Canada vs Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Canada and Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
IRCC - verified
- SIRI - The Faroe Islands and Greenland
Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) - verified
- IRCC — Federal Skilled Worker Program
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) - verified
- SIRI - Work in Greenland
Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) - verified
Canada
Canada's permanent-residence system is dominated by Express Entry, covering Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades, plus Provincial Nominee Programs. Temporary routes include LMIA-based work permits, International Mobility Program, and the Post-Graduation Work Permit.
- Official portal
- IRCC
- Languages
- English, French
- Currency
- Canadian dollar
Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
Greenland Visa Atlas coverage is based on SIRI / New to Denmark official pages for Greenland and the Government of Greenland portal for jurisdiction context. The current packet covers Greenland-specific short-stay visa handling, work permits, Fast Track, sideline employment, family reunification, accompanying family, higher education, PhD study, basic/youth study, internship, au pair and permanent residence; users should not assume ordinary mainland Denmark or Schengen rules apply automatically to Greenland.
- Languages
- Greenlandic, Danish
- Currency
- Danish krone
How Canada and Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) differ
| Dimension | Canada | Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 10 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 7 | 2 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 1 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival as PR → citizenship eligibility at 3 years. Temp-to-PR transition (Express Entry or PNP from inside Canada) typically adds another 1-3 years. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) | Work in Greenland |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | IRCC service standard is to finalise 80% of electronic Federal Skilled Worker applications within 180 days after a complete application is received. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | Canada Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker) costs about CA$1,675 in government fees for a single applicant, plus roughly CA$550 in pre-application third-party costs (ECA + language test). | — |
| Official languages | English, French | Greenlandic, Danish |
| Currency | Canadian dollar | Danish krone |
| Primary regulator | CICC | SIRI |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 2 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Canada
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- Canada Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker) costs about CA$1,675 in government fees for a single applicant, plus roughly CA$550 in pre-application third-party costs (ECA + language test).
- Processing time
- IRCC service standard is to finalise 80% of electronic Federal Skilled Worker applications within 180 days after a complete application is received.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
Work in Greenland
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Recent policy activity
Last 6 months. Each entry links to its primary government source.
- 29 July 2026Canada
Canada raises LMIA high-wage stream hourly wage thresholds (17 July 2026)
ESDC raised the hourly wage thresholds that determine whether an employer's LMIA application falls under the high-wage or the low-wage stream. For LMIAs received as of 17 July 2026 the threshold rises in every province and territory except the Northwest Territories — for example Ontario from CA$36.00 to CA$36.92 per hour and British Columbia from CA$36.60 to CA$38.40 per hour. Employers hiring temporary foreign workers, and workers whose permits rely on an LMIA, are affected.
Employment and Social Development Canada - 30 April 2026Canada
Canada: PR fees rise (30 Apr 2026), category-based Express Entry, Start-up Visa closed, arranged-employment points removed
A run of IRCC changes through 2025-26 reshaped Express Entry economics and closed the Start-up Visa to new applicants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Routes unique to Canada
Routes unique to Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
Visa routes side by side
Canada (8)
Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 3 years.
Start-Up Visa (Canada)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Canadian Study Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Programme length plus 90 days.
Spousal / common-law sponsorship (Canada)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) (10)
Visa to Greenland
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-stay visit permission, generally up to 90 days where the official visa page applies.
Work in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Residence and work permission as granted for the approved Greenland job.
Fast Track Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Residence and work permission as granted under the Fast Track Greenland route.
Sideline Employment in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Work permission for sideline employment as granted.
Family Reunification in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Residence permission as granted for the approved Greenland family basis.
Accompanying Family in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Residence permission linked to the principal work or study permit, as granted.
Higher Education or PhD Study in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Study residence permission as granted for the approved programme or PhD basis.
Basic, Youth Study or Internship in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Residence permission as granted for the approved study or internship basis.
Au Pair in Greenland
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Au pair residence permission as granted by SIRI.
Permanent Residence Permit in Greenland
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence if approved under the current Greenland rules.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Canada or Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)?+
Canada’s Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) is the dominant skilled route; Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)’s Work in Greenland is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Which immigration system has changed more recently, Canada or Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)?+
In the last 6 months: 2 logged policy changes for Canada, 0 for Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark). See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Does Canada or Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Canada has more: 7 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 2 for Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark). No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Canada vs Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/canada/vs/greenland. Last verified 29 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons