Relocating from Europe to Canada is really two projects running in parallel: getting yourself the legal right to live there, and getting your household across the Atlantic through customs. This guide covers the first project — the immigration pathways most relevant to a European mover in 2026 — and shows exactly where it connects to the second: importing your furniture and personal effects duty-free as a "settler". It is written for people shipping a home between Europe and Canada, in either direction, and every rule below is linked to an official Government of Canada source.

Freshness note: Canadian immigration rules, Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores, draw sizes, category priorities and fees change frequently — sometimes several times a year. In 2026 the federal government is even consulting on merging the three main Express Entry programs into one (IRCC). Treat every number here as a starting point and verify it against the official page linked beside it before you make an irreversible decision — especially before you book a shipment.

Key takeaways

• Express Entry is Canada’s main federal route for skilled workers, managing three programs — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) — ranked by the CRS (IRCC).
• The CRS is scored out of 1,200 points; a Provincial Nominee nomination adds 600 points, effectively guaranteeing an invitation (IRCC).
• Job-offer points were removed from the CRS on 25 March 2025 (IRCC).
• Work permits come in two forms: employer-specific (tied to one job) and open (work for almost any employer) (IRCC).
• Permanent residence fees in 2026 are CAD 1,590 for the principal applicant (including the CAD 600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee), CAD 1,590 for a spouse and CAD 270 per dependent child (IRCC).
• Becoming a settler (establishing a first Canadian residence for not less than 12 months — i.e. at least 12 months) lets you import owned, used household goods duty- and tax-free under tariff item 9807.00.00 using form BSF186 (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).
• Cut-off scores and draw categories move constantly — always check the official rounds and category pages before you rely on a target (IRCC).

1. Express Entry: the main federal route

Express Entry is not a visa in itself — it is an online system that manages applications for three federal economic programs and ranks candidates against each other (IRCC):

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) — for skilled workers with foreign work experience.
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — for people who have already worked in a skilled job in Canada.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) — for qualified tradespeople.

You create a profile, and if you meet the criteria for at least one program you enter the pool. Periodically IRCC holds "rounds of invitations" and sends an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to the highest-ranked candidates. Only after an ITA do you submit a full permanent-residence application.

For a European applicant with no Canadian work history, the FSW is usually the entry point. Its six selection factors — age, education, work experience, a valid job offer, English or French ability, and adaptability — require a minimum of 67 out of 100 points simply to be eligible (IRCC — Federal Skilled Worker Program: who can apply). There is also a language floor of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 across reading, writing, listening and speaking, proven by an approved test such as IELTS General Training, CELPIP, TEF or TCF (IRCC — Express Entry language test results). Passing that 67-point gate only gets you into the pool; the CRS then decides your rank.

2. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

Once in the pool, your profile is scored out of 1,200 points under the CRS (IRCC). The points come from four buckets:

A provincial nomination alone adds 600 points — in practice a guaranteed invitation (IRCC). Note that arranged-employment (job-offer) points were removed from the CRS on 25 March 2025, so a Canadian job offer no longer directly raises your CRS score, though it can still support a work permit or a PNP stream (IRCC).

Because the cut-off is set by whoever is invited in a given draw, there is no fixed "pass mark". The score you need shifts round by round — which is why you should always read the live results rather than trust a figure quoted secondhand.

3. Category-based draws and the 2026 reforms

Alongside general and program-specific draws, IRCC runs category-based rounds that invite candidates supporting specific economic goals. For 2026 the categories include French-language proficiency, healthcare and social-services occupations, STEM occupations, trades, education occupations, and Canadian-experience categories such as physicians, senior managers and researchers (IRCC). The minimum work experience for these renewed categories has been raised from six months to one year in an eligible occupation over the previous three years (IRCC).

Bigger changes are also on the table: in 2026 IRCC opened formal consultations on replacing the three distinct programs (FSW, CEC and FST) with a single economic program (IRCC). Nothing is final while consultations run, but it is a strong reason to confirm the current structure at the moment you apply.

4. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

Almost every province and territory operates a Provincial Nominee Program to select immigrants who match its local labour needs (IRCC). Quebec is the exception: it runs its own separate selection system and issues its own Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) before you apply to IRCC for permanent residence (IRCC — Quebec-selected skilled workers). For the other provinces and territories, the PNP process runs in two stages: first you apply to the province for a nomination, then — if nominated — you apply to IRCC for permanent residence (IRCC).

There are two routes. A "base" (non–Express Entry) nomination is processed as a paper application, while an "enhanced" nomination is aligned with Express Entry — and if you have an Express Entry profile, that nomination adds the decisive 600 CRS points (IRCC). For a European applicant whose standalone CRS score is short of recent cut-offs, a PNP is often the single most reliable path to an ITA.

5. Work permits: employer-specific vs open

If you want (or need) to work in Canada before or instead of permanent residence, you will need a work permit. There are two kinds (IRCC):

• Employer-specific (closed) work permit — you may work only for the named employer, in the job, location and conditions written on the permit, and it usually requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA exemption.
• Open work permit — you may work for almost any employer without a job offer or an LMIA, but you can only get one if you qualify under a specific category (for example International Experience Canada / Working Holiday, or as the spouse of certain workers or students). Depending on the category, you may apply from either inside or outside Canada — many outside-Canada applicants receive a Port of Entry Letter of Introduction and are issued the permit when they arrive (IRCC).

A work permit is a temporary status: it lets you live and work in Canada, but it is not permanent residence and, on its own, does not qualify you as a settler for duty-free import of household goods (see section 8). Start at the official work hub to check which stream fits your situation (IRCC).

6. Study permits as a stepping stone

Studying is a common on-ramp: a Canadian credential plus post-graduation work experience can later feed Canadian Experience Class eligibility and extra CRS points, because a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) lets graduates build the skilled Canadian work experience the CEC requires (IRCC — Canadian Experience Class; IRCC — post-graduation work permit). To study, most people need a study permit, which requires acceptance by a designated learning institution, proof you can pay tuition and living costs, and — for most programs — a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) (IRCC). Master’s and doctoral applicants at public institutions have been exempted from the PAL requirement for applications from 1 January 2026 (IRCC). Confirm the current rules on the official study-permit hub (IRCC).

7. Money: proof of funds and government fees

Two financial requirements catch European movers out. First, proof of funds: FSW and FST applicants (but generally not CEC applicants, who are exempt) must show they have enough settlement money, evidenced by official letters from their banks (IRCC). The required amount scales with family size and is updated periodically — as a guide, a single applicant needed roughly CAD 15,000–16,000 after the mid-2025 update, but confirm the current figure with IRCC on the proof-of-funds table before you rely on it (IRCC).

Second, government fees. As of 2026, the permanent-residence fees are:

These figures come straight from the IRCC fee schedule and are the ones to verify at the moment you pay (IRCC).

8. From PR to the border: importing your household as a settler

This is where immigration status meets your shipment. Canadian customs offers a valuable relief called the settler’s effects exemption under tariff item 9807.00.00. It lets a person establishing a residence in Canada for the first time, for a period of not less than 12 months (at least 12 months), import their owned, possessed and used personal and household goods free of duty and most taxes (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).

The mechanics matter:

• You declare your goods on form BSF186 (Personal Effects Accounting Document) at your first point of entry, listing both what arrives with you and your "goods to follow" (CBSA). Because a sea shipment from Europe usually arrives after you fly in, most of your container will be "goods to follow".
• The goods must have been owned, possessed and used by you before you arrived — buying new furniture right before the move can disqualify those items (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).
• If you sell or give away the goods within 12 months of importing them, the exempted duty and taxes become payable (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).

Because the exemption hinges on intending to establish a residence, permanent residence or an equivalent long-term status is what makes it clean and straightforward. Start with the CBSA "Moving or returning to Canada" hub, which walks through the documents you need at the border (CBSA).

9. What you cannot simply ship

Settler status does not override Canada’s import controls. Certain categories are restricted or prohibited regardless of your visa (CBSA). In particular, alcohol and tobacco cannot be brought in under the settler exemption in an unaccompanied "goods to follow" shipment — the 9807.00.00 relief specifically excludes alcoholic beverages, cigars, cigarettes, tobacco sticks and manufactured tobacco (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1). You must also declare all food, plant, animal and related products, which can be confiscated if undeclared (CBSA), and firearms and weapons must be declared on entry (CBSA). Building an accurate, honest packing inventory is not bureaucratic box-ticking — it is what keeps your container moving through customs without penalties or delay.

10. Sequencing the two projects

A workable order of operations for a Europe-to-Canada move looks like this: confirm your immigration pathway (Express Entry, PNP, work or study permit); secure the status or nomination; only then commit to shipping dates. The reason is simple — your settler exemption and your ability to be in Canada to receive the goods both depend on your status, and shipping a full container before your paperwork is secure is an expensive gamble. Keep the official rounds and category page and the CBSA moving hub bookmarked throughout.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Canadian job offer still boost my Express Entry score?
Not directly. Job-offer (arranged-employment) points were removed from the CRS on 25 March 2025. A job offer can still help you qualify for a work permit or a provincial stream, but it no longer adds CRS points (IRCC).

What CRS score do I need to be invited?
There is no fixed number — the cut-off is set by each draw and moves constantly. A provincial nomination adds 600 points and effectively guarantees an invitation; otherwise, check the live rounds and category page for recent cut-offs (IRCC).

Can I import my furniture duty-free before I have permanent residence?
The settler’s-effects exemption applies to someone establishing a Canadian residence for the first time for a period of not less than 12 months (at least 12 months). A short-term or purely temporary status may not qualify, so confirm your situation against the CBSA settler memorandum before shipping (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).

How much are the government fees for permanent residence in 2026?
CAD 1,590 for the principal applicant (including the CAD 600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee), CAD 1,590 for a spouse, and CAD 270 per dependent child — verify at the official fee list (IRCC).

Is the Federal Skilled Worker Program going away?
Possibly restructured. In 2026 IRCC began consulting on merging FSW, CEC and FST into a single economic program; nothing is final while consultations run (IRCC).

Can I bring wine or spirits from Europe in my container?
Not under the settler exemption — alcoholic beverages and tobacco are specifically excluded from the 9807.00.00 relief, and separate rules and duties apply (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).

Planning your move?

Flyto Relocation handles full door-to-door overseas moves between Europe and Canada — sea or air freight, export packing and customs clearance — through our Platinum service, so your BSF186 inventory, "goods to follow" and settler paperwork are managed end to end while you focus on your visa. When your immigration pathway is confirmed and you are ready to price shipping your home to Canada, get a tailored estimate through our quote widget. For the immigration steps themselves, always work from the official IRCC and CBSA pages linked throughout this guide — they are the only authoritative source, and they change often.