Federal Skilled Worker Program
FSWP – Federal Skilled Workers Program for Canada immigration is managed by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) under the Express Entry System. The candidates in the Express Entry pool who secure the highest CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) scores are offered the ITA (Invitations to Apply) for Canada PR Visa through the FSWP. The candidates who receive the ITA must submit the complete application to the IRCC within the specified timeline.
The Federal Skilled Workers Program has its system of points based on diverse factors. It is designed to demonstrate if the applicant can successfully settle in Canada along with dependents if any. Ideally, applicants must have the experience and skills that are well-matched with the in-demand occupations.
The rules for selection favor applicants having job offers approved by the Government of Canada. It implemented the system of Express Entry Immigration from 1st January 2015 under the Economic Class consisting of the FSWP and other programs.
The Canada Express Entry Program is an online Canada immigration system launched in January 2015 by the Government of Canada for managing the Canada PR Visa applications of all economic category immigrants. Skilled individuals who want to move to Canada for work prospects and a better lifestyle are termed, economic immigrants. A highly comprehensive program, Express Entry plays a vital role in managing the immigrant inflow to Canada judging through certain diverse parameters.
What are the requirements for FSWP?
The minimum requirements for applicants under FSWP are:
- Skilled work experience
- Ability in Language
- Education
You must fulfill all the minimum requirements to become eligible to apply for the program.
What is the eligibility for FSWP?
Once you fulfill all the specified minimum requirements, IRCC will then assess your application based on:
- Education
- Age
- Work experience
- If you have a lawful offer of a job
- Language proficiency skills in English and/or French
- Adaptability - how good you are expected to settle in the country
Check your Eligibility for Federal Skilled Worker Program
The above factors are a part of the point grid having 100 points for assessing your eligibility for FSWP. You get scores for how well you perform under each of the six factors. The minimum mark for passing is 67.
IRCC makes use of the points for selection factors for assessing your eligibility for the FSWP. After you enter the pool of Express Entry, it uses a different system for ranking your profile.
What are the eligible occupations under Federal Skilled Worker Program?
Federal Skilled Workers are individuals with suitable age, work experience, age, and language proficiency in English or French. They are chosen through the system of Express Entry Immigration to apply for a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa.
Federal Skilled Workers in 347 eligible occupations who fulfill the minimum criteria for entry can submit an Expression of Interest – EOI profile under the Express Entry System. The profiles of candidates are then ranked through a CRS – Comprehensive Ranking System.
The candidates who get the highest rank will be offered an ITA for Canada PR Visa. They must submit the complete application within 3 months.
Essential Conditions for FSWP applicants
Applicants who wish to enter the Express Entry Pool as Federal Skilled Workers are required to fulfill the following criteria:
- Have 1 year of paid full-time work experience or part-time equivalent continuous employment in the last 10 years in any of the 347 eligible occupations specified under the system of NOC - National Occupational Classification
- The work experience must be classified as a Skill Type within the system of NOC as any one of the below categories:
- Managerial Occupations - 0 Skill Level
- Professional Occupations - A Skill Level
- Skilled Trades and Technical Occupations - B Skill Level
- Secure adequate scores in the points grid for skilled workers that consists of 6 factors for selection and the current passing score is 67 points.
- Take a language test from an authorized third party and prove language skills at an intermediate level in French or
- English corresponding to level 7 CLB - Canadian Language Benchmark
- Have adequate funds for settling in Canada
- Undergo medical and security background examination successfully
Federal Skilled Workers Program aims to choose the candidates with the maximum potential for successful economic settlement and supporting the economy of the nation. It does have criteria similar to the previous immigration program and modifies the comparative importance and structure of points for each of the factors for selection.
67 points Calculator for FSW
Applicants under the FSWP are required to possess adequate language proficiency and work experience for getting selected. They must also score at least 67 under the point’s grid for FSWP. Points are allocated for language, education, age, employment, adaptability, and a job offer in Canada.
Education - Maximum 25 points
You can score a maximum of 25 points for this factor and the maximum score is allocated for a Doctoral Degree. Overseas credentials will be assessed by an authorized third party for determining their Canadian equivalency. Points are allocated based on the equivalence of the credentials. Authorized organizations for assessment are:
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
- School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto: Comparative Education Service
- Medical Council of Canada
- World Education Services
Language - Maximum 28 points
Only those applicants who can demonstrate a high to intermediate level of proficiency in French or English will be considered. Applicants who fulfill the minimum threshold will secure a minimum of 16 points for the language factor. Higher proficiency in language can result in the allocation of a maximum of 24 points.
The advantages of bilingualism are offered minimal importance for an individual to successfully settle economically in Canada. The latest points system restricts the score for proficiency in a second official language to a maximum of 4.
Work Experience - Maximum 15 points
A minimum of year experience is required for qualifying and a maximum of 6 years is considered.
Earlier, candidates were required to have employment experience classified under NOC Skill Types 0, A, or B – referring to the 2016 NOC system. This big shift to the 2021 NOC system will see these skill types replaced by the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) categories.
Age - Maximum 12 points
A maximum of 12 points will be offered for candidates in the age range of 35 to 18 years. Each increasing year above 35 years will decrease the allocation by 1 point and 0 are allocated from 47 years onwards.
Arranged Employment - Maximum 10 points
Adaptability - Maximum 10 points
Applicants with a minimum of 1 year of full-time work experience in Canada in a Skilled trade, Technical, Professional or Managerial occupation will be offered maximum points. As stated already, a valid job offer will incur extra 5 points under Adaptability.
Other considerations that incur points to applicants under his factor are:
- A close adult relative residing in the country
- Spouse or Applicant has Canadian education credentials
- Spouse has past work experience in Canada
- Spouse has acquaintance in one of the official languages of the country
Canada PR Visa Point grid
The first and foremost of the selection criteria is that applicants must clear the minimum pass mark of 67. The following lists will give you an idea of how much you can score in this assessment according to your profile particulars.
Factor 1: Age (Maximum Points 12)
Age | Points |
| 18 to 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 or more | 0 |
Factor 2: Language Proficiency (Maximum Points 28)
The following list will acquaint you with the score you can obtain in each segment.
Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Max Points |
| 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| 7.5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| 8 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 22 |
| 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 20 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
Factor 3: Educational Qualification (Maximum Points 25)
This is one of the most important factors in the candidate assessment and candidates can score highly to boost their chances. The following list will give you an idea of the scoring system:
Qualification | Points |
| Doctoral level | 25 Points |
| Master’s level or professional degree | 23 Points |
| Two or more post-secondary credentials, one of which is a three-year or longer post-secondary credential | 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 | 5 Points |
| Secondary school not completed | 0 Point |
Factor 4: Work Experience (Maximum Points 15)
Experience in years | Points |
| Six years or more | 15 points |
| Four years | 13 points |
| Two years | 11 points |
| One year | 9 points |
Factor 5: Arranged Employment (Maximum 10 points)
Arranged Employment | Points |
| You have a permanent job offer from a Canadian employer, approved by the HRSDC | 10 points |
| You have a permanent job offer from a Canadian employer, without the necessity of HRSDC approval, if you are employed in Canada by the same employer | 10 points |
Additional Points
If you are immigrating with your spouse, then your application can get extra points if your spouse scores above CLB 4. You will receive 5 additional adaptability points as a principal applicant.
- Relative in Canada 18 years or over (parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, child of a parent, sibling, child of a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or grandchild of a parent, niece or nephew) who is residing in Canada and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident - 5 Points
- Accompanying spouse/partner's official language (CLB/NCLC 4) -5 Points
Factor 6: Adaptability (Maximum 10 points)
Adaptability | Points |
| Principal Applicant Previous Work in Canada (min. 1 yr at NOC 0, A, B) | 10 |
| Accompanying Spouse/Partner Previous Work in Canada | 5 |
| Principal Applicant Previous Study in Canada | 5 |
| Accompanying Spouse/Partner Previous Study in Canada | 5 |
| Arranged Employment | 5 |
Funds Required for Federal Skilled Worker Program
The IRCC requires you should minimum funds required when applying for FSW to support yourself and your family. The following list tells you how much you should take with you.
Number of family member | Funds Required |
| 1 | $12,960 |
| 2 | $16,135 |
| 3 | $19,836 |
| 4 | $24,083 |
| 5 | $27,315 |
| 6 | $30,806 |
| 7 | $34,299 |
| For each additional member | $3,492 |
At the present time, the applications are being processed in 6 months or lesser.
IRCC policy confirms that while FSWP has been designed to choose highly educated candidates, it does not emphasize equally skilled trades. The immigration authority now calls upon skilled overseas workers to apply for a Canada PR Visa under the FSWP to ensure that the labor market in Canada attracts adequate qualified skilled trades workers.
How to apply for a PR Visa through FSWP?
Interested candidates are required to first submit a profile in Express Entry to IRCC. The submission of the profile does not confirm the offering of a Canada PR Visa to the candidates. They will be assigned the CRS scores upon submission of their profiles in Express Entry and considered for ITAs for PR Visa in the subsequent Express Entry draws.
You will be required to submit the following documents while submitting a profile in Express Entry through FSWP:
You must submit a valid report for ECA demonstrating the value of overseas education credentials over the Canadian equivalent. Canada has 5 organizations that are authorized for issuing ECA reports. This is not needed for educational credentials obtained from an education institution in Canada.
All applicants under FSWP are required to submit results from an authorized test for language attempted within the past 2 years. Authorized tests for the English language are the IELTS and CELPIP. Authorised tests for the French language are the TEF – Test d’évaluation de Franćais and TCF Canada – Test de connaissance du franćais pour le Canada.
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