Haitians facing displacement from the United States may consider Canada as an alternative place to settle. Canada offers pathways to permanent residence through Express Entry, with French-speaking candidates receiving additional opportunities through the immigration system.
Canada admits more than 100,000 permanent residents each year through Express Entry. The system awards additional points to candidates who have French language skills and also holds category-based selection rounds focused on French-language proficiency.
About 78% of permanent residence applications submitted through Express Entry were completed within six months or less between August 2025 and July 2026, based on the latest available official data at the time of writing.
To pursue permanent residence through Express Entry, candidates must intend to settle in Canada outside Quebec.
How Haitians Can Get Permanent Residence Through Express Entry?
The process for displaced Haitian nationals seeking permanent residence through Express Entry involves the following steps:
- Meet the minimum requirements for at least one of the Express Entry programs, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
- Pass a government-authorized immigration language test.
- Create an Express Entry profile and be placed into the candidate pool.
- Be selected from the pool and receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR).
- Complete an immigration medical exam, then respond with a complete permanent residence application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
- If successful, receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), typically within about six months.
- Travel to Canada, officially landing as a permanent resident.
Once a person becomes a permanent resident, they can relocate and settle in any Canadian province or territory.
Canadian permanent resident status can continue indefinitely as long as the person meets the residency requirement of staying in Canada for at least 730 days during every five-year period.
After landing in Canada, the permanent resident card can be sent to the Canadian address provided by the applicant. The card is normally valid for five years and can be renewed when required.
After living in Canada for three years, a permanent resident may qualify to apply for Canadian citizenship.
Canadian citizenship obtained through naturalization is permanent and does not require renewal or maintenance.
How Haitian Nationals Can Qualify Under Express Entry?
For many Haitian nationals facing displacement, the Federal Skilled Worker Program may be the most relevant pathway into the Express Entry pool.
To qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, a candidate must intend to live in Canada outside Quebec and generally needs at least one year of skilled work experience within the previous ten years.
Skilled work experience can cover a wide range of occupations. These can include cooks, butchers and roofers, as well as doctors, lawyers and executives.
Candidates must also score at least 67 points on the 100-point Federal Skilled Worker Program selection grid.
Haitian nationals must meet the minimum language requirements, which generally require level seven in French or English. They must also have at least a high school diploma and show that they have enough settlement funds. The required amount depends on the size of the family.
At the profile stage, Express Entry candidates must provide a passing result from an immigration language test completed through a government-approved testing provider.
Candidates who completed their education outside Canada must also provide an educational credential assessment. This document comes from a government-approved third-party organization and confirms how the foreign education compares with Canadian standards.
Once submitted, an Express Entry profile can remain in the candidate pool for up to 12 months. During that period, the candidate may receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
The Canadian government generally holds invitation rounds regularly throughout the year.
In selection rounds held in 2026, candidates with strong French language skills often received invitations despite having scores in the lower third of the candidate pool.
By comparison, candidates with Canadian work experience who did not meet the French-language threshold generally needed to rank among the highest-scoring profiles to receive an invitation.
Applying For Permanent Residence After An Invitation
Candidates who receive an invitation to apply have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application to IRCC. The application is generally submitted online.
At this stage, candidates need to provide supporting documents, including proof of settlement funds, a copy of their educational credential assessment report, medical examination confirmation, and police certificates for themselves and family members aged 18 or older who lived outside Canada for six consecutive months or longer during the previous ten years.
Documents that are not written in English or French must be accompanied by a translation that meets the applicable government requirements.
IRCC creates a personalized document checklist for each permanent residence applicant. This checklist identifies the documents that the individual must provide with the application.
Express Entry applicants must complete a medical examination with an IRCC-approved panel physician after receiving an invitation and before submitting their permanent residence application.
All permanent residence-related fees must be paid online. Applicants should also include copies of the payment receipts with their applications.
What Happens After Permanent Residence Is Approved?
Once IRCC approves a permanent residence application, the successful applicant receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Each accompanying family member who is included in the application also receives a COPR.
The applicant and accompanying family members can then travel to Canada. They must arrive before the COPR expires. A border officer signs and dates the document to officially grant permanent resident status.
A permanent resident card is then mailed to the Canadian address provided by the applicant. The card is normally valid for five years and can be renewed afterward.
Permanent residents have important rights in Canada, including the ability to live and work in the country and access eligible social services and government programs.
Express Entry permanent residents and eligible family members can access newcomer services for up to six years beginning April 1, 2026. This period is scheduled to decrease to five years beginning April 1, 2027.
After accumulating three years, or 1,095 days, of physical presence in Canada and meeting the other citizenship requirements, permanent residents may apply for Canadian citizenship.
Canadian citizenship provides additional rights, including the ability to vote, run for public office and apply for a Canadian passport.
Citizenship can also provide access to certain Canadian government positions that require a higher level of security clearance.
Children born in Canada generally receive Canadian citizenship at birth regardless of their parents’ citizenship status. The diplomatic exemption is an exception to this rule. Children of Canadian permanent residents are not affected by this diplomatic exemption.
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