Moving to Canada from Venezuela: Visas, Work, Study and Protection

Many Venezuelans apply from a third country where they now live, such as Colombia, Peru, Chile, Spain, or the US. The routes are the same wherever you apply from.

Venezuela is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner.

Venezuela 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 Venezuela in Caracas. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

Canada's embassy in Caracas has not offered regular services since 2019, so applications are processed elsewhere. If your passport has expired or is hard to renew, check IRCC's current guidance on Venezuelan passports before you apply.

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

Venezuelan engineers, IT specialists, health workers, and other graduates can use Express Entry if they reach at least CLB 7 in English or French. Many take a French test as well, because it adds bonus points and opens French draws.

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.

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.

Family-based humanitarian program. Canada created a humanitarian program for Colombians, Haitians, and Venezuelans in Latin America or the Caribbean who have extended family in Canada. It no longer accepts new applications; IRCC is processing those already received.

Venezuelans in the United States. The US has ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Since March 25, 2023, the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement applies along the whole land border, including between official crossings. Most people who cross from the US can't make a refugee claim in Canada, with limited exceptions (for example, some people with close family in Canada). Talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before acting. See asylum in Canada.

Learning French can open several doors for Venezuelans:

• Quebec selects its own immigrants. Its main worker program, the PSTQ, invites candidates from the Arrima portal, and most programs need oral French at level 7 (French requirements). The PEQ reopened on July 2, 2026 for people who already studied or worked in Quebec; its first intake closes October 31, 2026.
• Francophone Mobility is an LMIA-exempt work permit for French speakers with NCLC 5 in speaking and listening and a job offer anywhere outside Quebec.
• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot offers permanent residence to French speakers (NCLC 5) with a job offer in one of six communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia.
• Express Entry French category draws need NCLC 7 in all four skills and had the largest invitation rounds of 2026.

Venezuelan students need a study permit for programs longer than 6 months, and most college and bachelor's students need a PAL/TAL. Show funds you can document, which can be hard if your savings are in Venezuela, so plan early.

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

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. Test centers depend on where you live; IELTS General Training and PTE Core are widely offered in Latin America and Spain. 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. If you can't get official transcripts from a Venezuelan university, contact the ECA organization about alternatives before you pay.

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. Venezuela's police certificate is the Certificado de antecedentes penales from the Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz. You apply online, from Venezuela or abroad, using your cédula number; Venezuelan embassies and consulates no longer help with these requests, and the instructions are only in Spanish. You also need certificates from other countries where you lived for 6 months or more, such as Colombia or Peru. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Venezuela. See our police certificates guide.

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

Venezuelan Canadians live mainly in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Montreal in Quebec, Calgary in Alberta, where many work in energy, and Metro Vancouver in British Columbia. Spanish-language community groups and churches help newcomers.