Ex-pats’ guide to migrating to Canada
Migrating to Canada is one of those plans that sounds simple when you say it quickly, then becomes an endless rabbit hole the moment you start reading forums.
The reality is that Canada has multiple legitimate routes in, each with its own eligibility rules, timelines, and paperwork culture. The best outcomes tend to come from two things, understanding which pathway actually fits your profile, and treating the process like a project, not a dream.
This guide is designed to help you understand the main routes, the common mistakes that slow people down, and why Atlantic Canada (including Nova Scotia) has become a serious option for skilled workers, graduates, and families building a long-term plan. It is general guidance only, always check the official Canadian government sources, and take regulated advice if your situation is complex.
Start with the basics, Canada has pathways, not one “visa”
Most people searching “move to Canada” assume there’s a single application that either succeeds or fails. Canada doesn’t work like that.
Instead, you typically enter through one of these broad categories:
- Permanent residence routes (you can live and work in Canada long-term)
- Temporary routes (work permits, study permits, often used as stepping stones)
- Family sponsorship (where a close family relationship is the basis)
The route you choose changes everything, what documents you need, what “proof of funds” means, how long it takes, whether you need a job offer, and whether you can bring dependants straight away.
The main routes expats actually use
1) Express Entry (skilled workers)
Express Entry is Canada’s flagship system for skilled workers. In simple terms: you create a profile, you are scored against other candidates, and the strongest profiles are invited to apply.
What matters most tends to be a combination of:
- work experience
- education
- language scores
- age
- whether you have Canadian experience or a provincial nomination
The key point is that some applicants also need to show proof of settlement funds, and those thresholds are updated periodically, so you always want to read the current IRCC page rather than relying on old advice. (Canada)
2) Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
If you have a reason to focus on a particular province, the Provincial Nominee Program can be a faster or more realistic route than relying on Express Entry alone.
Here’s the strategic bit: a provincial nomination can materially improve your Express Entry position, because nominated candidates receive an additional points boost, which can dramatically improve the odds of being invited to apply. (Canada)
In other words, if you are flexible about where you settle, “pick a province first” can sometimes be the smarter approach.
3) Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), a strong option for Nova Scotia
If you are specifically open to Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), the Atlantic Immigration Program is worth taking seriously.
AIP is designed as a pathway to permanent residence for:
- skilled foreign workers, and
- international graduates from a Canadian institution
It is employer-led, meaning it is closely tied to filling real jobs in the region, which is part of why it has become a practical route for people who want a clear provincial destination, rather than being pulled into “anywhere in Canada”. (Canada)
If your plan includes Nova Scotia, AIP is often one of the first official routes you should read about in full.
Work permits, when “temporary” is part of a long-term plan
Many expats do not go straight into permanent residence. They enter through a work permit, build Canadian experience, and then transition.
One well-known route for certain high-skill roles is Canada’s Global Talent Stream, designed to help Canadian employers hire specialised workers quickly when local hiring is not meeting demand. (Canada)
Important nuance: this stream is employer-driven, it is not “a visa you apply for on your own”. Your eligibility is tied to an employer’s process and the role.
If your aim is to relocate through work, the practical focus becomes:
- finding employers who already hire internationally
- building a CV and LinkedIn profile that reads “Canada-ready”
- understanding whether your occupation is commonly supported
Study permits, the “quietly effective” pathway for long-term settlement
Studying in Canada is often dismissed as expensive, but it remains a common route for people building a more secure, long-term plan, especially those who want Canadian credentials and a smoother transition into work.
Two essentials to understand:
- You must prove you have enough money to cover tuition, living expenses, and transportation, without relying on working in Canada as the plan. (Canada)
- Provinces and institutions have different support structures for international students, and settlement services are a real part of the ecosystem in places like Nova Scotia. (studynovascotia.ca)
If you are looking at Nova Scotia as a study destination, you will also find that established newcomer organisations operate locally and can help with practical settlement support once you arrive. (ISANS)
Where people waste months, the common mistakes
Mistake 1: Relying on outdated requirements
Canadian requirements change, particularly around funding thresholds and documentation rules. Always use current government pages as the source of truth, especially for proof of funds. (Canada)
Mistake 2: Treating “proof of funds” casually
Canada is not vague about financial evidence. In several routes, you are expected to clearly demonstrate you can support yourself. The government’s own wording is blunt: you must prove you have enough money to cover tuition, living expenses, and travel costs (for study permits). (Canada)
Mistake 3: Not choosing a province early enough
If you are open to multiple provinces, that flexibility can help. But if you actually want a specific region (for lifestyle, family, or work reasons), it is often better to build the plan around it early, particularly if provincial nomination or Atlantic-specific programmes may apply. (Canada)
Mistake 4: Underestimating settlement admin
Even when you are approved, the “real work” starts: housing, banking, phone plans, healthcare registration, local services, schools, and building a local network. Nova Scotia has structured settlement guidance and services that help newcomers navigate those first steps. (Live in NS)
Why Nova Scotia is often on expats’ radar
Many newcomers fixate on Toronto or Vancouver because they are famous. But serious expat research tends to expand beyond that once people start thinking about:
- housing affordability (relative to major metros)
- lifestyle and access to nature
- pace of life
- community and family suitability
- long-term stability rather than short-term hype
Nova Scotia also benefits from immigration pathways that are specifically designed to support Atlantic provinces, with AIP being the obvious example. (Canada)
In practical terms, that means Nova Scotia is not just “a nice place to live”, it can also be part of a clearer administrative pathway for the right profile.
A practical “project plan” for moving to Canada
If you want to treat this properly, here is a simple structure that works:
- Clarify your primary goal
- Permanent move, or temporary entry with a path to permanence?
- Do you need to bring a partner, children, dependants?
- Choose your most realistic route
- Skilled worker (Express Entry)
- Province-led (PNP)
- Atlantic-focused (AIP)
- Work permit route
- Study route
- Collect and standardise documentation early
- ID, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates
- education documents and transcripts
- employment reference letters
- financial evidence (where required) (Canada)
- Treat timelines as conservative
- build buffer for document delays, verification, and admin changes
- Plan settlement before you arrive
- short-term accommodation plan
- banking, phone plan, transport
- newcomer support and local services (especially useful in a province like Nova Scotia) (Live in NS)
So, in summary…
Migrating successfully is rarely about motivation. It is usually about fit.
The people who get to the finish line are the ones who align their profile to a specific pathway, document everything properly, and avoid building their plan on social media anecdotes from someone whose circumstances are completely different.
If you are considering Atlantic Canada, it is worth reading the Atlantic Immigration Program in full early in your research, because it is one of the clearest “region-specific” routes Canada offers. (Canada)
