Federal Skilled Worker


Skilled workers are selected as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other criteria that have been shown to help them become economically established in Canada.


Eligibility:


For your application to be eligible for processing, you must:

  • have a valid offer of arranged employment, OR
  • be an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months) and meet certain criteria

Note: As of July 1, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has temporarily stopped accepting applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). This temporary pause does not apply to those with a qualifying job offer or applying under the PhD stream. We will likely start accepting applications again when the revised FSWP selection criteria take effect. Proposed FSWP changes should come into force in 2013.



Work experience minimum requirements


If your application is eligible for processing, it will then be assessed against minimum requirements. Your work experience must be:

  • at least one year, continuous, and paid (full-time or the equivalent in part-time) AND
  • a skill type 0 (managerial occupations) or skill level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) list

(The NOC is a system for classifying jobs in Canada.)



Six selection factors


If you meet the above minimum requirements, your application will be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker point’s grid, which are:

  • your education
  • your abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages
  • your work experience
  • your age
  • whether you have arranged employment in Canada and
  • your adaptability