FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is Canada's primary economic immigration pathway that offers skilled workers, and their loved ones, the opportunity to become permanent residents of Canada. The first step in pursuing permanent residence in Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker is to make an expression of interest in immigrating to Canada by creating an online Express Entry profile.
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Based on the information provided under the Express Entry system, Federal Skilled Worker candidates obtain a score under Express Entry's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that determines their ranking in the pool of eligible candidates. Periodically, the Government of Canada issues Invitations To Apply (ITAs) to the highest-ranked candidates in the Express Entry pool and publishes the CRS cut-off score.
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minimum
requirements
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1 year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled occupation classified under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A or B, or TEER 0/1/2/3;
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Language ability equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in English or French across all abilities (reading, writing, listening, and speaking); and
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Canadian educational credential (certificate, diploma, or degree) or foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report;
SIX SELECTION FACTORS
Clients must score 67 points or higher to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. The six selection factors are listed below:
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Settlement
funds
Once invited to apply, Federal Skilled Workers will need to prove they can become economically established in Canada with their dependent family members. The settlement funds requirement is waived for foreign nationals that are currently authorized to work in Canada and/or those who have arranged employment in Canada.
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Government of Canada continuously updates the table that shows how much funds are needed to settle in Canada.
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Federal Skilled Worker applicants must also reach a total of at least 67 points based on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's selection factors. Each of these selection factors are discussed in detail below:
EDUCATION
Level of Education | Points (25 max) |
|---|---|
Doctoral (PhD) level | 25 |
Master's level or professional degree | 23 |
Two or more post-secondary credentials, one of which is a three-year or longer post-secondary credential | 22 |
Three-year or longer post-secondary credential | 21 |
Two-year post-secondary credential | 19 |
One-year post-secondary credential | 15 |
Secondary school/high school diploma | 5 |
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Proficiency | IELTS Score Equivalence | Points Per Ability |
|---|---|---|
CLB Level 9 or higher | IELTS (L-8, R-7, S-7, W-7) | 6 points per ability
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CLB Level 8 | IELTS (L-7.5, R-6.5, S-6.5, W-6.5) | 5 points per ability |
CLB Level 7 | IELTS (L-6, R-6, S-6, W-6) | 4 points per ability |
Below CLB Level 7 | Not eligible to apply | Not eligible to apply |
Second Official Language - 4 Points for All Language Abilities - CLB 5 and above
WORK EXPERIENCE
Up to 15 points are awarded under the work experience factor, based upon the number of years of experience. The applicant requires at least 12 months of full-time skilled work experience (or the equivalent in part-time work), and points can be earned for up to six years of work experience. This work experience must be acquired in an occupation listed by the Government of Canada as having a 0, A or B NOC code.
Work Experience | Points (15 max) |
|---|---|
1 year (at least one year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total) | 9 |
2-3 years | 11 |
4-5 years | 13 |
6 years or more | 15 |
ARRANGED EMPLOYMENT
A candidate can get points if they have a job offer of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer. They must get the job offer before they apply to come to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.
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A valid job offer has to be:
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for continuous, paid, full-time work (minimum of 30 hours/week) that is:
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not seasonal
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for at least 1 year in an occupation listed as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the NOC.
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To get 10 points for a valid job offer, 1 of these situations must also apply.
situation 1
Applicant is currently working in Canada on a work permit and meets all of the following conditions:
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Applicants work permit is valid both at the time of the application and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or if the applicant is allowed to work in Canada without a work permit when visa is issued).
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In receipt of a work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada in an occupation listed under skill type 0 or skill level A or B of the NOC.
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Applicant is working for an employer named on the work permit.
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That employer has made a valid job offer based on thw applicant being accepted as a skilled worker.
SITUATION 2
Applicant is currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement because of an international agreement (such as, the North American Free Trade Agreement) or significant benefit to Canadian interests or a federal-provincial agreement. The applicant must also meet all of the following conditions:
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Applicants work permit is valid both at the time of the application and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or if the applicant is allowed to work in Canada without a permit when visa is issued).
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Applicant's current employer has made a valid job offer based on them being accepted as a skilled worker.
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Applicant is currently working for the employer specified on the work permit.
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Applicant has been working for that employer for at least 1 year, continuous full-time or part-time equivalent.
SITUATION 3
Applicant must meet all of the following conditions:
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The applicant currently is not currently in receipt of a work permit, or does not have any plans to work in Canada before a permanent resident visa is issued.
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An employer has a LMIA.
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That employer has made the applicant a valid job offer based on that LMIA and on the applicant being accepted as a skilled worker.
SITUATION 4
The Applicant must meet all of the following conditions:
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Applicant must have a valid work permit or is allowed to work in Canada without a work permit.
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Applicant is currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from a LMIA, but it is not under an international, federal-provincial agreement or because of significant benefit to Canadian interests.
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An employer other than the one applicant is currently working for:
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has a LMIA​
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has made a valid job offer based on that LMIA and on being accepted as a skilled worker.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Individuals in Canada whose applications are accepted for review under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and whose temporary work permit is due to expire, may be eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit. This work permit will allow them to stay and work in Canada until a final decision has been made on their immigration application.
ADAPTABILITY
Up to 10 points can be awarded under the Adaptability factor, based on an applicant’s ability to establish themselves in Canada. These 10 points can be awarded for full-time work in Canada, spouse or common-law partner's merits, or a combination of six other possible adaptability factors. Points are awarded under Adaptability based on qualifications that are expected to improve an applicant's ability to become economically established in Canada as follows:
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Adaptability | Points (15 max) |
|---|---|
1 year (at least one year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total) | 9 |
2-3 years | 11 |
4-5 years | 13 |
6 years or more | 15 |
AGE
Up to 12 points will be awarded under the age factor on the following basis:
Age of Applicant | Points (12 Max) |
|---|---|
18 to 35 | 12 |
36 | 11 |
37 | 10 |
38 | 9 |
39 | 8 |
40 | 7 |
41 | 6 |
42 | 5 |
43 | 4 |
44 | 3 |
45 | 2 |
46 | 1 |
47 and over | 0 |