According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada‘s (IRCC) year-end report for 2020, individuals admitted to Canada under the Federal skill worker program accounted for 38% of all individuals admitted to Canada through the programs managed by the Express Entry System. This makes the FSWP the 2nd most popular immigration program used by skilled immigrants after the Canadian Experience Class.
What is Federal Skilled Worker Program
Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is an immigration program for immigrants with foreign work experience and invites them as permanent residents. It is one of the three immigration programs managed by the Express Entry system.
As FSWP is managed by the Express Entry System, applicants are required to create an Express Entry profile if they satisfy all the program requirements and get at least 67 points out of 100 FSWP points grid. After submitting the express entry profile, the applicants’ profiles will join the Express Entry pool, where their profiles will be compared against other profiles from all the programs managed by the Express Entry system and given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. If selected in an Express Entry draw, applicants will then be invited to apply for a permanent residency in Canada.
Minimum requirements
There are three minimum requirements for this program.
- Skilled work experience
- Language ability
- Education
You also need to show that you have enough money for you and your family if they are coming with you to settle in Canada. Proof of fund can be optional if :
- You are legally allowed to work in Canada (work permit for example).
- You have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Work experience | Work experience in 1 of the National Occupational Classification(NOC): -> skill type 0 (zero) OR TEER 0 -> skill level A OR TEER 1 -> skill level B OR TEER 2/TEER 3 1,560 hours of Continuous work in the same NOC, which can be achieved by working: -> 1 year of Full-time or 30 hours/week -> 2 years of part-time or 15 hours/week -> 1 year at multiple jobs with at least 30hr/week combined Must be paid work Must be within last 10 years |
| Language | FIRST LANGUAGE (mandatory): English level CLB 7 in: -> IELTS -> CELPIP OR French level NCLC 7 in: -> TEF Canada -> TCF Canada SECOND LANGUAGE (optional): -> English level CLB 5 or -> French level NCLC 5 |
| Education | secondary institution (high school) OR post-secondary institution (degree/diploma/certificate) |
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
If you satisfy all three requirements listed above, then your application will be assessed against six selection criteria for which points will be awarded.
You can get a maximum of 100 points, and you must get at least 67 points to be considered as an applicant. Candidates with 67 points will then submit an Express Entry Profile.
In the table below, we have listed the maximum points for each selection criteria.
| Selection criteria | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Language skills points | 28 points -> First official language maximum 24 points -> Second official language maximum 4 points |
| Education points | 25 points |
| Work experience points | 15 points |
| Age points | 12 points |
| Arranged employment in Canada points | 10 points |
| Adaptability points | 10 points |
We have explained each of the selection criteria in more detail; you may click on each block to expand the section.
Language Skills (maximum 28 points)
Canada recognizes two official languages: English and French.
| Language | IRCC recognized language tests |
| English | -> IELTS -> CELPIP |
| French | -> TEF Canada -> TCF Canada |
To measure the language skills, IRCC uses Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)for French for assessment.
You can also take tests for both languages to improve your points.
| First official language | POINTS (maximum 24 points) | |||
| Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | |
| CLB or NCLC 9 or up | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CLB or NCLC 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| CLB or NCLC 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| CLB or NCLC below 7 | Not eligible to apply | |||
| Second official language | POINTS (maximum 4 points) | |||
| Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | |
| CLB or NCLC 5 or up | 4 | |||
| CLB or NCLC 4 or less | 0 | |||
Education (maximum 25 points)
If you’ve studied 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:
- An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from IRCC recognized organization showing that your education is equal to a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian
- secondary institution (high school) or
- post-secondary institution
IRCC recognizes ECA reports from the following multipurpose assessment organizations:
- World Education Services (WES),
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS),
- Comparative Education Service (CES), University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
- International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
- International Credential Evaluation Service
IRCC also recognizes education assessment reports from professional bodies taken as part of the licensing process. They are:
Work experience (maximum 15 points)
You get points based on years of work experience in certain NOC occupations. Your work experience can be:
- In Canada or abroad
- while studying
- while being self-employed
| Experience in years | Points |
| 1 | 9 |
| 2-3 | 11 |
| 4-5 | 13 |
| 6 or more | 15 |
It is common for most people to have multiple job roles as they progress during their career journey, from an electrical technician to a manager in the same or different firm, for example. In such cases, IRCC only considers the primary NOC you’ve selected in your application and awards points based on years of experience doing that role. From our example, if your experience as an electrical technician is 3 years and as a manager is only 1 year, then it is wise to select the technician NOC as your primary NOC to get 11 points for your work experience.
Remember, you can only claim points for work done only in 1 NOC; it must be continuous at least for 1 year; it can be gathered from more than one job at different companies.
Age (maximum 12 points)
Points for age are pretty much straightforward. The younger, the better.
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 0 |
| 18-35 | 12 |
| 36 | 11 |
| 37 | 10 |
| 38 | 9 |
| 39 | 8 |
| 40 | 7 |
| 41 | 6 |
| 42 | 5 |
| 43 | 4 |
| 44 | 3 |
| 45 | 2 |
| 46 | 1 |
| 47 and older | 0 |
Arranged employment in Canada (maximum 10 points)
You can get points for a valid job offer from a Canadian employer. You must get the job offer before you apply to come to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.
The Job offer must be:
- for at least 1 year, continuous, full-time (minimum 30 hr/week)
- in one of the NOC: 0(zero), A, B OR TEER 0, 1, 2, 3
- non-seasonal
You must also satisfy one of the following scenarios to get the 10 points for a valid job offer:
| Scenarios | Conditions |
| You currently work in Canada on a work permit | -> Your work permit is valid both when you apply for permanent residency and upon its approval -> Work permit is based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for an occupation listed under one of the NOCs: 0, A,B OR TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 -> Working for an employer named in your work permit ->That employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker. |
| You currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement because of 1 of the following: -> An international agreement (such as, the North American Free Trade Agreement) or -> Significant benefit to Canadian interests or -> A federal-provincial agreement | -> Your work permit is valid both when you apply for permanent residency and upon its approval -> Working for an employer named in your work permit You have been working for that employer for at least 1 year -> Continuous full-time or equivalent part-time -> That employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker. |
| 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 a LMIA -> That employer has made you a valid job offer based on that LMIA and on you being accepted as a skilled worker. |
| You have a work permit or allowed to work in Canada without a work permit | -> You’re currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from a LMIA, but it is not under an international, federal-provincial agreement or because of significant benefit to Canadian interests -> Another employer other than the one you are working for has made you an LMIA-approved valid job offer and on you being accepted as a skilled worker |
Adaptability (maximum 10 points)
Points for adaptability are awarded to those applicants who are planning to come to Canada with their spouse or common-law partner. IRCC assesses how well you and your partner are likely to settle in Canada and awards points based on multiple elements.
In the following table, we have listed all the elements and points associated with it for which you and your partner can earn a maximum of 10 points:
| Adaptability | Maximum 10 points |
| Your spouse or partner’s language level either in English or French at CLB 4 or higher | 5 |
| You as a main applicant have at least 2 years of full-time study in Canada at a secondary or post-secondary level | 5 |
| Your spouse or partner have at least 2 years of full-time study in Canada at a secondary or post-secondary level | 5 |
| You as main applicant have worked full-time in Canada for at least 1 year either on a valid work permit (or with an authorization to work in Canada) in a skilled job In one of the NOC: 0, A, B or TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 | 10 |
| Your spouse or partner have worked full-time in Canada for at least 1 year on either a valid work permit( or with an authorization to work in Canada) | 5 |
| Arranged employment in Canada | 5 |
| You or your spouse have a relative in Canada who is living in Canada, 18 years or older and have a Canadian citizenship or permanent residency. | 5 |
