Federal Skilled Worker Program

This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently and is managed through Express Entry system. If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit your application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes most complete applications that have all the supporting documents in 6 months or less.

HOW THIS PROGRAM WORKS

This program has minimum requirements for skilled work experience, language ability, and education. You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

If you meet all the minimum requirements, IRCC will then assess your application based on 6 selection factors - age, education, work experience, English and/or French language skills, adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle in Canada), and arranged employment in Canada. These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program. The current pass mark is 67 points. If you meet the minimum requirements and have 67 points on the selection factors grid, you are eligible for FSW program and you can make an Express Entry (EE) profile.

Minimum requirements

Skilled work experience

Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) job groups:

• Managerial jobs (skill type 0)
• Professional jobs (skill level A)
• Technical jobs and skilled trades (skill level B)

You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Your skilled work experience must be

• In the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
• At least 1 year (1560 hours) of continuous paid work within the last 10 years. Volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count. You can meet this in a few different ways:
• Full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
• Equal amount in part-time: 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
• Full-time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part-time work experience: For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. IRCC doesn’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week.

Student work experience: Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work was paid by wages or commissions, was continuous (no gaps in employment), and meets all the other requirements of the Program.

Language ability

You must

• take approved language tests in English or French for writing, reading, listening, and speaking
• get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Education

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have:

• a completed credential, and
• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

Selection Factors

These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program. You earn points for how well you do in each of the 6 factors.