Moving to Canada from China: Study, Express Entry and Business Routes

Chinese newcomers often start as students, as skilled workers through Express Entry, or as business people. Business options have narrowed a lot since 2025.

The federal Start-Up Visa closed to new applications on December 31, 2025, and the Self-Employed Persons Program is paused. A new federal entrepreneur pilot has been promised but had not opened as of September 2026.

China is on IRCC's list of visa-required countries (entry requirements page updated July 31, 2026). You need a visitor visa, officially a temporary resident visa (TRV), to travel to Canada, and you can't use an eTA instead. The visa costs CAD $100 plus CAD $85 for biometrics, as of September 2026.

If IRCC approves a study permit or work permit for you, it issues the visa at the same time, so you don't file a separate visa application.

Where to give biometrics. Most applicants aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photo at a visa application center (VAC). IRCC lists VACs in China in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan passports. People with Hong Kong SAR or Taiwan passports follow different rules from mainland Chinese passport holders; for example, Hong Kong and Taiwan are both International Experience Canada partners. Check IRCC's entry requirements for the passport you hold.

Processing times depend on the country you apply from and change every week. Check the processing times tool before you plan a move date.

Express Entry works well for Chinese applicants who have a degree, skilled work experience, and good English. Many strong candidates first build Canadian experience through study and work, because Canadian experience adds CRS points and opens the Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry covers three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. From abroad, most people use FSW: at least 1 year of continuous skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) in the last 10 years, CLB 7 in English or French, an educational credential assessment for foreign degrees, 67 points on the FSW grid, and settlement funds (CAD $15,263 for one person in IRCC's current proof of funds table). Candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and job offers stopped adding CRS points on March 25, 2025. Check your score with the CRS calculator.

2026 categories and how they fit:

Between July and mid-September 2026, French draws invited 5,000 candidates each with cutoffs of 382 to 420, a health care draw cut off at 475, and CEC draws at 516 to 523. There were no STEM, education, or trades draws in that period. See 2026 Express Entry categories and the draw tracker.

A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points. See Express Entry vs PNP.

China has long been one of the largest sources of international students in Canada. In 2026, master's and doctoral students at public universities don't need a PAL/TAL, which makes graduate study one of the more predictable routes. Graduates can then get a PGWP and apply through the Canadian Experience Class or a provincial stream.

Study permits in 2026. Canada caps new study permit applications: in 2026 IRCC accepts about 309,670 applications that need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL). Most college and bachelor's students need one; master's and doctoral students at public institutions don't. You must show tuition plus living funds (CAD $23,448 for one person outside Quebec, for applications from September 1, 2026). See the study permit page and the 2026 cap. The fast-track Student Direct Stream that many applicants from this country used ended on November 8, 2024, so everyone now applies through the regular process.

After graduating, a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) needs CLB 7 for university graduates or CLB 5 for college graduates, and non-degree programs must be in an eligible field. Canadian study and work can add CRS points and lead to the Canadian Experience Class.

Work permits. Most foreign workers need a job offer and a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the employer; see LMIA work permits. Low-wage LMIAs are refused in 26 of 41 metro areas for July 10 to October 8, 2026 (details). Tech employers can use the Global Talent Stream, and multinationals can use an intra-company transfer.

Working holiday: mainland Chinese passport holders can't use International Experience Canada (IEC). Hong Kong and Taiwan passport holders have their own IEC arrangements.

• British Columbia cut its international graduate streams in April 2026 and capped its Entrepreneur stream. Its worker streams now focus on health care, child care, education, and construction.
• Ontario repealed its legacy OINP streams, including the master's and PhD graduate streams, in June 2026. The new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream needs a job offer.
• Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba mostly nominate people who already work or studied in the province.
• Quebec selects its own immigrants. Its Investor Program requires a net worth of at least C$2 million, a C$1 million five-year investment, a C$200,000 non-refundable contribution, spoken French at level 7, and 12 months living in Quebec on a work permit before selection. Its skilled worker program, the PSTQ, also requires French.

Be cautious with agents who promise investment-based permanent residence. Check every program on the official IRCC or provincial website, and verify anyone you hire (how to verify a lawyer or consultant).

If your spouse or partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, they can sponsor you through spousal sponsorship, which is open in 2026 and usually has no minimum income rule. Parents can also sponsor dependent children. The Parents and Grandparents Program stopped taking new interest to sponsor forms on July 15, 2026, but the Super Visa still lets parents and grandparents visit for long periods.

Language tests. IRCC accepts five tests for permanent residence: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic don't count for Express Entry. Results are valid for 2 years. In mainland China, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are offered in many cities. CELPIP-General is offered in only a few countries outside Canada, so check celpip.ca for current locations. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are available at approved French-language centers. Convert your scores with the CLB converter and read the language tests guide.

Credential assessment. If you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization, such as World Education Services (WES), for FSW eligibility and CRS points. Doctors use the Medical Council of Canada and pharmacists use the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. An ECA is valid for 5 years. For Chinese degrees, ECA organizations usually ask for official verification of your degree and records through China's national verification services, so allow extra time.

Police certificate. IRCC asks for a police certificate from each country where you spent 6 months or more in a row since age 18, usually after you apply for permanent residence. In China you get a Certificate of No Criminal Record from the Public Security Bureau (county level or above), usually where your household registration (hukou) is. If you live abroad, contact the Public Security Bureau in your hukou area; many accept online or mailed applications. You need a certified translation. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for China. See our police certificates guide.

You will also need an immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician when IRCC asks for it.

Chinese Canadians are one of Canada's largest ethnic communities. The biggest concentrations are in Metro Vancouver in British Columbia (Richmond, Burnaby, and Vancouver), the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario (Markham, Richmond Hill, Toronto, and Scarborough), Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, and Montreal. Mandarin and Cantonese services, Chinese-language media, and settlement agencies are widely available in these cities.