The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created by the Obama administration to allow children of undocumented US residents to have some ability to remain the country legally. DACA allowed qualified residents to remain in the United States without deportation as long as they paid a fee and renewed their status every two years. Those who applied for deportation protection under this program were sometimes called “Dreamers,” so named because of the long-awaited but never passed Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM).
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced that the US will be rescinding DACA, leaving the approximately 800,000 individuals who have DACA protection vulnerable to deportation. Some of those young people may wish to consider Canada as an option.
Already, some within the Canadian system have stated that Canada should develop a system to bring young people living under DACA protections to Canada. Ontario Independent Senator Ratna Omidvar has proposed Canada pursue Dreamers through its economic migrant program.
Although there is no formal program in place right now for Dreamers to apply to get into Canada with special processing, those living in the United States under the DACA program may qualify to apply for immigration into Canada.
How to Apply to Immigrate to Canada
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has stated Congress will be tasked with finding ways to protect young people who are affected by the rescinding of DACA, but so far no specific solution has been created under the Trump administration. The DACA program will not be rescinded until March 5, 2018, which may give Dreamers time to find other solutions.
If you are living in the US under the DACA program you may wish to consider Canada as an option. If you have a degree and have some work experience, you may qualify under the Express Entry system. This system is points-based and allows Canada to invite people who have needed job skills. You can apply online by filling out a form.
You are awarded points based on your skills and education. Once you are in the Express Entry pool, you can start seeking a job in Canada. If you get a job offer, you can get additional points. If you are one of the higher-ranking applicants in the pool, you may be invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada.
There are also routes to entry into Canada. Dreamers may be able to apply for permanent residency in Canada by applying under one of the economic classes as a self-employed person, caregiver, immigrant investor or other class. Another option is to apply for sponsorship. If you have an immediate family member who is a Canadian citizen, he or she may be able to sponsor you to immigrate to Canada.
If you are considering moving to Canada, Immigration Direct has useful resources as well as detailed and up-to-date information about family sponsorship applications and economic class immigration as well as Express Entry. You can find everything you need in one place so you can start applying right now.
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