Skilled workers are chosen as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other factors like Skilled work experience, Language ability, Education and some more. These things often help them succeed in Canada.Since January 1, 2015, completing an Express Entry profile is the first step in immigrating to Canada permanently as a skilled worker under the:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program,
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
To be eligible to apply, you must:
- Have a job offer; or
- Be eligible to work in Canada; or
- Be able to prove that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada;
and Have at least 1 year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience; Meet minimum language levels in English or French; Have a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree; Plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
What kind of work experience do I need?
Your work experience must be either Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or Skill Level B on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Your work experience must be paid, full-time or the equivalent hours part-time. Full-time means at least 30 hours per week. You must have had that work experience during the last 10 years.
These limits do not apply if you have a permanent job offer.
The FSW Point System
You need at least 67 points to be eligible to apply as a FSW. You get different points based on:
- Your education;
- Your abilities in English and/or French (Canada’s 2 official languages);
- Your work experience;
- Your age;
- If you have arranged employment in Canada; and
- Your adaptability.
To see how your skilled worker points are broken down and to see if you qualify, visit the Six Selection Factors page.
Please note that the FSW point system is different from Express Entry points.
