Obviously, you have given at least some thought to immigrating to Canada or you wouldn't be reading this report. While you probably have your own reasons for considering such a move, here are a few others to think about:

As of July 26, 2005, no occupations were classified as restricted by Canada's Citizenship and Immigration department. Restricted occupations are ones that would not count towards your Pass-Mark score, regardless of the years of experience you have with that job. Some common jobs may be restricted if the need for workers to fill them is met.

As of February 18, 2005, the current Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Joe Volpe, announced changes made to immigration procedures for the spouses and common law partners of permanent residents. Now if you are approved as a permanent resident, your spouse or common law partner of either gender can live and work with you in Canada while their immigration application is being considered. Previously, significant others had to wait for approval before moving to Canada.

Becoming a permanent resident now means you will have less time to wait before applying for Canadian citizenship. To become a citizen, you have to have lived in the country for at least three of the four years prior to your application for citizenship. Plus, you can become a citizen of Canada without having to give up your citizenship in your country of origin. Remember that these issues are also subject to change.

In the next section of this report, I'll be talking more about how the Pass-Mark system works so you'll understand your chances of successfully achieving a passing score.