Canada/Visa

US Citizens are allowed to enter Canada for up to 180 days visa-free, assuming you are visiting for non-work or non-residence purposes. The following are visas covering non-tourist entry.

Visas

Remote Work / Digital Nomad

US citizens can enter and remain in Canada as a tourist visa-free for up to 180 days, and can work remotely for a US employer during this time.

Work Permit

Work permits allow foreign nationals to work in Canada, under which you would apply under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP). The nature of your work will determine your eligibility for permit types under either program.

A permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that proves that there is a need for foreign workers for that line of work and that there are no local citizen workers available for the job.

A permit under the International Mobility Program does not require a positive LMIA but does require a submission of an employment offer in the employers portal.

If you are a U.S. or Mexican citizen who is considered a "skilled worker" (i.e. in IT or a manager), you may be eligible under the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) to obtain a permit under the International Mobility Program and thus not need an LMIA.

Employer Specific Work Permits

This type of work permit might be the most secure and fastest method for entry into Canada under a work permit if you can secure an offer of employment from a prospective employer.

A number of different work permits are available, full details of which - along with their application process - may be found on the work visa application information portal. They are typically conditional on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which your prospective employer must complete to prove that they genuinely need a foreign worker for the job, as opposed to a Canadian national. Most work visas of this kind are available via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The International Mobility Program (IMP), does not require an LMIA be carried out.

Employment positions eligible for IMP status are those which "provide broad economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada, and provide reciprocal benefits for Canadian citizens and permanent residents."

Workers eligible for the IMP include those entering Canada as part of trade treaties, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) or the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), those entering Canada on an open work permit (see below), and those entering Canada as intra-company transferees. This latter category has potential for US staff of companies with a significant presence in Canada, who may have the opportunity to request a transfer overseas.

Open Work Permit

Open work permits are not tied to a specific employer, but are only available to people in a limited range of circumstances, including:

• international students who have graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
• student who can no longer meet the costs of their studies (destitute student)
• workers with an employer-specific work permit who are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to their job in Canada
• those who have applied for permanent residence in Canada
• dependent family members of someone who applied for permanent residence
• the spouse, common-law partner or dependent child of a low- or high-skilled worker
• the spouse or common-law partner of an international student
• the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
• refugees, refugee claimants, protected persons or their family members
• personal under an unenforceable removal order
• temporary resident permit holders
• young workers participating in special programs

This type of work permit might be the most immediately appealing for quick entry into Canada, but is subject to specific eligibility requirements.

Start-up Visa

The Start-Up Visa program for entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas, intended to boost innovation and growth in Canada. Applicants need a viable business plan, support from a designated organization, and intermediate language skills

Self-Employed Visa

The Self-Employed Persons Program was paused on April 30^th, 2024 due to an extremely large backlog in applications and is expected to remain paused through the end of 2026.

The federal Self-Employed Persons Program for individuals with relevant self-employment experience who wish to become permanent residents after setting up a business in Canada. Applicants must have two years of relevant experience within the past five and "must demonstrate both the intention and the ability to create their own employment, significantly contributing to Canada’s cultural, artistic, or athletic sectors."

For the wealthy, the Buy A Business and Move to Canada program.

Student Visa

If you are accepted into a Canadian college or university, you will be able to apply for a student visa. Your school should provide instructions on obtaining your visa. The fastest option is to obtain your visa as soon as you cross the border by notifying the border agent. You must have all of your documentation with you.

Family Reunification

This is also known as the "Family Class" Sponsorship. Canadian citizens can sponsor relatives, spouses, and dependents for permanent residence. Certain types of relative sponsorships are limited to a certain number determined by a random drawing.

Super Visa

Parents can immigrate to Canada with their adult children who are already residents in-country. This visa is good for 5 years and is renewable for 2 years at a time.

Permanent Residence

Most immigrants gain the right to live in Canada by being chosen for permanent residence through a government program. Permanent residents have the right to live anywhere in Canada (with some caveats), to receive government benefits, and to come and go freely as long as they have their Permanent Resident card.

Express Entry

Make sure to see the Québec section below if you're hoping to move there.

Express Entry is the main method by which people from all over the world immigrate to Canada, and by which people who have temporary status in Canada gain the right to stay there permanently. The federal government chooses immigrants from the pool based on a points system. Points are assigned for various things like age, marital status, education, work experience, Canadian work experience, and language skills. The Canadian government pulls candidates from the pool based on a minimum score, sometimes drawing from different pools created by filtering the list of candidates for specific criteria. Express Entry applicants have been invited based on work experience or skills in certain sectors, and language skills (particularly French).

How long an application takes to process generally depends on how long it takes to be drawn from the pool. The main ways to improve your score include getting Canadian work experience by getting an employer-specific work permit, and studying French. You can calculate your score here.

Provincial nominee programs

Provincial nominee programs are programs run by the provinces which allow them to invite immigrants with specific qualifications. Provincial nominees are given an Invitation to Apply by a province. Some invitations need to be applied to an Express Entry profile, and others will allow you to apply directly. Be sure to double check the provincial program you're applying to, and if it goes through Express Entry, make sure you're eligible to set up a profile.

If you receive a provincial nomination, although the government can't force you to move to a specific province -- as a permanent resident, you have the ability to live anywhere in Canada -- when you eventually apply for citizenship, you will have to explain if you move elsewhere, and if you don't have a good reason, that citizenship application may end up being denied.

These programs and the rates at which they offer invitations change regularly, so check out the provincial websites here:

• British Columbia
• Northwest Territories
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• Ontario
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Nova Scotia
• Newfoundland and Labrador

Nunavut doesn't have any provincial nominee programs, and Québec manages its own immigration.

Québec

As part of Canada's multinational structure, Québec controls its own immigration, and immigrants who gain the right to live in Canada via a federal program aren't supposed to settle in Québec. As a permanent resident, you have the right to live anywhere in Canada, but if you do decide to make Québec your first stop in Canada you will have to explain it if you eventually apply for citizenship, and it could result in that citizenship application being denied.

Québec offers its own programs. You can see them here.

Programs for medical workers

Medical workers are in extremely high demand in most of Canada. Applicants with experience in a medical field that are qualified for Express Entry might have an easier time getting in that way, or via a provincial nominee program.

Home Care Worker immigration pilot

As of August 24^th, 2025, the Home Care Worker immigration program stream for workers already in Canada was full for the year, and the stream for workers outside of Canada had not yet opened. No opening date is available as of writing. If you're interested in this program, prepare your documentation now and be ready to submit an application as soon as the stream opens.

The Home Care Worker immigration pilot allows experienced home care workers (caregivers) with a job offer as a home child care provider or a home support worker to immigrate to Canada. You must show proof of funds, pass a language test in English or French, and get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) if your education wasn't done in Canada.

Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic Immigration Program is a pathway to permanent residence for certain skilled workers who want to move to Atlantic Canada (the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick). You must have at least 1,560 hours (1 year at 30 hours/week) experience within the last five years in a position classified as TEER level 4 or lower and be able to pass either an English or French language test. (To find your current job's TEER level, check here.)

You must also have a job offer from an employer in one of the Atlantic provinces. You also need at least a Canadian high school diploma. If your credentials weren't earned in Canada, you'll need to get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).

If accepted, you can apply for permanent residence, and also simultaneously apply for an employer-specific work permit which will allow you to work for the employer that offered you the job.

Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) are pathways to permanent residence for skilled workers who want to live in a rural area. You must have a job offer from an employer in one of 14 (for RCIP) or 6 (for FCIP) remote communities. You also need to have enough funds to get settled, have at least the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma, to pass a language test in French (for RCIP or FCIP) or English (for RCIP). If your credentials weren't earned in Canada, you'll need to get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).

Citizenship pathways

There are two paths to citizenship via family descent or naturalization.

Family Descent

The law around family descent is extremely fluid due to active court cases. While the process is currently wide open for anyone with any ancestor any number of generations back, this will change soon, and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has signaled that they will reprocess pending applications when a bill is passed repairing the citizenship law. If you qualify for citizenship under this section, and your Canadian ancestor is more than 3-5 generations back, it may be too late to apply. Do not delay in submitting an application. While we will make every effort to keep this section up to date, be aware that there may be delays as policy changes.

Due to the historic settlement of US territory by the French and cross-border migration before the establishment of border controls, many American families, especially those that have long histories in the US and are from the Midwest or elsewhere in the North can generally find at least one link to Canada in their family.

According to the law as written, you can receive citizenship if you can prove one of your parents (legal parent listed at birth) was a citizen before you were born, with some exceptions. This one-generation limit for passing down citizenship was struck down in December of 2023 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and under the current interim measures resulting from this case, anyone who can prove a link to any ancestor who would have been Canadian by birth on what is now Canadian soil, or an ancestor who naturalized as a Canadian citizen, is already Canadian and can have their citizenship recognized by applying for a Citizenship Certificate.

Since 2024, bills have been proposed to repair the law and allow the passing down of citizenship down from ancestors beyond the first generation. Because these bills have been delayed in being passed, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has instituted a set of interim measures that allow those who can prove that any direct ancestor was a citizen or would have been a citizen under the current law to apply for citizenship. The process for this is documented in this guide in the Reddit community that has formed around this new process:

• Application Process FAQ/Guide

As of late September 2025, a new bill to repair the citizenship law is still early in the legislative process. It was advanced to the committee stage in the House of Commons on September 22, where it may spend anywhere from days to months being amended before it returns to the House for a final vote. Following this, it will follow the same process in the Senate before becoming law. It enjoys broad support from all parties except the Conservatives and is extremely likely to pass. In its current form, it is more permissive than the rule that was struck down, but more restrictive in some aspects than the current interim measures. Therefore, if you have a Canadian ancestor who is more than 3-5 generations back, it may be too late to apply.

The citizenship by descent process is easy enough to navigate without a lawyer, and takes between 3 to 4 months, or potentially longer. Lawyers are generally unfamiliar with this process and may even be misleading in some cases, or result in unnecessary delay. Trans people should remember to include Form IRM 0002 Request for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier if their birth certificate has not been updated yet, and consider discussing the hardship we are facing in the United States in their application cover letter. This may result in your application being prioritized.

It is recommended to provide color copies where possible. Birth and marriage certificates are ideal, but census records and baptismal records can be used if necessary. Certified copies are generally not required. In some cases, people have been asked to provide a certified copy of their Canadian ancestor's birth or baptismal certificate, but these can be uploaded later via the website if another non-certified copy is available to send with the application. Do not send originals as they may not be returned to you. Documents must simply show a continuous link between you and your Canadian ancestor.

Naturalization

If you are a permanent resident (not on a temporary visa) and have lived in Canada for 3 of the last 5 years, you can apply for citizenship once you pass a language test, pass a citizenship test, and swear an oath.