Moving to Canada from Pakistan: Express Entry, Study and Family Routes

Most Pakistanis who immigrate to Canada are skilled workers with degrees, and many bring their families with them.

Pakistan is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner, and the federal Start-Up Visa closed on December 31, 2025. For how the system fits together, see how Canadian immigration works.

Pakistan 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 Pakistan in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

VACs collect biometrics and documents but don't decide cases, and nobody can pay to speed up a decision. Treat any such offer as a scam (scam protection).

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 is the main route for Pakistani engineers, IT professionals, accountants, doctors, and nurses. A high English result, a spouse's language score, and a sibling in Canada (15 points) can all raise your CRS score.

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.

• Ontario has the largest Pakistani community, but its only open OINP stream in 2026, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, needs a job offer.
• Alberta mainly selects workers already in Alberta or with Alberta job offers, and Calgary has a large Pakistani community.
• Saskatchewan and Manitoba favor people with a job offer, family, or study history in the province.
• Atlantic Canada: the Atlantic Immigration Program works with designated employers in four provinces.

Quebec runs its own system and requires French.

Pakistani students need a study permit and, for most college and bachelor's programs, a PAL/TAL. Graduate study at public universities is exempt from the PAL in 2026. Officers review finances and study plans closely, so show funds from clear, documented sources.

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: Pakistan is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner country, so Pakistani citizens can't get an IEC working holiday permit.

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 Pakistan, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are widely available. CELPIP-General is offered in only a few countries outside Canada, so check celpip.ca. 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. Check your ECA organization's document list for Pakistan early, including whether it needs documents sent directly by your university.

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. Pakistanis get a Police Character Certificate or Police Clearance Certificate from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) office or the provincial police in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or Balochistan. From abroad, apply through the nearest Pakistani embassy or consulate, or a relative in Pakistan can apply for you with an affidavit and authority letter. The Canadian High Commission in Islamabad can't help you get one. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Pakistan. See our police certificates guide.

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

Pakistani Canadians are concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, especially Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, and Toronto. Other large communities are in Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Montreal, Ottawa, and Metro Vancouver. Mosques, Urdu-language media, and community associations are active in these cities and help newcomers settle.