Canada Immigration Visa Services
Federal Skilled workers are foreign nationals with experience in specific occupations and who are issued Canadian permanent resident visas based on their ability to become economically established in Canada. Skilled Worker applicants are assessed based on a number of factors that forecast the likelihood of successful integration into Canadian society. Factors include, but are not limited to, the applicant’s work experience, language abilities and education. You can find more information regarding the factors below on this page.
Successful Skilled Worker applicants are issued Canadian permanent resident visas, allowing them to immigrate to Canada. Canadian permanent residents and their dependents have the right to live, study, and work anywhere throughout Canada, although they remain citizens of their home country. Permanent residents must make sure to meet Canadian residency obligations in order to maintain their permanent resident status and also to apply for their Canadian citizenship. Canadian permanent residents have rights provided by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the right to apply for their Canadian citizenship and to receive most social benefits that Canadians receive such as health care.
Skilled workers who want to immigrate to Quebec must apply through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, which is a different Canadian immigration program with different selection criteria.
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Requirements
1. Basic Eligibility
In order to qualify for Canadian Immigration and obtain a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa, Federal Skilled Worker applicants must have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience in a single occupation, classified as NOC skill level 0, A or B, within the last 10 years.
Workers who meet the work experience requirement must then fall into one of the three circumstances below:
. have experience in one of the 50 eligible occupations;
OR
. have a valid of offer of “arranged employment”;
OR
. have either a Canadian PhD or have completed two years of study in Canada in a PhD program, at a recognized Canadian institution;
2. Minimum Requirements
In all three circumstances above, Foreign Skilled Worker applicants must also:
. meet the minimum language requirements in either French or English, in all four language skill areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening);
AND
. possess a completed Canadian educational credential, or a foreign education credential with an ECA (Education Credential Assessment) provided by an approved organization
AND
. have at least 1 year of continuous full-time paid work experience in the same occupation, or the equivalent in part time experience, in a NOC 0, A or B skill level occupation, within the last ten years from the date a application is submitted.
Applicants who meet the requirements above must then be assessed based on the 6 Selection Factors (provided below). Federal Skilled Worker applicants with a score of 67 points or higher may qualify for Canadian immigration.
Overview: The 6 Selection Factors
Eligible Federal Skilled Workers must achieve a minimum score of 67 points when being assessed across the 6 selection criteria provided below
1. Education: You may be awarded a maximum of 25 points for Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program.
2. Language Skills: You may be awarded a maximum of 28 points for language skills.
3. Work Experience: You may be awarded a maximum of 15 points for paid work experience acquired in the last 10 years;
4. Age: You may be awarded a maximum of 12 points for age.
5. Arranged Employment: You may be awarded up to 10 points for arranged employment.
6. Adaptability: You may awarded up to 10 points for adaptability.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada also requires Skilled Worker applicants to demonstrate that they have sufficient settlement funds to support themselves and their dependents once they immigrate to Canada. Medical examinations and security clearances are also a requirement for the Canadian immigration application process.