The Federal Skilled Worker Program is Canada’s flagship immigration program for skilled foreign workers. It is considered as an economic pathway that allows skilled workers to establish and settle in Canada as permanent residents. To apply for Canadian PR as a Federal Skilled Worker, the candidates are required to create an Express Entry by providing an Expression of Interest to move to Canada.
The Government of Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada assess the profile of the candidates under the Express Entry pool. Based on the profile, the CRS score is created under the Comprehensive Ranking System. The candidates with the highest rank in Express Entry pool receive ITA (Invitation to Apply) for Canadian PR.
The minimum eligibility criteria for Federal Skilled Worker program depends upon certain factors. The foreign nationals applying to the program must obtain a total of 67 points to receive an ITA from IRCC. The selection factors are listed below:
A. Education: Candidates obtain points as per the educational credentials they provide in their Express Entry profile. Foreign workers need to demonstrate their educational qualification which can be considered equivalent to a certificate, diploma, or degree from a recognized Canadian university, college, or institution. In this factor, skilled workers can obtain up to 25 points to score high in CRS.
| Allocation of points under Education factor | |
|---|---|
| Level of Education | Points (25 max) |
| Doctoral (PhD) level | 25 points |
| Master's level degree in one of the following academic disciplines: Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry, Optometry, Law, Chiropractic Medicine, or Pharmacy. | 23 points |
| Two or more post-secondary credentials, (three-year or longer) | 22 points |
| Three-year or longer post-secondary credential | 21 points |
| Two-year post-secondary credential | 19 points |
| One-year post-secondary credential | 15 points |
| Secondary school/high school diploma | 5 points |
B. Language Proficiency This factor assesses the language ability of the candidate in one of the two official languages – English and French. Under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Language Benchmark is CLB level 7. A maximum of 24 points can be obtained in the first language proficiency and additional four may be obtained in the second language proficiency.
The candidates are required to present the result of the following two language proficiency test:
| Allocation of points under Language Proficiency factor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Proficiency | IELTS score equivalence | Points |
| First Official Language | ||
| CLB Level 9 or higher (Initial Advanced) |
IELTS Listening 8 or above IELTS Reading 7 or above IELTS Speaking 7 or above IELTS Writing 7 or above |
6 points per ability |
| CLB Level 8 (Fluent Intermediate) |
IELTS Listening 7.5 IELTS Reading 6.5 IELTS Speaking 6.5 IELTS Writing 6.5 |
5 points per ability |
| CLB Level 7 (Adequate Intermediate) |
IELTS Listening 6 IELTS Reading 6 IELTS Speaking 6 IELTS Writing 6 |
4 points per ability |
| Below CLB Level | Not eligible to apply | Not eligible to apply |
| Maximum points for first official language | 24 points | |
| Second Official Language | ||
| CLB 5 and above | 4 points for all language abilities | |
| Maximum | 4 points | |
C. Work Experience Under this factor, the candidates can obtain points according to the number of years of experience they possess. They need to have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in one of the occupations listed by the Canadian Government. They must have experience in an occupation having a 0, A, or B NOC code. A maximum of 15 points can be obtained.
| Allocation of points under Language Proficiency factor | |
|---|---|
| Work Experience | Points (15 max) |
| 1 year (at least one year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total) | 9 points |
| 2-3 years | 11 points |
| 4-5 years | 13 points |
| 6 years or more | 15 points |
D. Age: The age factor holds a maximum of 12 points under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Depending upon the age, the IRCC evaluates the profile of the applicant.
| Allocation of points under Age factor | |
|---|---|
| Age of Applicant | Points (12 max) |
| 18 to 35 | 12 points |
| 36 | 11 points |
| 37 | 10 points |
| 38 | 9 points |
| 39 | 8 points |
| 40 | 7 points |
| 41 | 6 points |
| 42 | 5 points |
| 43 | 4 points |
| 44 | 3 points |
| 45 | 2 points |
| 46 | 1 points |
| 47 and over | 0 points |
E. Arranged Employment: Under the arranged employment factor, the applicant can obtain a maximum of 10 points after meeting certain conditions.
| Allocation of points under Arranged Employment factor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arranged Employment | Points | |
| If | And | |
| You currently work in Canada on a temporary work permit. |
Your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the visa is issued (or you are authorized to work in Canada without a work permit when your visa is issued) and IRCC issued your work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Your employer would have applied for the LMIA, which you then had to attach to your application to IRCC and You are working for an employer named on your work permit who has made a permanent job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker. |
10 |
| You currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement under an international agreement (such as, the North America Free Trade Agreement) or a federal-provincial agreement. |
Your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the visa is issued (or you are authorized to work in Canada without a work permit when your visa is issued) and Your current employer has made a permanent job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker and You have been working for that employer for at least 1 continuous year, full-time or part-time equivalent. |
10 |
|
You currently do not have a work permit, or do not plan to work in Canada before you get a permanent resident visa. |
An employer has made you a permanent job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker |
10 |
|
OR You are currently working in Canada and a different employer has offered to give you a permanent full-time job OR You are currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment, but not under an international or federal-provincial agreement. |
and The employer has a positive Labour Impact Assessment from ESDC |
|
| Maximum | 10 | |
F. Adaptability: Under the Adaptability factor, the government assesses the profile of the candidate based on their ability to establish themselves in the country. A maximum of 10 points can be earned for full- time work in Canada and merits of the spouse or common legal partner. The candidates can enhance their qualifications to improve an applicant’s economic ability to settle in Canada:
| Allocation of points under Adaptability factor | |
|---|---|
| Adaptability | Points (10 max) |
| Principal applicant's previous work in Canada (minimum one year of full-time work in Canada in an occupation classified as Skill Type 0, A, or B of the National Occupational Classification - NOC) | 10 points |
| Principal applicant's past studies in Canada (minimum two academic years of full-time study in at least a two-year-long study program at a secondary or post-secondary educational institution in Canada). | 5 points |
| Accompanying spouse/common-law partner's past studies in Canada (minimum two (2) academic years of full-time* study in an at least two-year-long study program at a secondary or post-secondary educational institution in Canada). | 5 points |
| Accompanying spouse/common-law partner's past work in Canada (minimum one (1) year of full-time work in Canada while on a valid work permit or with authorization to work) | 5 points |
| Arranged employment in Canada | 5 points |
| Principal applicant or spouse/common-law partner have a relative (parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, a spouse's sibling/aunt or uncle, niece or nephew) in Canada. The relative must be living in Canada, 18 years or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. | 5 points |
| Accompanying spouse/common-law partner's language ability (English and French language proficiency at CLB 4 level or above in all four language abilities). CLB Level 4 is equivalent to IELTS 4.0 in Writing, 4.5 in Listening, 3.5 in Reading and 4.0 in Speaking). | 5 points |
Settlement Funds
After receiving an ITA through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the candidates need to show proof of their economic ability to settle in Canada. They need to have sufficient funds to manage the expenses of their family members. The minimum settlement funds are updated every year by the government.
Medical Examinations and Admissibility
Right after receiving an ITA, the candidates are required to undergo a medical examination to demonstrate the medical state of the applicant. It includes a general physical exam, blood tests, urine tests, x-rays, and prior medical records.
Under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canada has opened up various opportunities for skilled and experienced workers under (NOC 0, A or B).
After receiving an ITA through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, candidates need to show a minimum of $12,960 for single applicant expenses and $34,299 for the expenses of a family of 7 members. For each additional family member, $3,492 is added to the minimum settlement funds requirement.
IRCC processes the application within 6 months or less.
Even after receiving ITA, the Canada PR can be canceled on the following conditions:
