Immigrate to Canada in 2022 (eBook)

Chapter Six

Exactly How to Make a Federal Skilled Worker Visa Application

Step-by-Step Guide

For most of its history, Canada selected immigrants based on a host of subjective factors such as country of origin. But in 1967, things changed - the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) was launched, shifting the recruitment focus to factors like education, language skills, and work experience.

Since then, this program has continued to be a success - it has even been adopted by countries like New Zealand and Australia. And since it started being managed by the Express Entry application management system, things have gotten even better.

Benefits of the Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is responsible for most immigrants who come to Canada through the Express Entry system. What’s more? Research by the Canadian government shows that FSWP immigrants go on to be highly successful in their careers.

It also helps that through the FSWP you can gain permanent residence within a mere six months. This is a noticeably shorter processing time than that provided by other skilled worker programs.

Eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program

To be eligible for the FSWP, you will have to:

1. Have at least one year of work experience

   The work experience needs to be in an occupation categorized under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A, or B and has to be gained within the last 10 years. Moreover, it has to be continuous, full-time paid work (30 hours a week for 12 months - 1,560 hours in total) or an equivalent.

   For instance, if you work a part-time job, you need to find a way to hit the required 1,560 hours. This could either mean taking on several part-time jobs or sticking with one for longer than a year. If you want, you could even work at more than one job to meet this requirement. Any hours you work over 30 hours per week doesn’t count though.

   Unpaid internships and volunteer work don’t count either. As for work experience gained while studying, it only counts if it was paid, continuous, and meets the other requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Whatever kind of skilled work experience you have though, ensure it has the same NOC as the job you want to use as the primary occupation.

2. Be proficient in English or French

   To be eligible for the FSWP, you need to take an approved language test to prove that you are proficient in English or French to a level equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7. You need to achieve this score across all the tested abilities - reading, writing, listening and speaking. These test scores are usually valid for two years after they are released and have to still be valid when you apply for permanent residency.

3. Have an educational credential

   If you studied in Canada, you need a degree, diploma, or certificate from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary institution. But if you studied in a foreign country, you’ll need to have a completed credential and get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization.

   This is to show that your credential is equivalent to a certificate, diploma, and degree from a Canadian educational institution.

4. Have proof of settlement funds

   As part of your application for the FSWP, you have to prove that you have enough funds to comfortably settle yourself and your family in Canada. You can only be exempt from providing proof of funds if you have a job offer from a Canadian employer.

5. Be admissible to Canada

   For you to be eligible for the FSWP, you need to be admissible to Canada. This means you shouldn’t have a criminal record or at least be considered to be rehabilitated. As such, you will be subjected to a security background check.

6. Have at least 67 out of 100 points on the FSWP grid

   The FSWP grid assesses candidates based on age, education, language proficiency, adaptability, work experience, and arranged employment. We detail this in the next few pages, as well as the actual steps required to make the application.

FSWP application summary

1. Confirm that you meet the FSWP’s eligibility criteria
2. Go to the IRCC website and create an Express Entry profile. Once you fill it, you will get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on work experience, age, education, and language skills
3. Wait and see if you get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Since IRCC usually holds draws regularly to issue these invitations, it’s a good idea to keep track of them
4. If you receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence

What documentation do you need to include in your FSWP application?

When applying for FSWP, there are some documents you have to include. These are:

• Filled and signed application forms
• Identity documents
• Passports and travel documents
• Professional qualifications and training
• Police clearance certificates
• Proof of settlement funds
• Proof of work experience
• TEF/ TCF/IELTS/CELPIP results
• Proof of arranged employment where applicable
• Proof of any points you’ve claimed under the adaptability factor
• Canadian Educational Credential Assessment

If you’re invited to apply for permanent residence, you will also be required to provide:

• Photographs of you and your family members
• Medical information tracking sheets

Who can you include in your FSWP application?

If there’s one thing you should know about your FSWP application, it’s that it can help your loved ones as well. In it, you can include people like:

• Your spouse or common-law partner
• Your dependent children or those of your accompanying spouse/common-law partner
• The dependent children of your dependent children, or those of your spouse/common-law partner

Where in Canada do FSWP immigrants live?

If you move to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you can’t live in Quebec. This is because Quebec chooses its own skilled workers through the Quebec-selected skilled worker program.

However, you can live anywhere else. In fact, while filling your application you’ll be asked to indicate your preferred location. If you’re a provincial nominee though, you can only live in the province that nominated you.

Apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) now

The sooner you apply for the FSWP, the better. For one, you will get more immigration points for your age the younger you are. Also, the sooner you’re in the Express Entry pool, the sooner you can figure out what you need to improve on to increase your chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence.

Federal Skilled Worker Points Grid

To apply for Canadian Permanent Residency under the Federal Skilled Worker Express Entry program you must achieve a score of 67 or higher using this points scheme.

The maximum points available for each section of the FSW Express Entry program are:

It is important that after you have determined your occupation is in demand for the FSW program, and that you determine you have 67 points to submit an Express Entry Application.

Ok, let’s work through the 6 sections above. We recommend having a pen, paper, and calculator to hand.

1 - Age

You will be given points for your age. You only get points for your own age, not the age of any spouse or partner or any children who might be traveling with you.

Here is the age points chart:

2 - Education

You will be given points for the Educational Level you have attained.

Here it is not essential that your Education be in your current professional field, we are looking for your highest level of education attained.

Here is the Education Points Chart. Education Qualifications can give a maximum of 25 points

3 - Language points

You will be granted points for how well you speak either one or both of Canada’s Official Languages, English and French.

Choose the language you are better at (either English or French).

Then estimate your ability in each of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Estimate yourself as either weak, moderate, or strong in each. A native speaker can expect to be moderate or strong in each category.

Then give yourself a score for each of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening from the table below.

First Official Language - maximum of 24 points:

*the numbers under Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing are the grades that IELTS will place on their results certificates. If you already have your IELTS exam done for English - you can use your actual results to calculate. We...