Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227)

Marginal note:Official languages

• 102.3 (1) A foreign national must specify in their application for a permanent resident visa which language — English or French — is to be considered their first official language in Canada.They must have their proficiency in that language evaluated by an organization or institution designated under subsection (4).

• Marginal note:Proficiency in second language

  (2) If the foreign national wishes to claim points for proficiency in their second official language they must, with the application for a permanent resident visa, submit the results of an evaluation — which must be less than two years old on the date on which their application is made — of their proficiency by an organization or institution designated under subsection (4).

• Marginal note:Proficiency in English and French (24 points)

  (3) Points for proficiency in the official languages of Canada shall be awarded up to a maximum of 24 points based on the benchmarks referred to in the Canadian Language Benchmarks and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, as follows:

  • (a) for high proficiency

    • (i) in the first official language, 4 points for each language skill area if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 8 or higher, and

    • (ii) in the second official language, 2 points for each language skill area if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 8 or higher;

  • (b) for moderate proficiency

    • (i) in the first official language, 2 points for each language skill area if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 6 or 7, and

    • (ii) in the second official language, 2 points for each language skill area if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 6 or 7;

  • (c) for basic proficiency in either official language, 1 point for each language skill area, up to a maximum of 2 points, if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 4 or 5; and

  • (d) for no proficiency in either official language, 0 points if the foreign national’s proficiency corresponds to a benchmark of 3 or lower.

• Marginal note:Evaluation of language proficiency

  (4) The Minister may designate, for any period he or she specifies, any organization or institution to be responsible for evaluating language proficiency and approve the language test to be used to evaluate that proficiency if the organization or institution

  • (a) has expertise in evaluating language proficiency; and

  • (b) has provided the Minister with an equivalency between its language test results and the benchmarks set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, as the case may be.

• Marginal note:Public notice

  (5) The Minister must make available to the public the names of the designated organizations or institutions and the approved language tests.

• Marginal note:Definition service agreement

  (6) For the purposes of subsection (7), service agreement means an agreement concluded between the Government of Canada and an organization or institution for the purpose of having the organization or institution supply the service of evaluating the language proficiency of foreign nationals.

• Marginal note:Revocation of designation

  (7) The Minister may revoke a designation of an organization or institution or the approval of a language test if

  • (a) the organization or institution no longer meets the criteria set out in subsection (4);

  • (b) the organization or institution submitted false, misleading or inaccurate information or has contravened any provision of a federal or provincial law or regulation that is relevant to the service provided by the organization or institution; or

  • (c) either the Government of Canada or the organization or institution has terminated the service agreement.

• Marginal note:Conclusive evidence

  (8) The results of an evaluation of language proficiency by a designated organization or institution using an approved language test are conclusive evidence of an applicant’s language proficiency for the purposes of subsection (1) and of paragraph 98.01(2)(b).

Experience

• 103 (1) and (2) [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 9]

• Self-employed person

  (3) A member of the self-employed persons class shall be awarded assessment points up to a maximum of 35 points for relevant experience during the period beginning five years before the date of their application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a determination is made in respect of the application as follows:

  • (a) 20 points for

    • (i) two one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(i)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or a combination of two one-year periods of such experience,

    • (ii) two one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(ii)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or a combination of two one-year periods of such experience, or

    • (iii) two one-year periods of experience described in subparagraph (a)(iii) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1);

  • (b) 25 points for

    • (i) three one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(i)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of three one-year periods of such experience,

    • (ii) three one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(ii)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of three one-year periods of such experience, or

    • (iii) three one-year periods of experience described in subparagraph (a)(iii) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1);

  • (c) 30 points for

    • (i) four one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(i)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of four one-year periods of such experience,

    • (ii) four one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(ii)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of four one-year periods of such experience, or

    • (iii) four one-year periods of experience described in subparagraph (a)(iii) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1); and

  • (d) 35 points for

    • (i) five one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(i)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of five one-year periods of such experience,

    • (ii) five one-year periods of experience described in clause (a)(ii)(A) or (B) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1) or any combination of five one-year periods of such experience, or

    • (iii) five one-year periods of experience described in subparagraph (a)(iii) of the definition relevant experience in subsection 88(1).

Adaptability

104 [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 10]

Marginal note:Self-employed person

• 105 (1) A member of the self-employed persons class shall be awarded assessment points up to a maximum of 6 points for adaptability on the basis of any combination of the following elements:

  • (a) for the educational credentials of the member’s accompanying spouse or common-law partner, 3, 4 or 5 points determined in accordance with subsection (2);

  • (b) for any previous period of study in Canada by the member or their spouse or common-law partner, 5 points;

  • (c) for any previous period of work in Canada by the member or their spouse or common-law partner, 5 points; and

  • (d) for being related to, or for having an accompanying spouse or accompanying common-law partner who is related to, a person living in Canada who is described in subsection (5), 5 points.

• Marginal note:Educational credentials of spouse or common-law partner

  (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(a), an officer shall evaluate the educational credentials of the accompanying spouse or accompanying common-law partner of the member of the self-employed persons class as if the spouse or common-law partner were the member, and shall award points to the member as follows:

  • (a) for a spouse or common-law partner who would be awarded 25 points, 5 points;

  • (b) for a spouse or common-law partner who would be awarded 20 or 22 points, 4 points; and

  • (c) for a spouse or common-law partner who would be awarded 12 or 15 points, 3 points.

• Marginal note:Previous study in Canada

  (3) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), a member of the self-employed persons class shall be awarded 5 points if the member or their accompanying spouse or accompanying common-law partner, on or after their 17th birthday, completed a program of full-time study of at least two years’ duration at a post-secondary institution in Canada under a study permit, whether or not they obtained an educational credential for completing that program.

• Marginal note:Previous work in Canada

  (4) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(c), a member of the self-employed persons class shall be awarded 5 points if the member or their accompanying spouse or accompanying common-law partner engaged in at least one year of full-time work in Canada under a work permit.

• Marginal note:Family relationships in Canada

  (5) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(d), a member of the self-employed persons class shall be awarded 5 points if

  • (a) the member or their accompanying spouse or accompanying common-law partner is related by blood, marriage, common-law partnership or adoption to a person who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada and who is

    • (i) their father or mother,

    • (ii) the father or mother of their father or mother,

    • (iii) their child,

    • (iv) a child of their child,

    • (v) a child of their father or mother,

    • (vi) a child of the father or mother of their father or mother, other than their father or mother, or

    • (vii) a child of the child of their father or mother; or

  • (b) the member has a spouse or common-law partner who is not accompanying them and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada.

Requirements

106 [Repealed, SOR/2008-202, s. 6]

107 [Repealed, SOR/2018-72, s. 5]

Selection

Marginal note:Application for visa

• 108 (1) Subject to subsection (5), if a foreign national makes an application as a member of the Quebec investor class, the Quebec entrepreneur class, the start-up business class, the self-employed persons class or the Quebec self-employed persons class for a permanent resident visa, an officer may only issue the visa to the foreign national and their accompanying family members if they meet the requirements of subsection 70(1) and, if applicable,

  • (a) in the case of a foreign national who has made an application under the self-employed persons class and their accompanying family members, who intend to reside in a place in Canada other than a province whose government has, under subsection 8(1) of the Act, entered into an agreement referred to in subsection 9(1) of the Act with the Minister under which the province has sole responsibility for selection, the foreign national is awarded the minimum number of points referred to in subsection (4); and

  • (b) in the case of a foreign national and their accompanying family members, who intend to reside in a province whose government has, under subsection 8(1) of the Act, entered into an agreement referred to in subsection 9(1) of the Act with the Minister under which the province has sole responsibility for selection, the foreign national is named in a selection certificate issued by that province.

• (2) and (3) [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 12]

• Marginal note:Minimum points — self-employed persons

  (4) The Minister shall fix and make available to the public the minimum number of points required of a self-employed person, on the basis of

  • (a) the number of applications by members of the self-employed persons class currently being processed;

  • (b) the number of self-employed persons projected to become permanent residents according to the report to Parliament referred to in section 94 of the Act; and

  • (c) the potential, taking into account economic and other relevant factors, for the establishment of self-employed persons in Canada.

• Marginal note:Federal-provincial agreement

  (5) A permanent resident visa shall not be issued to a foreign national as a member of the Quebec investor class, or to their accompanying family members, if the Minister is engaged in consultations with the province in respect of the interpretation or implementation of the agreement, referred to in subsection 9(1) of the Act and entered into under subsection 8(1) of the Act, between the province and the Minister in respect of the selection of investors and the consultations have not been successfully completed.

Marginal note:Substitution of evaluation

• 109 (1) Whether or not a foreign national has been awarded the minimum number of required points referred to in subsection 108(1), an officer may substitute for the factors set out in subsection 102(1) their evaluation of the likelihood of the foreign national’s ability to become economically established in Canada if the number of points awarded is not a sufficient indicator of whether the foreign national may become economically established in Canada.

• Marginal note:Concurrence

  (2) An evaluation made under subsection (1) requires the concurrence of a second officer.

109.1 [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 13]

109.2 [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 13]

109.3 [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 13]

109.4 [Repealed, SOR/2008-202, s. 7]

109.5 [Repealed, SOR/2016-316, s. 13]

110 [Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 6]

111 [Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 6]

112 [Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 6]

113 [Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 6]

114 [Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 6]