Newcomers · Before you come
Moving to Canada from Kenya The official way in, and the scams to walk past.
Every legitimate route to Canada runs through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and you can apply yourself for free. Here are the main routes, what they cost and how to spot a scam. This is information, not immigration advice.
Last checked October 25, 2026. Rules change, so confirm on the linked page before you go or pay anything. Soma kwa Kiswahili.
1. Start with the official tool
IRCC's Come to Canada tool asks a few questions and shows which programs you may be able to apply for. It's for reference only: no decision is made from your answers.
Applications are made online through an IRCC account, and IRCC says every form and guide you need is free on its website.
2. Visiting Canada
Kenyan citizens need a visitor visa; Kenya isn't on the electronic travel authorization (eTA) list. You apply online.
- Visa fee: CAD $100 per person (CAD $500 for a family of five or more).
- Biometrics: most applicants also give fingerprints and a photo (biometrics): CAD $85 per person, or CAD $170 for a family applying together.
- Exempt from biometrics: children under 14 and people over 79 are exempt from biometrics for a visa.
Sources: IRCC, entry requirements by country; IRCC, visitor visa; IRCC, biometrics
3. Ways to live and work in Canada
- Express Entry
- IRCC's online system for skilled workers, covering the Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades programs. Express Entry
- Provincial nominee programs
- Provinces nominate people for permanent residence; a nomination through Express Entry adds 600 points. Ontario's program (OINP) said on October 20, 2026 that its Ontario Workforce Priority stream had launched and all other streams were closed. OINP
- Study permit
- Most international students need one (CAD $150). Most also need a provincial attestation letter, and Canada caps the number of new study permits each year. Study permit · Provincial attestation letter
- Work permit
- Most are tied to one employer and need a job offer; the employer may need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). Open work permits are only for certain situations. Work permits
- Rural Community Immigration Pilot
- Permanent residence through a job with a designated employer in a participating community. Thunder Bay is one. See our Thunder Bay RCIP guide.
- Family sponsorship
- Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor a spouse, partner or children. The parents and grandparents program was marked paused. Family sponsorship
- Caregivers
- IRCC listed all its permanent-residence caregiver pilots as closed. Be very careful with anyone selling a "caregiver visa". Caregivers
Each program's official page, checked October 25, 2026. Programs open and close often.
4. What it costs (IRCC fees)
- Visitor visa: CAD $100 per person.
- Biometrics: CAD $85 per person, CAD $170 per family.
- Study permit: CAD $150. Work permit: CAD $155 (an open work permit adds CAD $100).
- Permanent residence (economic programs such as Express Entry), principal applicant: CAD $1,590, which includes the CAD $600 right of permanent residence fee.
- Sponsoring a spouse or partner: CAD $1,260.
These are IRCC's own fees. Language tests, credential assessments, medical exams and police certificates cost extra.
Source: IRCC, fee list
5. Tests, education and money
- Language: for Express Entry, IRCC accepts CELPIP, IELTS and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. Results must be less than 2 years old.
- Education: if you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) from a designated organization, such as World Education Services, less than 5 years old.
- Proof of funds: Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must show they have enough money. IRCC's table, labelled "Updated July 7, 2025", showed CAD $15,263 for one person and CAD $28,362 for a family of four. Check the current table before you apply.
Sources: IRCC, language tests; IRCC, education assessment; IRCC, proof of funds
6. If you're a nurse
To work as a registered nurse (RN) or registered practical nurse (RPN) in Ontario, you register with the College of Nurses of Ontario. Its page for nurses educated outside Canada starts with creating an account on the College's portal. More in our jobs and credentials guide.
Source: College of Nurses of Ontario, "Educated outside Canada"
7. Avoid immigration scams
- No one can guarantee you a job or a visa. IRCC says so, and says not to pay for offers of guaranteed entry or faster processing.
- You don't need an agent. IRCC: using a representative won't draw special attention to your application.
- If you pay someone, check them: consultants on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants register; lawyers and Ontario paralegals on the Law Society of Ontario directory.
- Never pay for a job offer. For jobs that need an LMIA, the employer must ensure no one charges you recruitment fees.
- Watch for fake sites and calls. Some websites pretend to be the Government of Canada, and scammers call or email pretending to be IRCC officials.
- Report it to IRCC and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. More in our legal and immigration help guide.
Sources: IRCC, online and phone scams; IRCC, about representatives; ESDC, employer requirements; IRCC, report fraud
Approved and ready to fly? The trip from Nairobi or Mombasa to Thunder Bay, including the two Toronto airports and what to carry to the border, is in our flying and arriving guide.
Quick answers
Do Kenyans need a visa to visit Canada?
Yes. Kenya is on IRCC's list of countries whose citizens need a visitor visa. You apply online. The fee is CAD $100 per person, and most applicants also give fingerprints and a photo (biometrics) for CAD $85.
How can I move to Canada from Kenya?
The main official routes are Express Entry for skilled workers, provincial nominee programs such as Ontario's, study permits, work permits, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot in communities like Thunder Bay, and family sponsorship. IRCC's Come to Canada tool shows which programs you may be eligible for.
Do I need an agent to apply for Canadian immigration?
No. IRCC says you don't need to hire a representative, that using one won't draw special attention to your application, and that all forms and guides are free on its website. If you pay someone, they must be a licensed immigration consultant, a lawyer or, in Ontario, a licensed paralegal.
Is it legal to pay for a job offer in Canada?
No employer should charge you. For jobs that need a labour market impact assessment, employers must ensure that neither they nor anyone recruiting for them charges you recruitment fees, and charging them leads to a negative labour market impact assessment (LMIA) decision for the employer. IRCC also warns that no one can guarantee you a job or a visa.
Wakenyatbay gives general information from official sources, not immigration advice. Programs, fees and limits change often; always check IRCC's website before you apply or pay anything.