Professional & Skilled Worker
Federal Skilled Worker Program – Your pathway to Canada
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of the three programs managed by the Canadian Express Entry system, aimed at handling immigration applications. Foreign workers who do not have ties to Canada can apply for permanent residency (PR) through the FSWP program.
Federal Skilled Worker Program – What is it?
Express Entry is the system used to rank applicants for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Unlike candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Workers do not require a Canadian work history to enter the Express Entry pool. Instead, factors such as work experience, language ability, and educational qualifications are assessed to determine if a candidate meets the minimum points requirement. Candidates with competitive Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores are then invited to apply for permanent residency.
Eligibility of FSWP
To be eligible to apply for the FSWP, a candidate must satisfy a number of basic requirements, including years of experience of work, language competence, level of education, and age, in either French or English. The following criteria apply:
Work Experience
- You must have worked at least 12 months straight at a skilled job within the last ten years.
- Skill Level 0, A, or B experience is regarded as skilled job experience.
Language Proficiency
- On an approved French or English language test, achieve a minimum level 7 CLB.
Education
- An equivalent foreign diploma or Canadian high school diploma is required.
Financial Support
- Assuring that they have enough funds to support themselves, their spouse, and any children they may have upon arrival in Canada.
Residence in Canada
- Residents of Quebec must prepare to relocate outside the region.
To qualify, a candidate must also score 67 points on the FSW eligibility points chart out of a possible 100.
Candidates who meet these requirements can use Express Entry to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker program. It’s crucial to keep in mind that applicants must meet Canada’s basic entrance standards. If a person has certain criminal convictions or health issues, they may not be allowed to enter Canada.
Ways to apply for FSW program
In order to apply for Express Entry, interested parties must submit a profile to IRCC. Applications for Canadian PR – (permanent residency) through Express Entry are not guaranteed. A applicant will only obtain an Express Entry score after submitting an Express Entry profile, at which point they will be entered into the subsequent Express Entry draws for ITAs.
Candidates for FSW must include the following documents in their Express Entry profiles:
ECA – (Educational Credentials Assessment)
Candidates for FSW are required to produce a legitimate ECA report attesting to the value of their overseas education in regard to Canadian norms. ECA reports can be published by five organizations in Canada. A Canadian educational institution’s qualifications are exempt from this requirement.
Test result of language proficiency
For anyone wishing to apply to the Express Entry programs, a legitimate language exam taken within the last two years must have shown satisfactory results. As valid English proficiency tests, the IELTS and CELPIP are recognized. French proficiency exams such as the TEF – (Test of Evaluation of French) and Test of Knowledge of French for Canada are recognized.
Identification Documents
It is the candidates’ responsibility to provide information from their identification documents. In the ideal scenario, all family members accompanying the candidate should have valid passports.
A candidate can move on to the second step of the application procedure by submitting an ITA for Canadian permanent residency. During this second stage, applicants will have 60 days to create and submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence. In order to process this application, additional documentation is required.
FSWs with a CRS score of 413 points had the lowest chance of earning an ITA since Express Entry began in 2015. A candidate should actively look for ways to raise their CRS score if their score falls below the minimum.
Processing time for an FSW application
Candidate pool members will be able to access the FSW – (Federal Skilled Worker) Express Entry profile for one year.
You have 60 days to submit an entire application and all necessary supporting materials if you receive an ITA while you are still a candidate in the pool.
It normally takes six months to process an Express Entry application from the time Canadian authorities receive it until a permanent residency visa is granted.
You may also need to consider the following factors when processing your request:
- Whether your application is complex or complete
- Confirmation of the information you provided in your application is easy for the officer
- A family member can be added to your application
Is it necessary to submit my language test results for the FSW program?
Candidates must pass a recognized language exam in order to be taken into consideration for the Federal Skilled Worker program. For each language category to qualify for the FSWP, a CLB 7 must be obtained.
Qualified occupation under FSWP
For applicants to be considered for the Federal Skilled Worker program, they must pass an approved language exam. A CLB 7 or better must be obtained in each language exam category in order to obtain Federal Skilled Workers status.
- Financial managers
- Purchasing managers
- Legislators
- Government officials and managers
- Managers of other administrative services
- Health, education, community, and membership services leaders
- Human resources managers
- Managers of business operations, communications, and finance
- Management of trade, broadcasting, and other services, etc.
Comparison between Express and FSWP
It is operated through the Express Entry system as the FSWP – (Federal Skilled Worker Program). Express Entry groups FSWP applications together with the applications for the other two main economic immigration programs.
Points for Federal Skilled Workers: how to calculate them?
FSW points grid score of 67 is the minimum requirement for submitting a program under the FSWP. The grids below can be used to determine the score you receive for Federal Skilled Worker.
Candidates must receive at least 67 points in order to be eligible for migration. Following are the points awarded: Education earns 25 points, language proficiency earns 28 points, work experience earns 15 points, age earns 12 points, adaptability earns 10 points, and arranged employment earns 10 points.
Difference between FSWP points and CRS score
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) profiles require a minimum score of 67 eligibility points. As a result of submission of an Express Entry profile, CRS assigns applicants a score when they are ranked among the pool of applicants. FSW applicants must achieve a required FSW score in order to qualify for Express Entry, but all other applicants receive a CRS score.
Internationa work experience – What is it?
To be eligible to submit an Express Entry profile, Federal Skilled Workers must have at least one year of full-time overseas work experience prior to submitting their application. An individual with foreign work experience in the past ten years has worked for a pa job outside of Canada.
In order to qualify, the job experience must fall within a skill category A, B, or 0 of the NOC. Identifying your skill category requires that you locate your NOC code first.
What are the rules for calculating CRS score for oversees work experience?
Candidates are assessed on their ability to transfer skills from one country to another, including their experience working abroad:
- Canadian work experience
- Language proficiency
With three or more years of international job experience, you can score the most points for these factors. Below are the tables that show how overseas work experience is deducted from CRS points.
