If you’re new to Canada or if you’re thinking of settling here, you’re not alone.

More than half a million newcomers — permanent residents, temporary workers, and foreign students — came to live in Canada in 2009.

That’s according to recently-released statistics à partir de Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada.

These newcomers included 252,124 permanent residents — sur 30,000 more permanent residents than the government typically admitted annually in the 1990s — aussi bien que 178,640 travailleurs étrangers temporaires et 85,131 foreign students, the largest number of foreign students ever admitted to Canada in a single year.

Selon le Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada nouvelles version, the government expects that many foreign students and temporary workers (admitted to the country on a permis de travail) will eventually settle permanently in Canada, applying for permanent resident status either under the Catégorie de l'expérience canadienne or as a Travailleur qualifié ou professionnel.

La catégorie de l'expérience canadienne (CCE) is designed to streamline the immigration process for people who are already working in Canada. En général, you can apply under the CEC provisions if you are:

• a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, ou
• a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada

Pour learn more about relocating to Canada, voir notre Mise en route guider, ou obtenir beaucoup plus de détails à partir de Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada.

Photo par truekkris (Flickr)