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Would you like to know whether your career or current job can lead you to permanent residency in Canada? Is it your dream to work in a career that you love but also live in a country of your dreams, such as Canada? With the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you may be able to do so. In this article, I will outline the requirements you need in order to be eligible under this specific program, as well as detail the specific jobs/careers that Canada is currently looking for.
In order for you to apply under this specific economic immigration program, there are some minimum requirements that you must have. The minimum requirements are:
You must have at least 1 year of work experience within a list of occupations the Canadian government is looking for (they will be listed below)
You must have a qualified employment offer from a Canadian employer, or
You must be eligible to apply through the PhD program
Along with these minimum requirements, there are essential conditions through the Federal Skilled Worker Program that you must abide by in order for admission. Some of the conditions overlap with the minimum requirements; they are extremely essential to the process. The conditions are:
You must have at least 1 year of continuous full-time paid work experience or the equivalent in part-time continuous employment within the previous 10 years in one of the occupations that the Canadian government is looking for (they will be listed below) and,
The work experience gained must be classified within Skill Type 0 (Managerial Occupations), Skill Level A (Professional Occupations), or Skill Level B (Technical Occupations and Skilled Trades) within the NOC (National Occupational Classification) system and,
You must score a sufficient amount of points under the skilled worker point grid which includes six selection factors. Keep in mind, the current pass mark is 67 points.
You must go through a language testing from a recognized third party and demonstrate intermediate level language skills in Canada’s primary languages which are English or French. These results must correspond to the Canadian Language Benchmark of 7.
You must possess an appropriate amount of settlement funding.
You must go through a successful security background and medical examination.
The 6 main factors that were mentioned in the skilled worker point grid condition are used to determine your eligibility for immigration to Canada. As previously stated, applicants must obtain a total amount of 67 points out of 100 to qualify. The main selection factors are:
Education (Maximum of 25 points)
Language (Minimum of 16 points – Maximum of 28 points)
Employment Experience (Minimum of 9 points – Maximum of 15 points)
Age (Maximum of 12 points)
Arranged Employment (Either 0 or 10 points)
Adaptability (Maximum of 10 points)
The more points you can get, the higher the chances of you immigrating to Canada. It is important to note that this program selects candidates with the highest chances of economic settlement success as well as economic contribution to Canada. This new program maintains previous criteria but has been modified to the relative importance and point structure for each selection factor. By calculating the points you would get through each selection factor, you will have a better idea of your chances, as well. I have included a chart below for you to easily see how many points you could accumulate.
FACTOR |
Your Score |
Scores |
EDUCATION |
Max. 25 |
|
Doctorate |
25 |
|
Master’s or Professional degree |
23 |
|
2 or more post-secondary degrees, of which one is three years or longer |
22 |
|
A three-year or longer post-secondary degree |
21 |
|
A two-year post-secondary diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship |
19 |
|
A one-year post-secondary diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship |
15 |
|
Secondary School Diploma |
5 |
|
LANGUAGE |
Max. 28 |
|
Very high proficiency (per ability) (CLB 9) in 1st Language |
6 |
|
High proficiency (per ability) (CLB 8) in 1st Language |
5 |
|
Intermediate proficiency (per ability) (CLB 7) in 1st Language (this is the minimum threshold required to apply) |
4 |
|
Basic or no proficiency in 1st Language |
0 |
|
Possible maximum in 1st Language (all 4 abilities acquired) |
24 |
|
Basic proficiency or higher (per ability) in 2nd Language |
1 |
|
No proficiency in 2nd Language |
0 |
|
Possible maximum in 2nd Language (all 4 abilities acquired) |
4 |
|
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE (NOC Skill Level 0, A, B) |
Max. 15 |
|
One year |
9 |
|
Two or three years |
11 |
|
Four to five years |
13 |
|
Six years or more |
15 |
|
AGE |
Max. 12 |
|
18 to 35 years |
12 |
|
36 years |
11 |
|
Less one point per year until 47 years |
||
ARRANGED EMPLOYMENT IN CANADA |
Max. 10 |
|
HRSDC-confirmed permanent offer of employment |
10 |
|
Applicants from within Canada holding a temporary work permit that is validated by HRSDC, including sectoral confirmations |
10 |
|
Applicants from within Canada holding a temporary work permit that is exempt from HRSDC validation under international agreements, for instance NAFTA |
10 |
|
Applicants who do not currently have a work permit or a plan to work in Canada before getting the permanent resident visa but an employer has made an offer of permanent employment based on you being accepted as a skilled worker & employer must have a positive LMIA from ESDC |
10 |
|
Applicants who are currently working in a Canadian job that is exempt from the LMIA, but not under the international agreements, for instance NAFTA, but an employer has made an offer of permanent employment based on you being accepted as a skilled worker & employer must have a positive LMIA from ESDC |
10 |
|
ADAPTABILITY |
Max. 10 |
|
Applicant has a minimum of one year skilled Work experience in Canada |
10 |
|
Applicant has previously studied within Canada |
5 |
|
Spouse has previously studied within Canada |
5 |
|
Spouse has previously worked in Canada |
5 |
|
Family relation over the age of 18 in Canada |
5 |
|
Arranged employment |
5 |
|
Spouse is proficient in an official language (English or French) |
5 |
|
TOTAL |
100 points |
The National Occupational Classification is a system created and used by the Canadian government to classify jobs and occupations. These jobs are specifically grouped based on the type of work done and the types of job duties that apply. The main groups within the NOC are:
Skill Type 0 (zero) – Management Jobs
For instance: Restaurant managers, mine managers, shore captains (fishing)
Skill Level A – Professional Jobs
In most cases, people would need a degree from a university for these types of jobs.
For instance: Doctors, dentists, architects
Skill Level B – Technical Jobs & Skilled Trades
In most cases, people would need a college diploma or to train as an apprentice to do these types of jobs.
For instance: Chefs, electricians, plumbers
Skill Level C – Intermediate Jobs
In most cases, people would need a high school diploma and/or job-specific training.
For instance: Long-haul truck drivers, butchers, food and beverage servers
Skill Level D – Labour Jobs
In most cases, on-the-job training is given for these types of jobs.
For instance: Cleaning staff, oil field workers, fruit pickers
If you’d like to see the entire list of eligible occupations, you may go on cic.gc.ca and find your NOC. There will be a detailed list of several more occupations if you cannot find your occupation or skill within this list of 100 examples.
It is essential that you have taken all of the aforementioned requirements and documentation into consideration before you attempt to apply under a Federal Skilled Worker program. Remember, the more points you have, the higher the chance of permanent residency! Applications for permanent residency under the Federal Skilled Worker program are difficult applications to pursue on your own and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit the application. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain permanent residency in Canada. If you believe that you may be eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker program, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!