Skilled Workers are selected as permanent residents based on their ability to become economically established in Canada.  If you are interested in applying for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, an applicant must first complete an online Express Entry profile and meet the criteria to enter the pool of candidates. If a Canadian employer is interested in hiring a new worker from abroad, the employer must also apply through Express Entry.

The Express Entry System is used to manage the following programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Canadian Experience Class
• a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program

Basic eligibility – To qualify for the Federal Skilled Workers Program, candidates must:

• have one year of continuous full time (or an equal amount of continuous part-time) qualifying skilled work experience in the last ten years
• have a valid offer of arranged employment or alternatively, an international student who is enrolled in an PhD program in Canada (or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months)
• Achieve the Canadian minimum language threshold on an official language test
• Have a Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report indicating their foreign education is equivalent to a Canadian one
• obtain a pass mark of 67 out of 100 on the selection grid.

When IRCC assess an application of FSWP, a grid of 100 points is used to assess how well an applicant can adapt to Canada’s labour market. The six selection factors are as follows:

• English and/or French skills
• Education
• Work experience
• Age
• Arranged employment, and
• Adaptability

Federal Skilled Trades Class

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for individuals who are interested in becoming a permanent resident based on qualifications in a skilled trade. The Federal Skilled Trades Program is designed to facilitate the entry of overseas skilled trades-persons into the Canadian workforce.

In order to be eligible to apply as a Skilled Trades Worker, applicants will need to:

1. have an offer of employment in Canada or a certificate of qualification from a province or territory to ensure that the applicant is “job ready” upon arrival;
2. meet a basic language requirement;
3. have a minimum of two years of full time (or an equal amount of part-time) work experience as a skilled tradesperson within the five years before you apply
4. have the skills and experience that match those set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC B) system, showing that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation

Federal Skilled Trades Program applications are managed under the Express Entry System. Applicants expressing an interest to immigrate to Canada must complete an online Express Entry profile.  Potential applicants deemed to have met the eligibility criteria are then entered into a pool with other eligible candidates. If chosen by IRCC, the candidate will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and will have to submit their full application within 90 days.