If you are not a Canadian citizen by birth, then you will have to first be a Permanent Resident of Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years (1095 days).

You must have been in Canada for 730 days during the five years following your PR to maintain your PR status. The 730 days can be continuous or discontinuous. You may definitely travel out of Canada while you are a Permanent Resident but the time spent outside Canada will generally not count towards your PR except in exceptional cases.

There are over 100 ways to become a Canadian Permanent Resident as outlined in my book 100+ ways to immigrate to Canada. To be certain on which of the routes will be most suitable for you, book a consultation with an RCIC or an Immigration Lawyer.

A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant RCIC is a member of ICCRC who is authorized to provide Canadian Immigration or citizenship advice or representation. An RCIC is an expert in Immigration law who has undergone extensive education, passed a professional examination and met several other stringent requirements before being licensed and authorized to represent the public.

To continue to be active and in good standing, an RCIC must continuously meet certain Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements to stay educated and up to date, maintain professional insurance and other requirements as stipulated by the ICCRC.

Get his name and/or his RCIC number, go here https://college-ic.ca/protecting-the-public/find-an-immigration-consultant?l=en-CA , ensure that

1. He / She is on the list and

2. He / She is listed as active.

We already established above that RCICs are Canadian immigration experts, so you need this expertise to avoid making expensive and sometimes irreversible mistakes in your immigration journey. 

But they are also regulated, so you can feel confident knowing that there is a dedicated body ensuring that they meet certain professional standards so you can receive the services you deserve and not have to worry.

This will definitely depend on the program you are applying for. So, the first step is to get assessed and determine the most suitable program for your unique situation. However for most immigration programs, some common costs to budget for will include language test, credentials assessment, medicals, police character certification, application fees, biometric fees, Right of Permanent Residency fees. Migrant program fees may also include study permit and work permit. If you are hiring an expert, you will need to budget for representative fees https://ircc.canada.ca/english/information/fees/index.asp .

Most Economic programs require proof of funds according to your family size https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html  this last one is not an expense, rather money that you will use to settle in Canada upon arrival.

Most Canada immigration programs allow foreign nationals to bring along dependents. There are very few programs that may not allow this, check with an immigration expert.

Spouses, common law partners, unmarried biological or adopted children below age 22 and children age 22 and above who are dependent on their parents due to a physical or mental condition.

Is a point-based system that allows Skilled workers with at least 1 year experience in certain occupation who want to settle permanently in Canada to apply to the Federal government of Canada through the IRCC.

It is one of the most popular Immigration programs in Canada because it allows both foreign nationals with Canadian experience and those without to apply to become permanent residents.

Canadian employers must first offer available jobs to Canadian citizens and permanent residents but when these are unavailable, foreign nationals can be hired.

To search for such available jobs check www.jobbank.gc.ca. www.indeed.ca

Yes, there are several Canada immigration routes that do not require a Canadian job offer, book a consultation to see which you may be eligible for.

Yes, the Canada immigration system allows eligible foreign national graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions to stay back and work in the country first with PGWP and subsequently become permanent residents. Most provinces also have several pathways. But you must take great care to choose the right school and course that will enable you take advantage of these provisions as not all institutions are eligible. And you must ensure to remain in status, respect the conditions of your admission and meet strict application deadlines every step of the way. When in doubt, get an Immigration expert. Please note that your study permit does not grant you a permanent stay in Canada and you will need to convert to a Permanent Resident Visa to remain permanently.

This varies greatly from program to program and will be dependent greatly on the program you are apply for, this resource by IRCC is frequently updated to show current  processing times https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html.

If you are not yet sure of what program you are eligible for, book a consultation.

Some point-based Federal and Provincial immigration programs award points for having relatives in Canada. To know if this will be relevant in your case, you will first need to determine your immigration route.