Immigrate to Canada as a Lawyer

Worldwide lawyers are highly valued for offering professional legal expertise in various fields like public service, dispute resolution, etc. In addition, based on advocacy skills, problem-solving, and negotiation, a lawyer in Canada, is highly valued and can pursue a career willfully.

If you’ve graduated from legal studies or practiced as a lawyer in your home country, moving to Canada as a lawyer can open all new doors. We have also outlined various Canadian immigration programs available to apply for Canada PR as a lawyer, the licensing process to practice, and how to start a career in Canada.

Top reasons to immigrate to Canada as a lawyer

If you are an internationally-qualified lawyer and wish to apply for Canada PR as a lawyer, then Canada is a perfect destination for a plethora of reasons:

• Lawyers earn high salaries

Though salaries for lawyers vary based on the Canadian province you choose, your overall experience, and your area of expertise. However, generally, lawyers across Canada are in a high salary bracket. For example, the median income of lawyers in Canada and notaries in Quebec is around $116,940 annually.

• Lawyers face good job prospects in Canada

Canada's Job Bank states that each Canadian province and territory has good job prospects for lawyers and notaries, except in Northwest Territories and Ontario. The overall supply and demand for good lawyers are balanced across Canada and are projected to rise shortly.

Key Requirements to immigrate to Canada as a lawyer

There are a few eligibility requirements you must meet to apply for Canada PR as a lawyer, including:

• At least 2 to 3 years of UG degree or a college program
• Bachelor’s degree from a recognized law school
• Complete bar exam and a period of articles
• Provincial or territorial law society licensing
• Notaries ( for Quebec)
• Bachelor’s degree from any recognized law school and a Diploma in Notarial Law
• Master’s degree with a specialization in notarial law
• 32-week vocational training
• Registration required with the Corporation of Notaries

Moreover, to become a licensed lawyer in Canada, you must be a member of a Canadian law society before practicing law in any Canadian province or territory. For this, you must get a Certificate of Qualification issued by NCA, i.e., National Committee on Accreditation.

Top Canada Immigration Programs to Apply for Canada PR as a Lawyer

Express Entry- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

The FSWP is one of the most popular pathways to immigrate to Canada as a lawyer. It is ideal for those foreign nationals who have relevant work experience in the field, even without a job offer from a Canadian employer.

To qualify for FSWP, you must:

• Score a minimum of 67 points out of 100 on the FSW points grid
• Have a minimum of one year of work experience gained within the past ten years in an occupation listed under NOC (National Occupational Classification) skill level 0, A or B.
• Also, the experience has to be of a full-time paid job, i.e. minimum 30 hours/week or an equal amount of part-time job
• Meet the minimum level of language proficiency, i.e. CLB 7 For English and NCLC 7 For French

To qualify under FSWP and enter the Express Entry pool of candidates, you must meet the above-mentioned minimum eligibility criteria.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

Most Canadian provinces and territories, apart from Nunavut and Quebec, have PNP streams via which provinces nominate eligible applicants to bridge labour market gaps. Once applicants select the province they wish to live and work in; they can apply directly via the paper-based application or Express Entry-aligned PNP streams.

While a few provinces follow the federal CRS scores system to select applicants, others nominate skilled applicants for NOC (National Occupation Classification) codes with pressing labour needs. In such scenarios, your chances of receiving a provincial nomination may increase if the province is exclusively looking for lawyers.

Top PNP Streams to apply for Canada PR as a Lawyer

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

The Atlantic Immigration Program allows skilled foreign nationals and international students who have completed studies in Canada to settle and immigrate permanently in any of the Atlantic provinces, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick.

Jobs under NOC 4112 for lawyers in Canada

As per Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC), following job groups are under code 4112:

Primary duties with a Canada PR as a lawyer

If you wish to apply for Canada PR as a lawyer and practice in Canada, you must know all the duties and functions a lawyer performs under NOC 4112:

• Advise clients of legal rights and all law-related matters
• Research and gather legal evidence and precedents
• Plead client case before a law court, tribunal, and board (only lawyers)
• Draw all legal documents like wills, real estate transactions, contracts, and divorces and prepare legal opinion statements
• Negotiate settlements for civil disputes
• Perform practice of law-related management and administrative functions
• May act as conciliator, mediator, or arbitrator
• Act as trustee, executor, or guardian in family and estate law-related matters
• Quebec notaries and lawyers may specialize in particular areas, like criminal law, corporate law, taxation law, contract law, administrative law, commercial law, international law, real estate law, estate and family law, labour law and intellectual property law.

For more information or to apply for Canada PR as a Lawyer in 2023, you may contact our team of advisors on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or drop an email at info@visasavenue.com.