FWCANADAFederal Skilled Worker Immigration to Canada
Updates: New Amendments to the FSWC Points System Grid
On March 1, 2013 CIC announced the following information about the Revised Federal Skilled Worker Program, additional details will be released in April 2013.
- There is a list of eligible occupations, the program will NOT be open to all occupations, see the list here
- There will be a quota of 5,000 applications processed this year with a maximum of 300 in each occupation
- Applicants will require a credential assessment from a designated organization listed below:
For a complete summary of all the proposed revisions to CIC's Canadian Immigration programs, click here.
A substantial number of economic immigrants obtain Canadian permanent residency through the Federal Skilled Worker program. The Federal Skilled Worker program selects applicants based on education, work experience, language skills, and other criteria, that have been determined to be helpful indicators as to one's ability to become economically established in Canada. Successful applications allow those coming in under the Federal Skilled Worker program to achieve Canadian permanent residency.
Until May 4, 2013 CIC will only consider those with an offer of arranged employment or international PhD candidates who have previously studied for two years in Canada towards their doctorate or who have graduated from a Canadian PhD program one year preceding the date that their application was received. The latter will remain open until the imposed cap of 1000 is reached.
In order to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, an applicant must meet one of the threshold eligibility requirements:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program Points System
All Canadian immigration applications under the Federal Skilled Worker program are assessed against six selection factors. In order to be eligible for processing, applications must meet the 67 point threshold requirement.
Education
Maximum 25 Points.
CIC will assign points on the basis of an educational credential assessment by a CIC designated organization. This will outline the Canadian equivalent to the foreign educational credential.
Highest level of education completed | Points |
Doctoral 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 | 21 |
Two-Year Post-Secondary Credential | 19 |
One-Year Post-Secondary Credential | 15 |
Secondary School | 5 |
Language Proficiency
Maximum 24 Points- First Official Language
Maximum 4 Points- Second Official Language
All applicants must submit, with their application, results from a language test designated by CIC. For the English language CIC will accept IELTS results, for French Language CIC will accept TEF results. Points will be calculated based on the applicant's ability to: listen, speak, read & write.
First Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
High proficiency IELTS Scores | 6 7 | 6 8 | 6 7 | 6 7 |
Moderate proficiency IELTS Scores | 5 6.5 | 5 7.5 | 5 6.5 | 5 6.5 |
Basic proficiency IELTS Scores | 4 6 | 4 6 | 4 6 | 4 6 |
Second official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
Proficiency | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
IELTS Scores | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Work Experience
Maximum 15 points.
Points will be awarded for the number of years worked full time (which is defined as 37.5 hours per week, or the equivalent amount in part time work) in a paid position. In addition, only work in a managerial, professional or skilled occupation will count for points.
Work Experience | Points |
1 year | 9 |
2-3 years | 11 |
4-5 years | 13 |
6+ years | 15 |
Age
Maximum 12 Points.
Applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 receive maximum points (12) for age. For every year above 35 years of age, the applicant loses 1 point. The applicant will receive one point at 46 years of age and zero points if they are 47 years of age or older.
Arranged Employment in Canada
Maximum 10 points.
An applicant can be awarded a maximum of 10 points under Arranged Employment. For more information, click here.
Adaptability
Maximum 10 Points.
Previous Work In Canada for at least 1 year at an NOC classified occupation level 0, A, or B will earn an applicant 10 points
Or a combination of...
Previous study in Canada: 5 points will be awarded if the applicant, or accompanying spouse, has completed a program of full-time study of at least two years in Canada.
Previous work in Canada (accompanying spouse):5 points will be awarded for a minimum of one year of full-time work in Canada on a valid work permit.
Relatives in Canada (18 years or over): 5 points will be awarded if the applicant or accompanying spouse has a relative who is 18 years or over residing in Canada and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. In order to qualify for the points the relative must be a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, child of a parent, sibling, child of a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or grandchild of a parent, niece or nephew.
Arranged Employment: 5 points will be awarded
Accompanying Spouse/Partner's Official Language (CLB/NCLC 4): 5 points will be awarded
Points can only be counted for each category once. Points can be claimed from each category for either the applicant or their spouse or common –law partner, but not for both.
To find out if you qualify for this program, complete the form above.
Estimated processing times for Canadian immigration applications submitted under the Federal Skilled Worker category on or after June 26th, 2010 are currently not available. However our office anticipates that applications submitted after June 26th, 2010 will be processed in approximately 6-12 months.
Police Certificates and Clearances Police certificates and clearances are required from every country in which the applicant, or his/her family, has lived in for a period of 6 months since the age of 18. For instructions on how to apply for a police certificate, click here. If there are any entries on your Police Certificates we recommend booking a free consultation as any and all entries on your record should be addressed in a legal opinion letter, whether or not they render you criminally inadmissible to Canada, please fill out the form above.
Proof of Funds Under the Federal Skilled Worker program an applicant must demonstrate sufficient funds to enable him/her to settle in Canada. The funds must be readily transferable to Canada and not be accompanied by debts or other obligations. Applicants that have Arranged Employment need not provide proof of funds.
Number of Family Members | Funds Required (in Canadian dollars) |
1 | $11,115 |
2 | $13,837 |
3 | $17,011 |
4 | $20,654 |
5 | $23,425 |
6 | $26,419 |
7 or more | $29,414 |
Government Fees The principal applicant and spouse, or common-law partner, must provide full payment of government processing fees ($550 CAD). Accompanying dependants will only be required to pay reduced processing fees ($150 CAD).
Arranged employment / AEOs
In order for arranged employment to allow you to become eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker program, either a Canadian work permit or an Arranged Employment Opinion (AEO) is required. In addition to enabling eligibility, Arranged Employment will provide applicants with up to 15 additional points in support of their application.NOTE: the limit of 10,000 applications does not apply to applicants with arranged employment.
Arranged Employment: This option is only available to applicants who are already working in Canada on a valid work permit in a skilled occupation.
• the temporary work permit must be valid both when application is filed and when the visa is issued; AND
• the applicant must have received an offer of full time, permanent employment, contingent upon a successful application for Canadian permanent residency under the Federal Skilled Worker program.
Arranged Employment Opinion: This option is available to those who are not yet working in Canada, or who have been offered permanent, full-time employment in a position other than the one they currently have authorization to perform in Canada. Essentially the Arranged Employment Opinion is an application process by which Service Canada verifies that the full-time, permanent job is legitimate. This application necessarily requires the cooperation of the Canadian employer making the job offer. The offer of employment is valid if the prospective employer:
• has made an offer to hire the applicant on a full-time, permanent basis, contingent upon a successful application for Canadian permanent residency under the Federal Skilled Worker program; AND
• has obtained a positive Arranged Employment Opinion from HRSDC
If you have received a job offer from a Canadian employer, there may be many Canadian permanent residency programs available to you, please fill out the form above to find out more.
Please note that as part of the Jobs, Groowth, and Long-Term Prosperity act, effective June 29th 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will no longer process Federal Skilled Worker applications that were submitted before February 27th 2008 in an attempt to curb the program's substantial processing backlog. To learn more about where your application stands, click here
