Economic immigration
Most Richmond Hill immigrants came through economic programs
In the 2021 Census, 58.2% of Richmond Hill residents in private households were immigrants, and about two thirds of those admitted between 1980 and 2021 came through economic programs rather than family sponsorship or refugee protection (Statistics Canada).
Today that usually means Express Entry, Ontario’s nominee program, or both. This page is about choosing between them and getting the profile right. The programs themselves are explained on our permanent residence page, and every other pathway, from sponsorship to citizenship, on our immigration law page.
How we work with Richmond Hill clients
We have one office, at 3319 Sheppard Ave E in Toronto, and economic immigration files rarely need a visit. Profiles, documents and advice move by phone and email. You deal with Rosalie Wannes, a licensed Ontario lawyer, in English or Armenian (service in Arabic is also available). When an employer is involved, as it now is for Ontario’s nominee program, we can speak with both of you.
Getting permanent residence is also a natural time to look at other plans: our Richmond Hill real estate page covers buying a home, where your status on the day you buy affects non-resident tax, and our Richmond Hill wills page covers wills and powers of attorney.
Choosing a pathway
Three questions that decide where you start
The right program depends less on your job title than on where your experience was gained, what your employer can do, and who is applying with you.
Where is your skilled experience?
- At least a year of skilled work in Canada in the last three years, while authorized: the Canadian Experience Class, with no proof of funds
- Mainly abroad: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, with a 67-point selection grid and settlement funds unless exempt
- In a skilled trade: the Federal Skilled Trades Program, with a job offer or a Canadian certificate of qualification
Does an Ontario employer want to keep you?
- Since March 25, 2025 a job offer adds no points to your Express Entry score
- It is now central to Ontario’s nominee program, which since June 2026 is built around job offers from Ontario employers
- The employer’s side has to be prepared as carefully as yours
Who is coming with you?
- A spouse’s education, language results and Canadian experience can add points
- Sometimes the spouse scores higher as the principal applicant; it is worth checking both ways
- Every family member must be declared, even one who isn’t coming
IRCC also runs category-based rounds for particular work experience or French ability. Categories and cut-off scores change, so we don’t publish them.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Ontario’s nominee program
The Ontario Workforce Priority stream, for workers and employers
Ontario rebuilt its program this year. For a Richmond Hill worker, a nomination now starts with the job.
What changed
On June 26, 2026, Ontario closed the earlier streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and replaced them with a single Ontario Workforce Priority stream. It has pathways for workers with a qualifying job offer from an Ontario employer, and a separate pathway for self-employed physicians. The employer applies for approval of the position, candidates register an expression of interest, and Ontario invites candidates to apply.
What it means in practice
If you work for a Richmond Hill business on a work permit, the question is whether your employer is willing and able to support the position through the approval process, and whether your job and the offer meet the program’s requirements. If you are the employer, expect your business and the position to be assessed, not just the worker. Ontario has said the program will keep evolving, so we check the current rules before recommending it.
After nomination
A provincial nomination adds substantial points in Express Entry, or leads to a paper application outside it, depending on the pathway. Ontario decides the nomination; IRCC still decides admissibility, including medical, security and criminality checks, and you must intend to live in Ontario. Keeping your work permit valid throughout is essential; our work permits page covers extensions and bridging permits.
Where we start
A profile analysis before you enter the pool
Your profile has to be accurate on the day you submit it, and everything in it has to be proven if you are invited. That is why we start with an analysis rather than a quick score.
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Step 1: Send us your history
Education, every job with dates and duties, language results if you have them, and your family details. Include any past refusal, anywhere.
You provide
- CV with duties for each job
- Language test results and credential assessments, if available
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Step 2: The analysis
The lawyer assesses which programs you are eligible for, the occupation codes that honestly match your duties, and what would strengthen your profile: retesting language, adding French, a credential assessment, a spouse’s results or another year of experience.
We handle
- Program eligibility
- Realistic ways to strengthen the profile
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Step 3: A complimentary 30-minute consultation
After you receive the report, you talk it through by phone and decide what to do next.
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Step 4: Profile, invitation and application
We prepare the profile, gather the proof in advance, and once you are invited or nominated, prepare the full application and check it against everything IRCC already holds.
In Richmond Hill
Free newcomer help in Richmond Hill
Settlement services and a lawyer do different jobs. For language practice, job search help and settling in, these are good places to start. None of them prepares or represents immigration applications.
Library and region
- Richmond Hill Public Library’s newcomer services, including the Library Settlement Partnership with Catholic Community Services of York Region, English learning resources and citizenship test preparation
- York Region’s Welcome Centres, one of them on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill, with settlement and employment support
What we add
- Choosing the program, and the occupation code, before you create a profile
- Work permit extensions that keep you eligible while you wait
- A response if IRCC questions your experience or documents
- Sponsoring a spouse or children, and later, citizenship
Questions
Richmond Hill immigration questions
My Richmond Hill employer offered me a permanent job. Does that raise my Express Entry score?
No. Since March 25, 2025, a job offer no longer adds points under the Comprehensive Ranking System. It can still matter for Ontario’s nominee program and for eligibility in some federal programs.
What is Ontario’s nominee program called now?
Since June 26, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program runs through a single Ontario Workforce Priority stream, with pathways for workers with a qualifying Ontario job offer and for self-employed physicians.
What CRS score do I need?
There is no fixed score. IRCC sets the cut-off in each round, and some rounds target categories of candidates. We focus on what you can accurately improve, and IRCC publishes the results of every round.
Do I need proof of funds?
Not for the Canadian Experience Class, or if you are authorized to work in Canada and have a valid job offer. Otherwise the Federal Skilled Worker and Trades programs require settlement funds, which IRCC updates each year.
Do you have an office in Richmond Hill?
No. Our office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, in Toronto. Express Entry and nominee files are handled by phone and email.
How much does a profile analysis cost?
Immigration work, including the profile analysis, is quoted individually. Tell us about your situation in the quote form.
Areas We Serve
Immigration advice in other York Region and GTA cities
The same phone consultation, with local detail for each city.
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Scarborough
Immigration lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Immigration lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Immigration lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
Know your strongest pathway first.
Book a free 15-minute call, or tell us about your application in the quote form.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic