Federal Skilled Workers
Requirements for Federal Skilled Workers
Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) must meet the minimum requirements on language proficiency, education, and work experience and provide corresponding supporting documents before their permanent resident application will be further processed.
In addition, a point system is used to assess foreign workers’ eligibility on selection factors including education, proficiency in official languages, experience, age, arranged employment and adaptability. The current passing mark is 67 points out of total 100 points for the six selection factors. Only the applicants who have scored 67 points or higher can submit their profile to the EE pool where they will be ranked using the CRS. The selection factors and the maximum points are as follows:
| Selection factor | Maximum number of points |
|---|---|
|
Education |
25 |
|
Proficiency in official languages |
28 |
|
Experience |
15 |
|
Age |
12 |
|
Arranged employment |
10 |
|
Adaptability |
10 |
|
Total |
100 |
Minimum requirements for Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Official language: CLB 7 or NCLC 7 in all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
- Education: Secondary or post-secondary degree. If the applicant has a foreign credential, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report must be provided from a designated organization.
- Work experience: one continuous year of paid full-time experience in the same job within the last 10 years on skill type 0 or skill level A or B on the NOC list (full-time means 1560 hours or 30 hours/week, or 15 hours/week part-time work experience for two continuous years).
Language Test
Foreign skilled workers must provide the proof of their Canadian official language proficiency under the FSW program. Applicants can take any of the following test.
English
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
French
- TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
- TCF Canada: Test de Connaissance du français
The test results must be less than two years old and will be measured to determine the applicant’s language level by using
- Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)
- Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
Arranged employment
Foreign skilled workers could increase their points by obtaining a job offer that is supported by a positive LMIA which is acquired by a Canadian employer and with the foreign worker’s name on it. The job offer
- must be made by one employer only
- must be for at least one continuous year, paid full-time work, non-contract, and non-seasonal
- must be in an occupation at skill type 0, skill level A or skill level B on the NOC list.
Under some circumstances, a foreign worker can get points for a valid job offer without the support of a positive LMIA. For example, the foreign worker is currently working in Canada and is in possession of a valid work permit which is exempted from LMIA because of
- an international agreement (like CUSMA or GATS, and non-trade agreement)
- significant benefit to Canadian interests (including significant benefit, reciprocal employment, designated by the Minister, and charity and religious work)
- a federal-provincial agreement
and the following conditions are all met:
- The work permit is valid both when the foreign worker applies and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or the foreign worker is allowed to work in Canada without a permit when the permanent resident visa is issued)
- The foreign worker’s current employer has made a valid job offer based on the condition that the foreign worker is accepted under FSW in EE
- The foreign worker’s current employer is specified on the work permit
- The foreign worker has been working for the same employer for at least one continuous year on full-time or equivalent part-tie
Settlement funds
If the applicants under FSW have not obtained a job offer or held a work permit in Canada, they need to provide the proof of sufficient settlement funds. The funds cannot be encumbered by debt or other obligations, and must be transferable, available, and be enough to support the applicant, his/her spouse or partner, and any dependants even if they are not coming to Canada with the applicant. The number of family member and minimum amount of funds needed are listed in below table.
| Number of family members | Funds required in CD |
|---|---|
|
1 |
$13,213 |
|
2 |
$16,449 |
|
3 |
$20,222 |
|
4 |
$24,553 |
|
5 |
$27,847 |
|
6 |
$31,407 |
|
7 |
$34,967 |
|
For each additional family member |
$3,560 |