Eligibility to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker (Express Entry)

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for skilled workers who have work experience and want to become permanent residents.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of the pathways through which individuals can immigrate to Canada. To qualify for immigration through the FSWP, candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Here are the key requirements:

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must meet all the minimum requirements for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education

If you meet all the minimum requirements, we’ll assess your application based on additional selection factors.

Skilled work experience

Candidates must have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent part-time paid work experience in a skilled occupation within the last ten years. The work experience must be classified under Skill Type 0 (Managerial Occupations), Skill Level A (Professional Occupations), or Skill Level B (Technical Occupations and Skilled Trades) of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER categories:

• TEER 0
• TEER 1
• TEER 2
• TEER 3

You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Your skilled work experience must

• be in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
• have been obtained within the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad
• be paid work (you must have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
• be at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)
  • You can meet this in a few different ways:
    • full time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
    • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
      • You can work as many part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement.
    • full time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part-time work experience

Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. We don’t count volunteer work or unpaid internships.

For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply.

We don’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week.

Student work experience

Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:

• was paid by wages or commissions
• was continuous (no gaps in employment), and
• meets all the other requirements of the Program

Language ability

Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in English or French by taking a designated language test recognized by IRCC. They must meet the minimum language threshold set by IRCC for each of the four language abilities: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

• take approved language tests in English or French for
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• meet the minimum score required in all 4 abilities
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Education

Candidates must have completed at least a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary credential, or an educational credential equivalent to a Canadian credential obtained outside Canada. Educational credentials obtained outside Canada must be assessed by a designated organization to determine their equivalency to Canadian education standards.

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian

• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have

• a completed educational credential and
• an Educational Credential Assessmentfor immigration purposes that
  • is from a designated organization and
  • shows your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution

Selection factors

Candidates must score sufficient points under the CRS to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence during a round of Express Entry draws. Points are awarded based on factors such as age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and adaptability.

If you meet all the minimum requirements, we’ll assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program based on:

• age
• education
• work experience
• whether you have a valid job offer
• English or French language skills
• adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle here)

Based on how well you do in each of the 6 factors, we’ll assign you an overall score out of 100.

The current pass mark is 67 points.

Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry): Six selection factors

We use selection factor points to help assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

These points are different from the points we use to rank your profile in the Express Entry pool.

We’ll assess your selection factors and assign an overall score out of 100.

If you score 67 points or higher, you may qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. You can then submit a profile to the Express Entry pool.

If you score lower than 67 points, you won’t qualify for the program. You may be able to get a higher score by doing things like:

• improving your language skills
• completing another degree, diploma, or certificate
• receiving an offer of arranged employment in Canada

Language skills (maximum 28 points)

It’s very important to be able to communicate in 1 or both of Canada’s official languages. Knowing English, French or both helps you in the Canadian job market.

You can get up to 28 points for your language skills in English and French. We’ll give you points based on your ability to:

• write
• read
• listen
• speak

Language testing

You must take an approved language test to prove your language levels.

To measure your English or French levels, we use:

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French

You must get a minimum level of CLB 7 or NCLC 7 for 1 official language in all 4 language areas. To get points for the second official language, you must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in all 4 language areas.

Once you take the language test, you can use it to see exactly how many points we’ll give you for the language selection factor.

Find out more about language testing and how to get tested.

Calculate your language points

First official language (maximum 24 points)

Check the table below and add the points that match your skill level:

First official language	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing
CLB level 9 or higher	6	6	6	6
CLB level 8	5	5	5	5
CLB level 7	4	4	4	4
Below CLB level 7	Not eligible to apply	Not eligible to apply	Not eligible to apply	Not eligible to apply

Second official language (maximum 4 points)

You can get 4 points only if you have a score of at least CLB 5 in each of the 4 language abilities.

Second official language	Points
At least CLB 5 in all of the 4 abilities	4
CLB 4 or less in any of the 4 abilities	0

Education (maximum 25 points)

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have:

• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

You must include your Canadian credential or your foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment report when you apply.

• How to read your report and calculate your points for education

Work experience (maximum 15 points)

You can get points for the number of years you’ve spent doing full-time paid work (at least 30 hours per week, or an equal amount of part-time [15 hours per week for 24 months]) in a skilled occupation listed in Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC).

To get selection factor points, your work experience will count if it was:

• in Canada or abroad
• while you were studying
• while being self-employed

Finding your National Occupational Classification

The NOC is a list of all the occupations in the Canadian labour market and is used to classify jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for different jobs.

You will need to identify the “NOC code” for each job that you want to include in your Express Entry profile. Find your NOC to find the information that best matches each of your past jobs.

If the description and list of main duties match what you did at your job(s), you can count this experience for points.

Use this chart to find the number of points based on your number of years of experience.

Experience	Maximum 15 points
1 year	9
2-3 years	11
4-5 years	13
6 or more years	15

Age (maximum 12 points)

You’ll get points based on your age on the day we get your application.

Age	Points
Under 18	0
18-35	12
36	11
37	10
38	9
39	8
40	7
41	6
42	5
43	4
44	3
45	2
46	1
47 and older	0

Arranged employment in Canada (maximum 10 points)

You can get points if you have a job offer of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer. You must get the job offer before you apply to come to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.

A valid job offer has to be:

• for continuous, paid, full-time work (minimum of 30 hours/week) that is:
  • not seasonal
  • for at least 1 year
• in an occupation listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC.

We must be convinced that:

• you’re able to do the job offered to you
• you’ll be able to become licensed or certified when in Canada (if the occupation is regulated in Canada)

To get 10 points for a valid job offer, 1 of these situations must also apply.

Situation 1

You currently work in Canada on a work permit and you meet all of the following conditions:

• Your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or you’re allowed to work in Canada without a work permit when your visa is issued).
• We issued your work permit based on a positive labour market impact assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada in an occupation listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC.
• You’re working for an employer named on your work permit.
• That employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker.

Situation 2

You currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement because of 1 of the following:

• an international agreement (such as, the North American Free Trade Agreement) or
• significant benefit to Canadian interests or
• a federal-provincial agreement

You must also meet all of the following conditions:

• Your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or you’re allowed to work in Canada without a permit when your permanent resident visa is issued).
• Your current employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker.
• You are currently working for the employer specified on your work permit.
• You have been working for that employer for at least 1 year, continuous full-time or part-time equivalent.

Situation 3

You must meet all of the following conditions:

• You currently don’t have a work permit, or don’t plan to work in Canada before you get a permanent resident visa.
• An employer has a LMIA.
• That employer has made you a valid job offer based on that LMIA and on you being accepted as a skilled worker.

Situation 4

You must meet all of the following conditions:

• You have a valid work permit or are allowed to work in Canada without a work permit.
• You’re currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from a LMIA, but it is not under an international, federal-provincial agreement or because of significant benefit to Canadian interests.
• An employer other than the one you are currently working for:
  • has a LMIA
  • has made you a valid job offer based on that LMIA and on you being accepted as a skilled worker.

LMIAs and valid job offers

• You can’t get a LMIA (your employer must do this for you).
• Employment and Social Development Canada will only confirm valid job offers for occupations listed in TEER  category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC.

Adaptability (maximum 10 points)

You and your spouse or common-law partner who will immigrate with you to Canada can earn points for adaptability.

You and your spouse can earn a maximum of 10 points by combining any of the elements below. These elements assess how well you and your spouse are likely to settle in Canada.

Adaptability	Maximum 10 points
Your spouse or partner’s language levelYour spouse or common-law partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB 4 level or higher in all 4 language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing).To get these points, you must submit your spouse or common-law partner’s test results from an approved agency when you apply. The language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.	5
Your past studies in CanadaYou completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada.Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week. You must have stayed in good academic standing (as set out by the school) during that time.	5
Your spouse or partner’s past studies in CanadaYour spouse or common-law partner completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada.Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week, and your spouse or partner must have stayed in good academic standing (as set out by the school) during that time.	5
Your past work in CanadaYou did at least 1 year of full-time work in Canada:In a job listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOCAnd, with a valid work permit, or while authorized to work in Canada	10
Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in CanadaYour spouse or partner did at least 1 year of full-time work in Canada on a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada.	5
Arranged employment in CanadaYou earned points for having arranged employment.	5
Relatives in Canada You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative who is: living in Canada 18 years or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident This relative must be a: parent grandparent child grandchild your or your spouse’s sibling (child of your or your spouse’s parent) your or your spouse’s aunt or uncle (by blood or marriage) your or your spouse’s niece or nephew (grandchild of your or your spouse’s parent)

Ready to Begin Your Express Entry Journey?

At WestSquare Immigration, we specialize in guiding skilled immigrants through the complexities of the Express Entry system. Contact us today to embark on your path to Canadian permanent residency with confidence and clarity.

“Unlock your potential and pave the way to a brighter future in Canada through the Express Entry system today!“

Article Source : https://www.canada.ca/