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

Sri Lankans move to Canada as skilled workers, students, and family members.

Sri Lanka is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner.

Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka in Colombo. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

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 Sri Lankan engineers, accountants, IT workers, and health professionals. A sibling in Canada adds 15 CRS points, which helps many Sri Lankan candidates.

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.

• Ontario has the largest Sri Lankan community, but its only open OINP stream in 2026, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, needs a job offer.
• Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba mainly nominate people working in the province or with a local job offer.
• Atlantic Canada: the Atlantic Immigration Program works through designated employers.
• Quebec runs its own programs and requires French; Montreal has a Tamil community too.

Sri Lankan students need a study permit and, for most college and bachelor's programs, a PAL/TAL. Graduate students at public universities are exempt in 2026. Show clear finances and a study plan that fits your background.

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.

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: Sri Lanka is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner country, so Sri Lankan 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.

If you fear persecution in Sri Lanka, talk to a lawyer before acting and read about asylum in Canada and refugee resettlement.

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 Sri Lanka, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are available. CELPIP-General is offered in only a few countries outside Canada, so check celpip.ca. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are offered 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.

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. Sri Lankans get a Police Clearance Certificate from Sri Lanka Police. You apply online through the police website, in English, Sinhala, or Tamil, whether you live in Sri Lanka or abroad. Non-citizens who had no legal status in Sri Lanka can't get one; IRCC's page explains what to write instead. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Sri Lanka. See our police certificates guide.

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

Most Sri Lankan Canadians, largely Tamil, live in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, especially Scarborough, Markham, and Brampton. Montreal also has a sizable community, and smaller Sinhalese and Tamil communities live in Metro Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. Temples, churches, and Tamil and Sinhala cultural groups help newcomers settle.