Immigrate Federal Skilled Workers

Eligibility Criteria – Express Entry (Federal Skilled Workers)

As of January 2015, a new system called Express Entry is used to manage how people with skilled work experience apply to immigrate to Canada.

An eligible candidate:

  • will be placed in a pool with other eligible candidates and given a score,
  • is then ranked using several factors based on Comprehensive Ranking System, and
  • if they rank as a top candidate, they will be invited to apply to be a permanent resident of Canada.

 

Minimum Requirements

In order to be eligible to apply in the FSW category, an applicant should have the following qualifications:

1- Have at least one year of work experience at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC)

2- Meet the Minimum Language requirement: a minimum level of competence in one of Canada's official languages is required to be eligible to apply for the Express entry program. This minimum requirement is equivalent to level 7 in Canadian Language Benchmark (CBL), which translates to:

     For English- A minimum score of 6.0 in each of the four modules (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) of IELTS (General Training) test;

or  For French- Minimum scores of 249 in Listening, 207 in Reading, and 310 in both Writing and Speaking sections of TEF

3- Have a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,

or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by IRCC.

4- Earn at least 67 points out of 100 from the following selection factors:

SELECTION FACTORS

Maximum Points

 Language Proficiency

            First Language (English / French)
            Second Language (French / English)

28

24
4


 

 Education

25

 Work Experience

15

 Age

12

 Arranged Employment in Canada

10

Adaptability         

 

Spouse or partner’s language level

*Minimum score should be at CLB 5 level or higher in all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
Past study in Canada (Two years)

Spouse or partner’s past study in Canada (Two years)

Previous Work in Canada (One year)

Spouse or common-law partner’s Past work in Canada

Arranged Employment (Approved by Service Canada)

Family Relationships in Canada

Maximum 10

 

5

 

 

 

5

5

 

10

 

5

 

5

 

5
 

If a candidate scores lower than 67 (out of 100), they will not qualify to immigrate to Canada as a federal skilled worker. So, it is advisable to apply at a later time.

 

Changes Since November 19, 2016

The points an applicant can get for a job offer has changed. Now they can get:

  • 200 points for NOC 00 jobs with a valid job offer
  • 50 points for any other NOC 0, A and B jobs with a valid job offer
  • additional points for study in Canada above high school:
    • 15 points for a one- or two-year diploma or certificate
    • 30 points for a degree, diploma or certificate of three years or longer, or a Master’s, professional or doctoral degree of at least one year.

Certain job offers will not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). If they meet certain requirements, many people in Canada with an LMIA exempt work permit will be able to carry that LMIA exemption under Express Entry. This will allow more candidates to receive CRS points for their job offer and meet the program requirements of the federal skilled worker class and the federal skilled trades class.

Examples

o    North America Free Trade Agreement

o    federal-provincial agreements

o    Mobilité Francophone

o    intra-company transferees, as long as they meet certain criteria, such as at least one year of work experience from the same employer who is providing their job offer