Maple News reports a hypothetical scenario: if American pop star Katy Perry wanted to relocate to Canada to join Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she would need permanent residency. The citizenship path by descent would only apply to Canadians with roots here, not Perry.
Current assessments suggest Perry does not have Canadian ancestry, so she would pursue permanent residency like any other foreign national and would need to meet Canada’s admissibility requirements.
If she chooses to settle outside Quebec—where the province runs its own immigration system—Perry would face two broad routes: economic immigration or family reunification. She would not qualify as a refugee.
Economic immigration through Express Entry would be unlikely to succeed for Perry. Analysts estimate her Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score would be around 255, placing her in roughly the bottom 4% of candidates and making an invitation to apply unlikely.
Beyond Express Entry, other pathways could include provincial nominee programs outside Quebec, which target specific skills or job offers; the Start-Up Visa for entrepreneurs who secure backing from a designated Canadian investor network (a stringent and selective route); and Family Sponsorship, if she has eligible relatives who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents willing to sponsor her.
In practice, most high-profile entrants pursue a work permit tied to a job offer or pursue a business/start-up pathway before applying for permanent residency, while meeting health, security, and admissibility standards. For Katy Perry, realistic options would hinge on employment opportunities, family connections, or business ventures in Canada, rather than an easy citizenship-by-descent route.