Federal Skilled Workers Canada

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:

  1. 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
  2. Have an offer of Arranged Employment from a Canadian employer; or
  3. 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 CriteriaMaximum 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. 

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