Established in 1967, the Federal Skilled Worker Program continues to be an immensely popular immigration pathway to Canada for aspiring immigrants. Although a hundred immigration programs are available, the Federal Skilled Worker Program doesn’t lose its significance among people.
All about the Federal Skilled Worker Program
The FSWP was an attempt to provide permanent residency status to skilled workers. Being the first program to work on a point system, it was primarily based on evaluating candidates on the scores they received. With the success of this program, other countries Australia and New Zealand also incorporated the same method for immigration purposes.
Setting the eligibility for FSWP
The Federal Skilled Worker Program consists of multiple steps but before that, it is mandatory for candidates to meet the eligibility requirements given below:
- A continuous one year’s work experience as a skilled worker.
- It is important to display an educational credential.
- If required, you must be able to prove that you have funds available.
- Your minimum score level should be 7 as per the Canadian Language Benchmark.
- The scoring grid under FSWP dictates you to get a minimum score of 67 out of 100.
Work experience eligibility for FSWP
You should meet the following work experience requirements:
- You need to gain a minimum of 1 year’s work experience as a skilled worker under the NOC system.
- The NOC system comprises three job categories including Job level O (Managerial), Job level A (job type requiring a university degree), and Job level B (profession related to skilled trades).
What exactly is NOC?
There are specific skills and education requirements associated with every career or job type therefore, Canada uses the National Occupation Classification (NOC) to assess whether the candidate is a perfect fit for the specific occupation or job type.
The educational requirement for FSWP
You must have a minimum educational level degree at the Secondary school from overseas or within Canada. In case of completing your degree from overseas, you must present an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) depicting that your education equals the standard education of certification, diploma, or, degree in Canada.
The language requirement for FSWP
Canada’s official languages include French and English so, you must prove your language proficiency in these two languages. You will need to score a minimum of 7 as per the CLB, Canadian Language Benchmark in four main aspects Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.
Evidence of funds under FSWP
If a candidate is observed to currently work in Canada or if he possesses a genuine valid job offer, he will not need to present any funding proofs. On the other hand, if he lacks the above conditions, he will need to prove that he is financially stable and secure to provide for himself and his family’s requirements during his stay in Canada.
Funding proof can include an official letter from the bank or letters from those institutions where you have secured your money.
The letters must display details such as bank account numbers, statements of average balance in the recent six months, and loans or debt to be paid.
The amount required for the funds will vary depending on the number of people or family members interested in immigration with the main applicant.
| Number of family members | Funds required in CAD |
| 1 | $13,310 |
| 2 | $16,570 |
| 3 | $20,371 |
| 4 | $24,733 |
| 5 | $28,052 |
| 6 | $31,638 |
| 7 | $35,224 |
| Each additional family member | $3,586 |
Point grid system under FSWP
Failing to receive a minimum score of 67 out of 100 will prevent the candidate from moving forward with his or her application.
Given below are the details of the factors and the number of points associated with them to qualify under the point grid system of FSWP:
- The educational factor will need up to 25 points.
- The language skills factor will need up to 28 points.
- The work experience factor will need up to 15 points.
- The age factor will need up to 12 points.
- The arranged employment factor will need up to 10 points.
- The adaptability factor will need up to 10 points.
The process after qualifying the eligibility criteria under FSWP
The Express Entry system operates with its three streams under the economic immigration program including the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades program apart from the FSWP- Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Once you qualify the eligibility criteria, you should start by creating a profile on IRCCs official website. It functions on a CRS-based system so it evaluates your potential based on factors such as work experience, educational degrees, language skills, and valid work experience.
The Express Entry pool consists of other candidates’ scores against which your scores are evaluated. Those receiving the highest marks are essentially sent an invitation to apply (ITA) for becoming permanent residents.
After receiving the ITA, you will have a limited time of 60 days to submit your complete application for permanent residency to IRCC. These ITA’s are received every two weeks by the candidates.
FSWP applications are closer to resuming in the initial part of July 2022
In 2021, Canada had based its priority on the in-Canada applications to meet its goal of 400,000 individuals with permanent residency. As a result, Canada paused the process of FSWP for some time.
But IRCC recently announced that the early part of July will witness invitations under the three streams of the Express Entry System. Not only this, Mr. Fraser, the immigration Minister, plans to get these applications processed within 6 months.
It is estimated that Canada will witness over 110,000 immigrants in the country through the Express Entry and its popularity will increase drastically in the upcoming years.
