Canada vs Republic of Lebanon
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 Republic of Lebanon 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
- General Security - visas and residency in Lebanon
General Directorate of General Security, Republic of Lebanon - verified
- IRCC — Federal Skilled Worker Program
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) - verified
- Terms and conditions to grant a Lebanese visa - General Security
General Directorate of General Security, Republic of Lebanon - 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
Republic of Lebanon
Lebanon publishes entry visa and residence guidance through the General Directorate of General Security. The official English route set covers embassy visitor visas, business and family visit evidence, Ministry of Labor-authorized work visas, annual residence categories for family members, special religious student and volunteer residence, domestic-worker visa and residence steps, foreign-expert port visas and renewable three-year permanent residence categories.
- Official portal
- General Directorate of General Security, Republic of Lebanon
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Lebanese pound
How Canada and Republic of Lebanon differ
| Dimension | Canada | Republic of Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 9 |
| 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 Visa Authorized by the Ministry of Labor |
| 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 | Arabic |
| Currency | Canadian dollar | Lebanese pound |
| Primary regulator | CICC | BBA |
| 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
Republic of Lebanon
Work Visa Authorized by the Ministry of Labor
- 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
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.
Republic of Lebanon (9)
Embassy Tourist or Visit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Confirm the visa validity and stay period with the Lebanese mission. General Security says embassy visa applications should be submitted 2 months before the trip.
Embassy Business Visit Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-stay validity is confirmed by the mission and General Security. A short work/commercial visit request on the visa-conditions page is described as one month and renewable once when filed through the public-relations bureau.
Family Visit Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Confirm the visa validity and stay period with the Lebanese mission before travel.
Work Visa Authorized by the Ministry of Labor
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Confirm the authorized work-visa and work-permit period with the Ministry of Labor, General Security and the Lebanese mission or bureau handling the case.
Domestic Worker Visa and Residence
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Confirm the visa, labor-permit and residence periods with General Security and the Ministry of Labor before filing.
Annual Residence for Family Members
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Annual residence is handled as a residence permit. Confirm the issued validity and renewal timing with General Security.
Religious Student, Volunteer, Missionary or Clergy Residence
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Religious students receive a one-month entry visa before entry and then apply for residence after one month in Lebanon. Confirm residence validity with General Security.
Foreign Expert Port Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · One month and non-renewable when the stay does not exceed one month; longer stays use first-class worker modalities.
Permanent Residence Permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residency is described by General Security as a 3-year residence, possibly renewable.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Canada or Republic of Lebanon?+
Canada’s Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) is the dominant skilled route; Republic of Lebanon’s Work Visa Authorized by the Ministry of Labor 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 Republic of Lebanon?+
In the last 6 months: 2 logged policy changes for Canada, 0 for Republic of Lebanon. See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Does Canada or Republic of Lebanon 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 Republic of Lebanon. 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 Republic of Lebanon immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/canada/vs/lebanon. Last verified 29 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons