Canada vs Republic of North Macedonia
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 North Macedonia 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
- Consular services - visas and legal stay
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Republic of North Macedonia - verified
- IRCC — Federal Skilled Worker Program
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) - 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 North Macedonia
North Macedonia publishes its consular visa and foreigner-stay guidance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The official route set distinguishes short-stay and transit C visas from long-stay D visas, and explains that D visas are linked to a Ministry of Interior decision granting temporary residence. Temporary residence grounds include work, study, student exchange, training, volunteering, research, family reunion, humanitarian reasons and property ownership by eligible EU or OECD residents.
- Languages
- Macedonian, Albanian
- Currency
- Macedonian denar
How Canada and Republic of North Macedonia differ
| Dimension | Canada | Republic of North Macedonia |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 7 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 0 |
| 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) | Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | IRCC’s current processing-time service reports an approximately 7-month Express Entry processing expectation for this programme; its historical dashboard shows about 5 months for recently completed cases. | — |
| 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 | Macedonian, Albanian |
| Currency | Canadian dollar | Macedonian denar |
| Primary regulator | CICC | MBA |
| 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’s current processing-time service reports an approximately 7-month Express Entry processing expectation for this programme; its historical dashboard shows about 5 months for recently completed cases.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of North Macedonia
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
- 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 North Macedonia (6)
Short-Stay and Transit Visa (C Visa)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 90 days for short stay, or up to 5 days for transit.
Business Visit C Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Within the C visa framework: short stay up to 90 days, or transit up to 5 days where applicable.
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows a Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Study Temporary Residence
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Family Reunion
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Temporary Residence for Eligible Property Owner
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Canada or Republic of North Macedonia?+
Canada’s Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) is the dominant skilled route; Republic of North Macedonia’s Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence 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 North Macedonia?+
In the last 6 months: 2 logged policy changes for Canada, 0 for Republic of North Macedonia. See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Does Canada or Republic of North Macedonia have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Canada has more: 7 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 3 for Republic of North Macedonia. 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 North Macedonia immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/canada/vs/north-macedonia. Last verified 29 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons