Federal Skilled Worker Class

In order to qualify for this program, you need to meet certain requirements related to your education, work experience, language abilities and other factors. A 100-point grid is used to assess you eligibility and gives you a score according to your profile’s specificities. You are assessed based on six factors and you should meet or exceed the pass mark that is 67/100. There is another 1200-point-based-system scoring system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that is used to rank you within the Express Entry pool. Draw rounds are recurrently conducted by IRCC under Ministerial Instructions. Across 2020’s draws, the minimum scores of candidates invited under this program are oscillating around 471 points. You can calculate your CRS using this tool provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (IRCC). You can have summarized preview how this program is functioning and its main aspects and requirements by watching this video.

Work experience:

Your skilled work experience must be:

• In a job type 0, A or B
• At least one year of continuous work full-time or equivalent. It may be 30 hours/week for 12 months or 15 hours/week for 24 months. Hours above 30 hours/week don’t count.
• Paid: volunteering, unpaid internships don’t count
• Within the last 10 years
• In accordance with the lead statement, the essential duties and most of the main duties set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) of this job.

Education:

The minimum education level is a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or a post-secondary institution such as a university, college, etc. If your degree is obtained from an institution outside Canada (in your country of origin for example), then you must proceed to an Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA) with one of the following designated 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.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to complete an application with WES.

Once your assessment is done, you will get a report showing the Canadian equivalency of your foreign education which you can use to determine how many points you get on this item in the six selection factors grid. That report is valid for a period of 5 years.

Regulated professions:

If you wish to practice as a doctor, pharmacist, lawyer, engineer or any other regulated profession in Canada, you need to follow the go through the licensing procedures set out by your national and/or provincial regulatory body. The designated professional bodies for doctors and pharmacists are:

• Medical Council of Canada (MCC); and
• Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC).

Language: 

The minimum language level in the Federal skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is CLB/NCLC 7. Many successful candidates take both English and French tests to maximize their score and have better chances to get selected in the Express Entry pool. Your second official language test gives you additional points only if you score CLB/NCLC 5 or more in the four language abilities. A language test is valid for 2 years only, after which you should write a new one.

You must take one of the following approved language tests:

• CELPIP General: General-LS is not accepted in this program.
• IELTS General: IELTS Academic is not accepted in this program.
• TEF Canada (not TEF): All tests written on or after March 1, 2020 must be TEF Canada and not TEF. It must include the four skills (compréhension de l’écrit, compréhension de l’oral, expression écrite et expression orale)
• TCF Canada: It must include the four skills (compréhension de l’écrit, compréhension de l’oral, expression écrite et expression orale)

IELTS to CLB and TEF Canada/TCF Canada to NCLC:

You can convert your language test results into CLB or NCLC according to the following solution:

Age: 

All applicant must be 18 years old or older. There is no maximum age under this program. However, an applicant starts losing points every year after the age of 35.

Proof of funds:

The funds you need to prove depend on the size of your family (spouse and children). Here’s a table of how much money you need according the 2020’s data:

The amount must be immediately available and accessible to you such as cash, stocks, bonds, cheques, money orders, etc both when you apply and when your permanent resident visa is issued. I f you are married, you can add up the money you have together in order for you to meet the minimum threshold. Bank statement or attestation of funds (with specific requirements) delivered by a financial institution are very common proofs of funds. This said, you cannot count your car, house or jewellery as part of your funds.

Exemptions from a proof of funds:

You don’t need to proof that you have enough money to support yourself and your family when you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class or you are authorized to work in Canada and have received a valid job offer.

Inadmissibility:

Inadmissibility can occur due to criminal history, security grounds, health issues, misrepresentation, financial situation and other legal matters. There are ways to overcome inadmissibility on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you need us to study you case and provide you with a legal assistance on one or more of these aspects.

Here’s the six selection factors’ grid: