Federal Skilled Worker Program

Minimum requirements

Skilled work experience

Your work experience must be:

• at least one year (1,560 hours total / 30 hours per week), continuous full-time or an equal amount in part-time,

• paid work (volunteer work, unpaid internships do not count),

• in the same job,

• within the last 10 years, and

• at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 National Occupational Classification(NOC).

Full Time

30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part time

15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
OR
30 hours/week for 12 months at more than one job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

You must show that you did the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC, including all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

If you cannot show that your work experience meets the description in the NOC, you are not eligible under this program.

Find out the NOC code, title and skill type or level for your job.

Language ability

You must:

• meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7, and

• take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that shows you meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

You must show that you meet the requirements in English or French by including the test results when you complete your Express Entry profile. Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Education

You must have:

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

  OR

• a completed foreign credential, and

• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an  approved by CIC. [The report must show your foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree.]

Six selection factors

If you meet all the conditions set out in the minimum requirements, we will assess your application based on the selection factors in the federal skilled worker points grid. Federal Skilled Worker applicants must obtain at least 67 points based on Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC) immigration selection factors.

The selection factors are:

• your skills in English and/or French (Canada’s two official languages),

• your education,

• your work experience,

• your age,

• whether you have a valid job offer, and

• your adaptability (how well you are likely to settle here).

To see how many points you might get, read about the selection factors.

If you have skilled work experience and want to live in Canada permanently, use our Come to Canada tool to see if you are eligible for the Express Entry pool.

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada, unless you:

• are currently able to legally work in Canada, and

• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.

Principal applicant

If you are married or live with a common-law foreign national partner in Canada, and that person also meets the above conditions, you can decide which one of you will apply under Express Entry as a principal applicant.

A common-law partner is a person who has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. Common-law partner refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

Look at each selection factor and see which one of you is most likely to meet the eligibility requirements and earn the most points. That person should apply as the principal applicant.

Other requirements

1. You must be admissible to Canada. Find out more about inadmissibility.

2. You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec.

If you have skilled work experience and want to live in Canada permanently, use our Come to Canada tool to see if you are eligible for the Express Entry pool.

Once it has been determined that a candidate meets the eligibility and points requirements, he or she must show that he or she has sufficient settlement funds to support him or herself and any dependents after his or her arrival in Canada. Finally, candidates and their dependents must also undergo medical examinations and obtain security clearances as part of the Canadian immigration application process.

Note, the Canadian government recognizes that the points awarded under the skilled worker selection system do not always accurately reflect an applicant's chances of successfully establishing themselves in Canada. As a result, Citizenship and Immigration Canada Officers are authorized to use an alternate method of assessing an application. Under the concept of "substituted evaluation", a Visa Officer may make their own evaluation for the likelihood of the applicant becoming economically established in Canada. This method allows the Visa Officer to accept or refuse the applicant no matter how many points the applicant has achieved.