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The route most people from the United States take, the mistake to avoid, and the facts that change because you are applying from the United States, each read from the official page it links.
Citizens of the United States have a route into Canada built on a trade agreement, the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). A US citizen with a job offer from a Canadian employer in a profession the agreement lists, such as engineer, accountant or computer systems analyst, and the degree or certification that profession calls for, can apply for a work permit without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), the document an employer may otherwise need before hiring a foreign worker. Skilled work done on that permit can later count toward the Canadian Experience Class, the part of Express Entry for skilled workers with Canadian work experience; Express Entry is the online system that invites the candidates with the most points to apply for permanent residence.
The employer files the job offer online with IRCC, Canada's immigration department, before the applicant applies with proof of US citizenship and of the degree or certification. A US citizen may apply at a port of entry (the border crossing or airport of arrival), though IRCC advises applying before travelling. Later, Express Entry asks for an approved language test result even from native English speakers, and a US degree earns points only with an educational credential assessment, a report on what it equals in Canada. Fingerprints taken for the FBI's police check are not the same as the fingerprints and photo Canada collects with an application. A Canadian Experience Class applicant does not have to show settlement funds, the money to live on after arriving.
The mistake to avoid is assuming CUSMA covers everyone living in the United States. IRCC's instructions require the applicant to be a citizen of the United States or Mexico, so a green card, the card proving US permanent residence, or a US work visa does not open this route. A non-citizen living there needs another route, such as Express Entry itself or a work permit backed by an employer's LMIA.
Express Entry asks a single applicant to show CAD 15,263 in settlement funds, about US$10,733 at the latest cached exchange rate; larger families need more.
A qualification from the United States is assessed for Canada by one of these organisations: World Education Services (WES), International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS), International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS), International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) and Comparative Education Service (CES).
An Identity History Summary from the FBI (the US Federal Bureau of Investigation), requested online. The check is based on your fingerprints, which you can have taken at a participating US Post Office.
Canada has no youth mobility agreement with the United States today, so citizens of the United States can join International Experience Canada only through a recognized organization that accepts them.
Tests Canada accepts with centres in the United States include IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
In the 2021 census, 43% of immigrants born in the United States lived in Ontario, more than in any other province or territory.
Compared with other immigrants, those born in the United States are most concentrated in British Columbia, among the places where at least 5% of them live.
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