Federal Skilled Worker Program
The federal skilled worker class is 1 of the 3 federal programs managed through the express entry system. Skilled workers may apply for permanent residence in Canada on the basis of their ability to become economically established in Canada.
What is the Federal Skilled Worker Program?
The FSW program is available to applicants who have obtained work experience from outside of Canada. Under the Federal Skilled Worker class, you will receive points under the CRS criteria, as well as under the six Selection Factors.
To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Class:
Have 67 points under the six Selection Factors
Have at least one year of continuous, full-time or equal amount part-time and paid, skilled work experience within the last ten years.
The one year of work experience must be in the same NOC code, either TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 job categories.
Full-time is considered 30 hours per week. Any hours worked over 30 in one week are not counted towards meeting your 1,560 hours.
You must have a language ability of CLB 7, as evidenced by an approved language test (IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, TCF)
You must have completed education that is equal to Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary school as evidenced by an approved Education Credential Assessment (“ECA”) Report from an approved agency
You must show you have enough money for you (and your family) to settle in Canada unless you have a valid job offer and are legally able to work in Canada.
You must be admissible to Canada.
You must plan to live outside of the province of Quebec. Applicants who are in Quebec or work in Quebec can still apply through express entry but must prove their intention to reside outside of the province once approved
Six Selection Factors
The Selection Factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess your eligibility. They do not have any impact on your CRS score and is strictly an eligibility criterion. You must score 67 points under the selection factors to pass. If you do not score 67 points at a minimum, you will not be eligible to submit your profile to the pool of candidates.
Proof of Funds
One of the main differences between Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades programs is the requirement to show funds. In most cases, you will need to show that you have enough money to support your family. The amount you will need to show will depend on the size of your household.
To determine your household size, you must include the following:
Yourself
Your spouse or common-law partner
Your dependent children
Your spouse or partner’s dependent children
Even if your spouse, partner, or dependent children are non-accompanying or are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, you must still include them in your calculation.
If you have been invited to apply under Canadian Experience Class or have arranged employment and are authorized to work in Canada, you are exempt from the fund’s requirement.
In Canada and need to extend your status too?
If you are already in Canada and your work permit is expiring, you can apply to extend your worker status through the Bridging Open Work Permit category for economic class applicants. In order to be eligible, you must have an application for permanent residence in place through the federal skilled worker program, Canadian experience class, federal skilled trades program or the Provincial Nominee Class (for applicants with no employer restrictions).
Common Grounds for Refusals
1. Misrepresentation
In some cases, misrepresentation occurs from an applicant misreading or misunderstanding a question on the form. In other cases, applicants purposely omit information. The consequences of misrepresentation are severe and not only lead to a refused application, but an applicant may be banned from reapplying for five years. Have you received a procedural fairness letter for misrepresentation? We can help contact us.
2. Missing Documents
There are many documents you need to upload in order to submit a complete permanent residence application. Often times applicant’s miss mandatory documents such as police clearances, translations with a foreign-language document, ECA report or a bank letter proving funds. While missing documents won’t lead to a refusal, it can lead to an incomplete application, loss of an ITA and express entry profile.
3. Police Clearance
While missing a police clearance for a country can happen all together, other police clearance errors include not uploading a colour scan of the document, expired clearances or the wrong type of clearance. For example, if you lived in Australia, you are required to upload the Traffic History if you were a resident of Queensland or the Full Licenses History Search if you were a resident of Victoria.
4. Wrong NOC Code
Your work experience, whether Canadian or foreign, is one of the fundamental eligibility criteria of the economic classes. Selecting the right NOC code can be the difference between receiving your permanent residence or receiving a refusal. While the title can be different, your Employment Reference Letter must be similar to the lead statement and duties listed in the NOC
Received an ITA under the Federal Skilled Worker Class?
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