Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of three federal programs managed through Express Entry. Skilled workers with foreign work experience may be eligible to immigrate to Canada and apply for permanent residence on this basis.

Applicants wishing to be accepted through the FSWP must meet a series of requirements before applying. The initial eligibility assessment requires that the applicant:

• Be prepared to settle down outside of Quebec
• Be admissible to Canada

FSWP applicants must have work experience that meets the following criteria:

• A minimum of 1 year part-time or full-time continuous employment
• Paid work
• Acquired within the past ten years
• The type of work considered skill type 0 (zero), skill level A or skill level B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC)

Assessing Validity

An individual’s work experience for full-time employment will be considered eligible as long as the individual worked 30 hours/week over a span of 12 months.

An individual’s work experience for part-time will be considered eligible if:

• the individual was working 15 hours/week over a span of 24 months; OR
• the individual was working 30 hours/week over a span of 12 months while working for more than one employer.

Applicants are required to prove that the work duties they accomplished during this time correlate with the duties found in the National Occupation Classification.

To see these occupations and their official definitions, visit this site.

Applicants for the FSWP must hold:

• A Canadian high school/post-secondary diploma
• A foreign high school/post-secondary diploma, along with an approved document from Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirming the diploma is of the same value as a high school/post-secondary Canadian diploma

FSWP applicants are required to take a language proficiency test. The results will reflect whether they have acquired adequate language abilities for them to properly establish themselves in Canada upon immigration.

Language Testing

English and French are the official languages in Canada. The applicant can choose to complete either an English or French proficiency test. They may also opt to both tests in order to increase their chance of approval. The language tests will evaluate the applicant’s abilities in:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Language Qualification

Applicants must achieve a level 7 in the Canadian Language Benchmark on all categories of the proficiency testing to be considered for the FSWP. Test results must be included in the applicant’s Express Entry profile and must have been acquired within the first two years of taking the test.

FSWP applicants are typically required to prove they have the financial means to support and care for themselves as well as their family (if applicable) upon immigration to Canada. Be that as it may, an applicant is not required to show proof of their bank statement if they:

• Are legally allowed to be employed in Canada
• Have obtained a valid job offer from a Canadian employer

Once they have met all of the above requirements, the applicant will be evaluated through a points system which will determine their eligibility within the FSWP. Specifically, the individual will be assessed with regards to the following:

• Work experience
• Educational attainment
• Language proficiency
• Age
• If the applicant has acquired a valid job
• If the applicant will be settled in Canada successfully upon arrival

A score of 67/100 in order to pass the final assessment. If the applicant passes the assessment, they will be entered into the Express Entry System.

Please note that it is possible for applicants to incorporate their partner (either spouse or common-law) along with their application. The partner who meets the requirements (as seen above) is recommended to fill out the application as the primary applicant.

Additional Information:

If you are an employer interested in hiring through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, please contact us for more information.

If you are a candidate who would like to confirm whether you qualify for immigration to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, please complete our free online evaluation form here.