The FSWP (Federal Skilled worker program) is launched in Canada in the year 1967. It is the process of selecting migrants from all around the world. Before the launching of this program, Canada individually selected skilled labor migrants at the discretion of individual immigration officers, who decided whether they felt a candidate could integrate into the Canadian job market.
The FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) was the most common pathway to come to Canada for Skilled workers. This program was temporally stopped from December 2020 due to the pandemic; the Express Entry invitation will start again from the month of July for FSWP candidates.
The FSWP is the most successful and attractive pathway to migrate to Canada, as candidates become eligible without any work experience and a job offer.
To invite the highest-scoring candidates to immigrate to Canada, the IRCC conduct Express Entry draws every two weeks of the month.
The step-by-step guide is given below to apply for the Canadian migration through FSWP:
Step: 1 Fulfill the eligibility criteria of FSWP
To become eligible to apply under the FSWP, candidates should be required to fulfill the minimum requirement for work that is based on education and language ability, and also you must have a score of more than 67 under the program point grid 100.
Minimum requirements are given below:
- Under the NOC (National Occupation Classification) skill levels O, A, or B, candidates must have full-time work experience in the past 10 years.
- Candidate must have a valid language ability to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in French or English including (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).
- The candidate should have the educational credential of Canada such as a diploma, certificate, degree, foreign credential, or ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) report.
Grid of FSWP
| Factors | Points |
| In Education | Up to 25 |
| In Adaptability | Up to 10 |
| In Language Skills | Up to 28 |
| In Work Experience | Up to 15 |
| In Arranged employment | Up to 10 |
| In Age | Up to 12 |
If you are eligible for FSWP then you can enter the express entry pool.
Step: 2 Make your Express Entry profile on the website of IRCC
For creating an account on IRCC go to the government website of Canada and follow the given instructions to make a secure account. You can create a profile in Express Entry by using an online tool. If you have any personal reference code then enter it and fill in your details.
Within 60 days you have to complete and submit your Express Entry profile, if you don’t submit it under 60 days then you will have to start again from the beginning.
After submitting your profile in Express Entry, IRCC will find out which program you are eligible for.
Your profile will be sent to the Express Entry pool by IRCC if your profile is found eligible for the FSWP. You will get marks that are based on factors such as education, work experience, official language ability, and age.
Step: 3 Check If you receive an ITA
If you complete your online Express Entry profile that does not mean that you are eligible to get ITA (Invitation to Apply) for permanent residence.
When you are in the Express Entry pool you have to get ready for ITA which is sent by IRCC. Once you obtain an ITA from IRCC, you have to submit your complete application within 60 days.
Step: 4 Apply for migration after receiving the ITA
Once you obtain an ITA, you will receive a message from IRCC telling you under which program you have been invited and what you have to do next. Candidates are automatically invited by the system to apply for one of the following Express Entry managed programs: FSTP (Federal Skilled Trades Programs), CEC (Canadian Experience Class), and PNP (Provincial Nominee Program).
You will have to give proof to IRCC of the information you filled in at the time of making your profile on Express Entry. If your information is found to be false or any important details are left out, they reject your application or find you unacceptable.
It is recommended by IRCC that you should check the criteria for the program that you are invited to make sure that you are still eligible for the FSWP.
IRCC will take out your profile from the Express Entry pool if you don’t respond to the ITA within 60 days. You will need to make a new Express Entry profile to be considered for future draws.
Another pathway to Immigrate to Canada
Another important immigration program is the PNP. Canada aims to immigrate more than 80,000 PNP Candidates every year under the Immigration Level Plan of 2022-2024.
Additionally, the draws of Express Entry are still conducted by IRCC every two weeks for PNP Candidates. If your profile is already in the Express Entry pool, then you are eligible to apply for a nomination of provincial.
Conclusion
Since 1967 FSWP a major method that attracts immigrants to Canada. Even though due to the pandemic FSWP has been disrupted, as per the surveys of the World Education Services show that Canada still has a strong interest in migration.
The borders of Canada have been reopened and the Express Entry backlog has been reduced by IRCC. It means that FSWP will again become an attractive pathway for more skilled migrants who wants to move to Canada.
