Immigrate to Canada
Immigrate to Canada

Immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker becomes an overwhelming journey when one does not know the process. Here’s a guide to help you analyze the country’s main economic immigration programs.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) classify immigration into three categories: Economic-Class, Family Class, and Refugees. So far, the most popular pathway is economic class immigration which is managed by the Express Entry system.

One of the three Canadian immigration programs under the Express Entry stream is Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Unlike the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program, FSWP is the common pathway for applicants who haven’t worked in Canada earlier. Thus, the program selects people because of their relevant work experience and skills.

FSWP candidates must meet a minimum points requirement based on certain factors such as work experience, language ability, and education. Once in the express entry pool, applicants with the highest CRS scores will receive invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence (PR)

Eligibility for FSWP

To stand eligible for FSWP, the candidate requires:

Eligible work experience
At least 1 year of full-time or an equal part-time or skilled work experience within the last 10 years. Skilled work experience falls under NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B.

Language Abilities
Must meet minimum language levels in English or French Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7.

Education
Must have at least one educational credential

Proof of Funds
Must be able to prove (if you do not have a valid Canadian job offer) that you can financially support yourself and your dependents post immigration

Residence in Canada

Must intend to live outside of the province of Quebec.
Under the FSW Point System, you need at least 67 points out of 100 to be eligible to apply as an FSW candidate.

How do I apply as a Federal Skilled Worker?

  • The potential candidates can submit their profiles along with the documents to IRCC. The following documents are: Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA); Language Proficiency Test Results; Identification Documents
  • Each profile will be assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score.
  • The candidates in the future will participate in Express Entry draws and get Invitations to Apply (ITA) for PR.
  • The candidate with an ITA will move to the second step of the application process.
  • At this stage, the applicant will get 60 days to prepare and submit an application for PR.

FSW Application Processing Times

The profile for FSW candidates will stay valid for a period of 12 months in the pool. However, the average processing time for Express Entry applications is 6 months.