Canada, helping to fill labour shortages and further boosting the Canadian economy. Although there are some exceptions, a Work Permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada. Human Resources and Social Development Canada work with CIC to issue Temporary Work Permits.

Temporary Visit

Canada welcomes over 35 million people from across the world every year to share in the sights and sounds of Canada’s beautiful landscape, bustling cities, and multicultural atmosphere. For citizens of certain countries, CIC does not require visitors to obtain Temporary Resident Visas Citizens of countries that do not appear on the visitor visa-exempt list will need to obtain a Temporary Resident Visa to be admitted to Canada for a visit.