Federal Skilled Worker Program

If you’re a skilled worker and want to immigrate to Canada permanently, you can do so under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. This Canada’s flagship worker’s program allows the country to receive foreigners annually to become part of its workforce.

What Is The Federal Skilled Worker Program?

The Federal Skilled Worker program is among the three of Canada’s Express Entry System programs responsible for immigration application processing. FSWP uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank Federal Skilled Workers who have no connection to Canada and wish to immigrate to the country. Top-ranked candidates receive an invitation to apply for permanent settlement in Canada.

Moreover, Canadian work experience isn’t a requirement to fit in the Express Entry pool. Instead, there are minimum points you must meet based on your work experience, education, and language ability, among other factors. The maximum number of points you can get is 100.

Who Is Eligible For The Federal Skilled Worker Program Application?

As a candidate, you must meet the minimum requirements to qualify for FSWP. Hence, you must obtain 67 points and above out of 100 to qualify for the program. Below is an explanation of how eligibility factors influence your score.

Language Ability

Your language proficiency earns you the highest number of points in the entry system, which is 28. Therefore, you must be conversant in English, French, or both to apply for Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker visa.

Also, you must prove your language skills by taking an approved language test.  The test examines your ability to read, write, speak, and listen to one or both languages.

The immigration office uses the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) and Niveaux de compétence Linguistique Canadiens to measure your English and French, respectively.

The Express Entry System tests all four language areas and awards you  NCLC 7 or CLB 7 as the minimum level for the first official language. If you have a second language, the minimum level you must get is NCLC 5 or CLB 5.

Here is the language test points distribution.

First Official language (24 points)

• CLB 9 and above: 6 points
• CLB 8: 5 points
• CLB 7: 4 points
• Below CLB 7: N/A

Second official language (4 points)

• CLB 5 and above: 4 points
• CLB 4 and below: N/A

It’s worth noting that points are equal for all the language areas for the first official language. For instance, if you get CLB 8, you obtain 5 points in each of the four areas. Meaning you earn 20 points in that category. Also, your language test must be valid on the application day, and the validity expires after two years.

Education

You must have minimum education equivalent to a Canadian certificate, diploma, or degree from a secondary or post-secondary institution. Additionally, you must prove your education meets Canadian standards. You do so by obtaining a Canadian Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a recognized organization.

The education factor earns you a maximum of 25 points. Here is the breakdown.

• University degree or equivalent to Ph.D.: 25 points
• Holding a Masters Degree: 23 points
• Holding a Double-Bachelor Degree: 22 points
• Bachelor’s Degree: 21 points
• 3 Years Diploma Course after Higher Secondary: 19 points
• 3 Years Diploma Course after High School: 15 points
• High School: 5 points