Who Can Apply for Canada Federal Skilled Worker Program?

Canada is a country suffering from a shortage of workforce. Due to the developing economy and tourism, there is always a demand for highly skilled workers. So the Canadian government introduced different immigration policies to solve this huge problem. One of these programs is the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Through an FSWP, Canadian employers can hire the most skilled workers from around the world.

In this blog, we will explain all about the Federal Skilled Worker Program. We will cover who is eligible for it, requirements, applications, FAQs, and more.

What is a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS)?

To apply for the Federal Skilled Workers Program, you should know about CRS. The Canadian government introduced the Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) as a device to evaluate future immigrants. The officials use CRS to score skilled workers. Applicants who want to work in Canada must complete a profile with their:

• Personal information
• Qualifications

Based on the profile, the CRS evaluates applicants’ scores and rates them. The applicants with the highest rate get invited to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada.

If you want to apply for a Federal Skilled Workers Program, you must have at least 67 scores in the CRS.

Who is a Federal Skilled Worker?

Federal Skilled Workers are people who are fit to work in Canada. They are eligible and fulfill the requirements. To apply for a Federal Skilled Workers Program, applicants must get 67 scores in CRS. The Canadian authorities evaluate FSWP applicants based on the following factors:

• Language proficiency in English or French.
• Education
• Enough work experience
• Age
• Job offer from a Canadian employer
• Adaptability

For instance, doctors who want to immigrate to Canada are skilled workers.

Who Can Apply for Canada Federal Skilled Worker Program?

All skilled workers in the world who are eligible and meet the requirements can apply for FSWP. The Canadian authorities introduced the Federal Skilled Worker Program to attract highly skilled people. Canada deals with the shortage of skilled workers in a few fields. So, it compensates for part of this shortage through the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Software engineers are also among the people who can apply and move to Canada.

Skilled workers whose occupation is on the NOC list can immigrate to Canada as skilled workers.

Lawyers are among the eligible ones who can immigrate to Canada through FSWP. 

Federal Skilled Program Vs. Federal Trade Program

The leading difference between a Federal Skilled Trade Program and the Federal Skilled Worker Program is:

• FSTP does not need higher education, but FTWP needs one.
• The type of jobs offered in the two programs is different.
• FSWP hires highly skilled workers, while FSTP attracts workers in the industrial and service sectors, etc.

Who is eligible for Federal Skilled Workers Program

The primary requirements to be eligible for a Canada Federal Skilled Workers Program are as follows:

1. Obtaining a minimum score point

Applicants for FSWP have to reach the least score set by the Canadian government. To figure out whether you are eligible, you have to take a test on the Canadian Government Website. You have to answer a few questions on the test about:

• Your age
• Nationality
• Work experience,
• Language skills in English or French
• Etc.

The test is a 100-score test. Yet, applicants must reach 67 scores to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Workers Program.

2. Language Proficiency Skills

To apply for the Federal Skilled Workers Program, you must prove proficiency in English, French, or both. To do so, you must pass a test recognized by the Canadian government:

English

• CELPIP
• IELTS

French

• TEF
• TCF

Based on the score you get in one of the mentioned tests, you get a point on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). When you take the Language Proficiency tests, you have to get a CLB level of 7 in all four skills of English/French:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Please note that the language test score is valid for only two years. It must be valid at the time of the application.

If you are a teacher and want to immigrate to Canada, read this article.

3. Education Requirements

Unlike the Federal Skilled Trades Program, education is one of the essential requirements in the Federal Skilled Workers Program. The higher and more educational certificates you have, the more points you will receive. There are two cases for your education.

The applicant has studied in Canada

In case you have studied in Canada, you must provide the following:

• A certificate from a Canadian secondary school, or
• A post-secondary qualification

The applicant has studied outside of Canada

If you have studied outside of Canada, you must convert your certificate through an Educational Credential Assessment. Your certificate will get converted to a qualification equivalent to a Canadian one.

Educational points

The score you receive through your education is different. It depends on the level of your education and major. The points you will receive for your education are as follows:

4. Work experience

Applicants for Federal Skilled Workers Program must have one-year work experience. An equal amount of time in a part-time job is also approved. The work experience must also meet the following requirements:

• The length of the work experience must be one year for a full-time job or at least 1,560 hours.
• The applicant must have achieved work experience in a paid job, not a voluntary one. Having experience in different paid jobs will also suffice.
• Candidates must have obtained work experience within the past ten years, not older.
• Applicant’s work experience must be in the Skill Level 0, A, or B at National Occupation Classification (NOC).

To find the type of job you have, you have to find the NOC code. The type of your job, aside from the years of experience, will determine your point.

The length of work experience

The more work experience you have, the higher your score will be. The list of the points for work experience in FSWP is as follows:

Experience a Maximum of 15 points

5. Age Requirements

One of the factors for the FSWP score is the applicant’s age. Depending on your age, you will get a different score. The list is as follows:

Age Points

Job offer from a Canadian employer

Holding an employment offer from a Canadian employer is another way to raise your points. The Canada immigration points system grants you ten points if you have a job offer. Please note that the job offer must comply with a few requirements:

• The job offer must be full-time. Part-time or seasonal job offers don’t qualify.
• It must be permanent or at least one year.
• It must be on the Skill level Type 0, A, or B.

To get the Federal Skilled Worker Program’s score, you must come into one of the following situations:

1. At the moment, you are working in Canada under a temporary work permit, and:

• The work permit was granted under a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
• The granted work permit is valid and will remain valid when the FSWP gets issued.
• The employer responsible for the work permit has offered you a full-time, permanent job offer.

2. Right now, you are working in Canada under a temporary work permit, and:

• Your current job is not subject to the LMIA.
• Your current work permit is still valid and will remain valid when FSWP gets issued.
• The employer responsible for the work permit has offered you a full-time, permanent job offer.

3. At the moment, you don’t have a work permit, and you won’t get employed before the FSWP gets issued:

• You have a full-time and permanent job offer from a Canadian employer.
• Your future employer has received a positive  (LMIA) for the offered job.

4. You are currently working in Canada, and:

• The job you are working on is not under the LMIA due to international agreements.

Pharmacists who want to immigrate to Canada can read this article.

5. Adaptability requirement

Family members who will be living with you in Canada can raise your score. You can achieve ten scores. The point depends on the following:

6. Proof of having enough funds

Apart from the mentioned requirements, applicants must be able to cover their expenses in Canada. They must have enough money to cover themselves and their family members. The required fund depends on the people applying with you. You must have enough to cover yourself for three to six months.

You could prove your financial dependence through bank statements.

7. Fulfilling Admissibility Requirements

By Canadian immigration law, some people don’t have permission to enter the country. They are inadmissible to enter Canada. One of the requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program is not to be inadmissible.

There could be many reasons that make applicants inadmissible to apply for an FSWP, as follow:

Conducting security crimes such as:

• Being engaged in espionage activities
• Trying to bring down a government.
• Any form of terrorism.
• Brutality
• Participation in a group that has participated in one of the above issues.
• Violating international or human rights, such as:
  
  • War atrocities
  • Felony against humankind
  • Being a high member of a government involved in violating human rights or the items mentioned above.
• Driving Under the Influence of alcohol (DUI)
• Taking part in an organization that deals with criminal activity, such as:
  
  • Human trafficking
  • money laundering
  • Smuggling

Medical reasons

• Posing a medical risk to the nation.
• Putting at risk public safety

Financial reasons

• If you can not cover your expenses or your family in Canada, you become inadmissible.
• Applicants who have a job offer in Canada or are working legally will become eligible.
• If you lie in your interview or application, you will become inadmissible.
• Applicants who have a family member who may not enter Canada, you also become inadmissible.

Please note that if the reason for inadmissibility is not serious, you could work to remove it.

If you want to know how to immigrate to Canada as a nurse, read our article.

Application Process for Federal Skilled Worker Program

The application process for Canada Federal Skilled Workers Program is as follows:

A. Confirm your eligibility

The first step in applying for Federal Skilled Workers Program is to figure out your eligibility. You can see the section above to see whether you are eligible or not. You must also make sure you reach the minimum 67 scores.

B. Gather the required documents to make a profile

To create a profile on the Canadian immigration website, you need to collect the following documents:

• A valid passport.
• The language proficiency certificate.
• Educational certificates.
• Clean record proof from the police.
• Proof to have enough funds to cover your expenses through bank statements.
• Medical exams to prove your health conditions.

C. Creating a profile

At this stage, you must create an account on the Canadian Government website. In the profile, you will fill in your personal information and the elements to get a score. Then you submit the documents you have prepared.

Please note that when you create your account, you only have two months to complete it and submit the required documents. If you fail to do so, you have to start the procedure again.

While you are waiting for your application evaluation, you can work to improve your profile. You can get more work experience, take a new language course, etc.

D. Receiving an invitation to apply

Now you have to wait until your profile gets processed. The Canadian authorities will evaluate all the profiles. They will choose the applicants with the highest score. The CRS calculator measures the score.

If you have the highest score, you will receive an invitation to apply for Canada permanent residence.

The authorities will inform you of the following procedures. If everything proceeds well, you can prepare to travel to Canada. If your application gets rejected, the authorities will inform you of the reason. You could start to apply again.

Federal Skilled Workers Program Processing Time

The processing time for a Federal Skilled Worker Program begins from six months to one year. You have to wait until you receive a notification from the authorities in your profile or email.

Please note that while you wait for processing, you can work to improve your profile. You could work in your skilled field to get more experience. Another option is to take a new language test to raise your scores.

Federal Skilled Worker Program Fees

The federal skilled worker program will cost you C$1040. The amount you have to pay consists of C$550 for processing and C$490 for the Permanent Residence fee.

Let’s sum up…

In this blog, we explained all you need to know about Canada’s Federal Skilled Workers Program.

W covered whether you can apply for an FSWP or not, who is eligible, requirements, the application process, FAQs, and more.

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In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences as comments is a great help for applicants.