The federal skilled worker category was created to attract skilled immigrants to Canada who can quickly make a significant and valuable contribution to the Canadian economy based on their language abilities, education, work experience, age and other factors.
Canada plans to admit between 55,000 and 57,000 Federal Skilled Workers in 2012.
To be eligible under the Skilled Worker category, you must meet the requirements of one of the following streams:
- Have at least one year of continuous full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid work experience in the last ten years in at least one of the following 29 eligible occupations:
0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture) 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists 2151 Architects 3111 Specialist Physicians 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians 3113 Dentists 3131 Pharmacists 3142 Physiotherapists 3152 Registered Nurses 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists 3222 Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses 4151 Psychologists 4152 Social Workers 6241 Chefs 6242 Cooks 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System) 7242 Industrial Electricians 7251 Plumbers 7265 Welders and Related Machine Operators 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics 7371 Crane Operators 7372 Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service - Have an offer of Arranged Employment from a Canadian employer; or
- Be an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months (subject to certain conditions).
In addition to meeting one of the above requirements, you will also be assessed against a selection grid in which points are awarded based on different assessment factors. You will need to score minimum 67/100 points to be eligible to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker class.
The following is the Federal Skilled Worker selection grid:
| Selection Criteria | Maximum Points |
|---|---|
| Education | 25 |
| Official languages (English and/or French) | 24 |
| Employment experience | 21 |
| Age | 10 |
| Arranged employment in Canada | 10 |
| Adaptability | 10 |
| TOTAL | 100 |
Substituted evaluation
If you do not meet the minimum 67 points requirement, but the officer reviewing your application nonetheless believes that you will still be able to become economically established in Canada, then the officer has the authority to approve your application. This is called substituted evaluation. Substituted evaluation is to be considered on a case-by-case basis. The officer may also decide that even though you meet the 67 minimum point requirement, he does not feel that you will be able to economically establish yourself in Canada, and refuse your application. This is one of the reasons why it is always important to prepare the best application possible with all the necessary documents showing the strong likelihood that you have the ability to become economically established in Canada and make a valuable contribution to the economy.
Please note that this category is not available for anyone looking to settle in the province of Quebec. If you are looking to live in the province of Quebec, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Quebec-selected skilled worker category.
Please note that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has placed a temporary hold on accepting new applications under this program.